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The Reverend
Henry John Williams
Black-and-white photograph of a man wearing a clerical collar, facing slightly to the left.
Williams, c. 1894
Born(1841-02-01)1 February 1841
Whatley, Mendip, England
Died1 April 1919(1919-04-01) (aged 78)
Aspley Guise, England
Alma mater
Occupations
  • Priest
  • writer
  • activist
Known for
Spouse
Cecelia Frances D'Arblay Croft
​
​
(m. 1871; div. 1892)​
RelativesHoward Williams (brother)
ReligionAnglicanism
ChurchChurch of England
Ordained
  • Deacon (1863)
  • Priest (1864)
Offices held

Henry John Williams (8 February 1841 – 1 April 1919) was an English Anglican priest, writer, and advocate of Christian vegetarianism. Influenced by his brother Howard Williams, he adopted vegetarianism in 1878 and argued for it as a Christian duty. In 1881, he founded the Order of the Golden Age, a Christian vegetarian organisation. He later took part in its revival in 1895 with Sidney H. Beard and others. He contributed essays to the order's journal, The Herald of the Golden Age. Williams was also honorary president of the Scottish Vegetarian Society and a member of the Humanitarian League's Humane Diet department.

Biography

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Early life and education

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Henry John Williams was born on 8 February 1841 in Whatley, Mendip, Somerset, to Reverend Hamilton John Williams, an Anglican clergyman, and Margaret Sophia (née Taunton).[1][2] He was one of seven sons. His brothers included Howard Williams, author of The Ethics of Diet.[3][4]

Williams matriculated at The Queen's College, Oxford in 1860.[5] He later earned a L.Th. from University College, Durham.[6]

Ecclesiastical career

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Williams was ordained deacon in 1863 and priest in 1864, both by John Jackson, Bishop of Lincoln. He was rector of Tintern from 1871 to 1873 and of Brympton d'Evercy from 1880 to 1883. From 1889, he served at St Paul's, Kinross.[5][6]

Christian vegetarianism

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Williams adopted a vegetarian diet in 1878 after being influenced by his brother Howard.[7] He later published A Plea for a Broken Law, a pamphlet that argued for vegetarianism from a Christian standpoint.[8]

In 1881, Williams founded the Order of the Golden Age, a Christian vegetarian organisation that was formally established in 1882. The order soon ceased operating because of financial difficulties. It was revived in 1895 by Williams, Sidney H. Beard, and others.[9] Williams wrote for the order's journal, The Herald of the Golden Age.[10][11]

Williams served as honorary president of the Scottish Vegetarian Society. He was also a member of the Humane Diet department of the Humanitarian League, which his brother Howard helped to found.[3][12]

Personal life and death

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Williams, from an obituary

On 31 August 1871, Williams married Cecelia Frances D'Arblay Croft at Wavendon, Buckinghamshire.[13] In July 1892, the Court of Session heard an undefended divorce action brought by Williams against his wife, who was reported as living in Canada. The report stated that the couple had no children, had lived together for ten years, and had separated in 1881, with a brief reunion in 1887. The court granted decree.[14]

Williams died on 1 April 1919 in Aspley Guise, aged 78.[1][15] His obituary, written by his brother Howard, appeared in the May 1919 issue of The Vegetarian Messenger and Health Review.[a]

Publications

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  • A Plea for a Broken Law.[17]
  • "A Plea for the Order of the Golden Age". The Herald of the Golden Age. 1 (1).
  • The Relation of Christians to the Animal World. 1896.[17]
  • "Dark Ages, Past & Present". The Herald of the Golden Age. January 1897.
  • "A Call to the Christian Church" (PDF). The Herald of the Golden Age. 5 (12): 143–144. 15 December 1900.

See also

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Notes

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  1. ↑ Howard's obituary gives Williams's year of birth as 1838 and his age at death as 81.[7] However, his birth record gives 1841 as the year of birth and his death record gives his age at death as 78.[15][16]

References

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  1. 1 2 "Descendants of Sydenham Williams of Herringstone". Genealogy Online. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
  2. ↑ Preece, Rod (2011). Animal Sensibility and Inclusive Justice in the Age of Bernard Shaw. Vancouver: UBC Press. pp. 167–168. ISBN 978-0-7748-2112-4.
  3. 1 2 Calvert, Samantha Jane (3 November 2011). "'Ours is the food that Eden knew': themes in the theology and practice of modern Christian vegetarians". In Grumett, David; Muers, Rachel (eds.). Eating and Believing: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Vegetarianism and Theology. London: A & C Black. p. 126. ISBN 978-0-567-57736-8.
  4. ↑ Gregory, James (2007). Of Victorians and Vegetarians: The Vegetarian Movement in Nineteenth-Century Britain. London: Tauris Academic Studies. p. 109. ISBN 978-1-84511-379-7.
  5. 1 2 Gregory, James Richard Thomas Elliott (May 2002). "Biographical Index of British Vegetarians and Food reformers of the Victorian Era" (PDF). The Vegetarian Movement in Britain c.1840–1901: A Study of Its Development, Personnel and Wider Connections (PDF) (PhD thesis). Vol. 2. University of Southampton. p. 126. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  6. 1 2 Year Book for the Episcopal Church in Scotland for 1899. Vol. 22. Edinburgh: St. Giles' Printing Company. 1899. p. 155. Retrieved 26 December 2025 – via Google Books.
  7. 1 2 Williams, Howard (May 1919). "Rev. Henry John Williams (1841–1919)". The Vegetarian Messenger and Health Review – via The Order of the Golden Age.
  8. ↑ Williams, Howard (2003). The Ethics of Diet: A Catena of Authorities Deprecatory of the Practice of Flesh-eating. Champaign, Illinois: University of Illinois Press. p. 384. ISBN 978-0-252-07130-0.
  9. ↑ Calvert, Samantha Jane (June 2012). Eden's Diet: Christianity and Vegetarianism 1809–2009 (PDF) (PhD thesis). University of Birmingham. pp. 203–204. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 November 2024. Retrieved 22 May 2026.
  10. ↑ Williams, H. J. (January 1897). "Dark Ages, Past & Present". The Herald of the Golden Age.
  11. ↑ Williams, H. J. (15 December 1900). "A Call to the Christian Church" (PDF). The Herald of the Golden Age. 5 (12): 143–144.
  12. ↑ "Vegetarian Federal Union 1889–1911". International Vegetarian Union. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  13. ↑ "Marriages". Western Daily Press. 6 September 1871. p. 4. Retrieved 26 December 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  14. ↑ "Clergyman's Wife Divorced". Edinburgh Evening News. 20 July 1892. p. 2. Retrieved 26 December 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  15. 1 2 "Deaths Jun 1919: Williams, Henry J." FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 24 October 2025.
  16. ↑ "Births Mar 1841: Williams, Henry John". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
  17. 1 2 "Publications". The Order of the Golden Age. 23 September 2019. Retrieved 3 May 2026.
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