Thomas Young (animal welfare writer)
Thomas Young | |
|---|---|
| Born | Dalston, Cumberland, England |
| Baptised | 26 December 1772 |
| Died | 11 November 1835 (aged 63) Gilling East, Yorkshire, England |
| Education | |
| Occupation(s) | Clergyman, theologian, writer |
| Notable work | An Essay on Humanity to Animals (1798) |
| Spouse |
Mary Simpson Blamire
(m. 1814) |
| Children | 8 |
| Religion | Anglicanism |
Offices held | Rector of Gilling East, Yorkshire |
Thomas Young (1772 – 11 November 1835) was an English clergyman, theologian, and early animal welfare writer. Educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, he later became a Fellow and tutor. His 1798 publication, An Essay on Humanity to Animals, presented theological arguments against cruelty towards animals. From 1813, he served as Rector of Gilling East, Yorkshire.
Biography
[edit]Early life and education
[edit]Thomas Young Jr. was born in 1772 in Dalston, Cumberland. He was baptised 26 December. His parents were Thomas Young Sr. and Rachel Bewley.[1] Young attended Hawkshead Grammar School in Lancashire, where he was a contemporary of William Wordsworth.[2]
Young matriculated at Trinity College, Cambridge, in October 1789 as a sizar. At Cambridge, he distinguished himself academically, becoming a scholar in 1793 and earning his B.A. degree in 1794, where he ranked as the 12th Wrangler in the Mathematical Tripos. He later earned a M.A. degree in 1797. A Fellow of Trinity College from 1795, he served as an Assistant Tutor from 1801 to 1811 and as a Tutor from 1811 to 1813. Additionally, he held the position of Senior Dean from 1806 to 1809.[3]
Ecclesiastical career
[edit]Young was ordained as a deacon on 31 May 1801 and as a priest on 13 June 1802 by George Pretyman (later Tomline), Bishop of Lincoln. In 1813, he was appointed Rector of Gilling East, Yorkshire, a position he held until his death.[3]
An Essay on Humanity to Animals
[edit]Young advanced a theological argument against animal cruelty in his 1798 work, An Essay on Humanity to Animals. In this essay, he analysed and elaborated upon nine key scriptural references, using them to denounce approximately fifteen prevalent forms of cruelty towards animals[4] and to suggest that God values animals and expects humans to show similar care.[5] He also asserted that animals are capable of experiencing both pleasure and pain.[6] In the essay, Young opposed the cruel treatment of animals in activities like hunting and sports but accepted the practice of scientific vivisections.[7] He particularly criticised the participation of clergy in blood sports.[8]
Henry S. Salt included Young's essay in his 1892 book, Animals' Rights: Considered in Relation to Social Progress.[9] Historian Rod Preece has suggested that John Styles's essay, The Animal Creation: Its Claims on Our Humanity Stated and Enforced, plagiarised from Young's essay.[10]
Personal life and death
[edit]Young married Mary Simpson Blamire on 15 August 1814. They had six sons and two daughters.[11]
Young died on 11 November 1835, aged 63.[3] He was buried at Holy Cross Church, Gilling,[12] and a memorial to him was installed inside.[13]
Selected publications
[edit]- An Essay on Humanity to Animals (London: 1798)
- Christian Righteousness: A Sermon (Cambridge: 1811)
- Seven Sermons on the Lord's Prayer (York: 1827)
References
[edit]- ^ Parker, Donald Dean (1946). The Bewley and Related Families. [Brookings, S. D.] (the author). p. 71.
- ^ Maycock, Christopher (2003). A Passionate Poet: Susanna Blamire, 1747-94 : a Biography. Hypatia Publications. p. 116. ISBN 978-1-872229-42-3.
- ^ a b c "Person: Young, Thomas (1801 - 1813)". Clergy of the Church of England database. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
- ^ French, Roger Kenneth; Wear, Andrew; Geyer-Kordesch, Johanna (1993). Doctors and Ethics: The Earlier Historical Setting of Professional Ethics. Rodopi. p. 211. ISBN 978-90-5183-553-3.
- ^ Preece, Rod; Fraser, David (2000-01-01). "The Status of Animals in Biblical and Christian Thought: A Study in Colliding Values" (PDF). Society & Animals. 8 (1): 245–263. doi:10.1163/156853000X00165. ISSN 1568-5306.
- ^ Ozarska, Magdalena (2020). "Frances Burney Gazes at Animals. Or Is It Women? Evidence from Her Life Writing" (PDF). Teksty Drugie. 1 (English ed.): 41. doi:10.18318/td.2020.en.1.4.
- ^ Ach, Johann S.; Borchers, Dagmar (2018-11-23). Handbuch Tierethik: Grundlagen – Kontexte – Perspektiven (in German). Springer-Verlag. p. 17. ISBN 978-3-476-05402-9.
- ^ May, Allyson N. (2016-03-16). The Fox-Hunting Controversy, 1781-2004: Class and Cruelty. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-03139-0.
- ^ Salt, Henry S. (1894). Animals' Rights: Considered in Relation to Social Progress. New York: Macmillan & Co.
- ^ Preece, Rod (2017). "John Styles". Awe for the Tiger, Love for the Lamb: A Chronicle of Sensibility to Animals. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-94363-5.
- ^ Foster, Joseph (1884). The Royal Lineage of Our Noble and Gentle Families. London: Hatchards. p. 58.
- ^ "Thomas Young grave monument details at Holy Cross Church burial ground, Gilling East, Yorkshire,England". Gravestone Photographic Resource. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
- ^ "Church of the Holy Cross, Gilling East". Twenty Trees. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
- 1772 births
- 1835 deaths
- 18th-century English male writers
- 19th-century English clergy
- 18th-century English theologians
- 19th-century English male writers
- Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge
- Animal welfare scholars
- Clergy from Cumbria
- English Anglican priests
- English Christian writers
- English essayists
- Fellows of Trinity College, Cambridge
- People educated at Hawkshead Grammar School
- People from Dalston, Cumbria