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Alfred Mansfield Mitchell

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Alfred Mansfield Mitchell
Born1853
Dublin
Died18 February 1936 (aged 83)
Burtonwood
OccupationClergyman

Alfred Mansfield Mitchell (1853 – 18 February 1936) was an Irish clergyman and activist for anti-vivisection and vegetarianism. He was the longest serving vicar of St Michael’s Anglican Church in Burtonwood.[1]

Career

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Mitchell was born in Dublin. He was ordained in 1879 and became a priest the following year.[2] He obtained his M.A. degree from Trinity College in 1884. He was a curate at Clonmel and later moved to Britain where he held curacies at Warrington, Kentish Town and Clerkenwell.[2] He was appointed vicar at St Michael’s Anglican Church in Burtonwood in 1891, a position he held for 45 years.[1][2] His parish magazine Excelsior was widely read.[2]

Mitchell was an alderman of Lancashire County Council, a member of Burtonwood Parish Council and chairman of the Warrington County Elementary Education Committee.[2][3] Mitchell was a pacificist and campaigned to help the poor.[3]

He was an anti-vivisectionist and opposed the use of animals in film making.[2][4] He argued that film-makers were cruel to animals and planned to get a Bill passed through Parliament which would stop trained animals appearing in films.[3] He was a member of the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection and a vice-president of the Warrington Anti-Vivisection Society.[5][6]

Vegetarianism

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Mitchell was a vegetarian, non-smoker and teetotaller.[2][3] He was disappointed that there was a large amount of antagonism against vegetarianism in the Church.[7] He argued that meat dishes at Christmas festivals were non-Christian, stating that they are a "debasing and degrading orgie, a festival of blood, a festival of cruelty".[8] In 1907, he commented that "vegetarians or food reformers are the only consistent worshippers and the flesh-eater is convicted of inconsistency and falsehood".[9] Mitchell stated that meat-eaters who decorated churches for the harvest festival were making the festival a service of lies and questioned why they didn't also use "trophies of the butcher's art".[10] He condemned such festivals as "uric-acid festivals" for meat-eaters.[11]

He was a vice-president of the Vegetarian Society and a speaker at their meetings.[12][13][14] Mitchell was a council member of Josiah Oldfield's fruitarian Lady Margaret Hospital in Bromley.[15]

Death

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Mitchell died in Burtonwood, aged 83.[3] He was buried at Burtonwood Cemetery.[1][16]

Selected publications

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  • "The Christmas Altar" (PDF). The Herald of the Golden Age. 40 (5): 88–89. 1907.

References

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  1. ^ a b c "History and heritage of our cemeteries". Warrington Borough Council. 2020. Archived from the original on April 16, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "A Notable Cleric: Death of Rev. A. M. Mitchell of Burtonwood". Liverpool Echo. February 18, 1936. p. 5. (subscription required)
  3. ^ a b c d e "Death of Burtonwood Vicar: Champion of the Poor". Newton and Earlestown Guardian. February 21, 1936. p. 5. (subscription required)
  4. ^ "A Vicar on Vivisection". Liverpool Daily Post. December 23, 1920. p. 3. (subscription required)
  5. ^ "Anti-Vivisection: Annual Meeting of the Warrington Branch". The Examiner. November 9, 1912. p. 6. (subscription required)
  6. ^ "Vivisection a Licensed Evil". The Examiner. April 3, 1920. p. 10. (subscription required)
  7. ^ "Vegetarianism as a Peace Promoter". Manchester Courier. December 15, 1914. p. 6. (subscription required)
  8. ^ "Anti-Christmas". The Halifax Daily Guardian. December 21, 1910. p. 6. (subscription required)
  9. ^ "Harvest Festivals Condemned". The Belfast News-Letter. September 18, 1907. p. 5. (subscription required)
  10. ^ "Harvest Festivals". The Daily News. September 17, 1907. p. 4. (subscription required)
  11. ^ "Service of Lies". The Morning Leader. September 17, 1907. p. 5. (subscription required)
  12. ^ "The Vegetarian Society's 67th Anniversary Meetings". Manchester City News. December 12, 1914. p. 1. (subscription required)
  13. ^ "Vegetarian Society". Manchester City News. December 12, 1914. p. 10. (subscription required)
  14. ^ "Rev. Alfred Mansfield Mitchell, M.A. (1853-1936)". Order of the Golden Age. 2020. Archived from the original on August 3, 2020.
  15. ^ "Lady Margaret Hospital, Bromley". The Bromley Telegraph and Chislehurst Chronicle. March 17, 1906. p. 5. (subscription required)
  16. ^ "Funeral of the Late Rev. A. M. Mitchell". Newton and Earlestown Guardian. February 28, 1926. p. 5. (subscription required)
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