Thomas Wyles (22 March 1818 – 16 November 1914) was an English schoolmaster and vegetarianism activist. He was the owner of Allesley Park College in Warwickshire.
Thomas Wyles | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 22 March 1818 |
| Died | 16 November 1914 (aged 96) |
| Occupation | Schoolmaster |
| Spouse |
Ann Mary Foord (m. 1839) |
Career
editWyles became active in the temperance movement from 1838 and was a pioneer of the United Kingdom Alliance.[1][2] He was president of the Coventry Temperance Society.[1] He was schoolmaster at Primrose Hill House in Coventry and in 1848 purchased Allesley Park College where he conducted a large resident school until 1886.[1][3] He moved to Buxton in 1888 and to King's Newton in 1908.[2][4]
At the age of 91 he guided a group of friends up the Matterhorn in Switzerland.[5] At the age of 92, Wyles stated that he was doing three or four hours hard laborious gardening every day.[5] He was active in his garden until a few days before his death at the age of 96.[1][2]
Family
editHe married Ann Mary Foord in 1839 at St. Mary's Parish Church, Chatham. They had eight children.
Vegetarianism
editWyles was a vegetarian for health reasons. He stated that he became a vegetarian to prolong his life.[5] He commented that he consumed nut butter instead of butter from cows and that he lived on a simple diet of brown bread, fruits and vegetables.[5] He liked to eat boiled cabbage.[5][6] He was a member of the Vegetarian Society and in 1910 was a speaker at their anniversary conference.[7]
Selected publications
edit- The Duty of the Schoolmaster: In Relation to the Formation of Character (1865)
- Wyles, Thomas (1876). "Physical Science in Schools". Nature. 13: 454–455. doi:10.1038/013454a0.
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Mr. Thomas Wyles". The Coventry Standard. November 28, 2024. p. 4.
- ^ a b c "King's Newton". The Derbyshire Advertiser. November 27, 1914. p. 2.
- ^ "Allesley Park". Den's Pages. Archived from the original on February 26, 2024.
- ^ "Coventry Temperance Society". The Coventry Herald. October 5, 1888. p. 5.
- ^ a b c d e "Secret of Long Life: Views of a 91 Year Old Mountain Climber". Thomson's Weekly News. October 24, 1908. p. 1.
- ^ "Live and Let Live: How Vegetarians Do It". The Manchester City News. October 29, 1910. p. 2.
- ^ "Vegetarians in Conference". The Manchester City News. October 22, 1910. p. 11.