Isabel Wilson MBE (née Lunt; other married name James, 1908 – 25 December 1994) was an English vegetarianism activist, cookery writer, guesthouse proprietor, and local councillor. A lifelong vegetarian from Manchester, she was associated with the Vegetarian Society for much of her adult life and served as its president from 1987 to 1989. She chaired the Vegetarian Catering Association and the Food and Cookery Section of the Vegetarian Society, gave cookery demonstrations, and wrote Vegetarian Cuisine (1967). Wilson also served on Westmorland County Council and Cumbria County Council, and campaigned on issues relating to the Lake District. She was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 1992 for services to the public and the community in Cumbria.
Isabel Wilson | |
|---|---|
 Wilson, from an obituary | |
| Born | Isabel Lunt 1908 Didsbury, Manchester, England |
| Died | (aged 86) Kendal, Cumbria, England |
Resting place | Lancaster and Morecambe Crematorium 54°03′54″N 2°49′11″W / 54.06509°N 2.81984°W |
| Other names | |
| Education | University of Manchester |
| Occupations |
|
| Organization | Vegetarian Society (president) |
| Spouses | William Stanley James
(m. 1937, died)Andrew Wilson (m. 1977) |
| Children | 2 |
| Awards | Member of the Order of the British Empire (1992) |
Early life and family
editWilson was born Isabel Lunt in Didsbury, Manchester, in 1908.[3] She was raised in a vegetarian family.[4] Her father was H. Julius Lunt, whose firm of solicitors acted for the Vegetarian Society for many years, and her mother was Edith Lunt (née North).[3][4][5] She studied at the University of Manchester, where she took an arts degree, and later worked in London.[4][6]
In 1936, while on holiday in Somerset, she met William Stanley James, known as Jimmy, who was also active in the vegetarian movement. They married in 1937 and had two children, Wendy and Brian. James died before Wilson's second marriage. In 1977, during local campaigning work in Grasmere, she met Andrew Wilson, whom she later married.[4]
Vegetarian catering and activism
editAfter her first marriage, Wilson and her husband took over Beck Allans, a vegetarian guesthouse in the Lake District formerly run by Fay Henderson. They later moved to Rothay Bank, a larger house that they also ran as a vegetarian guesthouse. Wilson said that the difficulty faced by vegetarians when travelling was one reason for running such a business. She operated the business for about 30 years.[4][6]
Wilson became involved in the Vegetarian Catering Association, which developed from the Vegetarian Guest House Association founded in 1953. She became chairperson of the Vegetarian Catering Association in 1969. When the Food and Cookery Section of the Vegetarian Society succeeded the association, she gave talks and cookery demonstrations in several parts of Britain. She became chairperson of the section in 1985.[4][6]
In the early 1950s, a vegetarian class was established at the biennial professional Salon Culinaire at Hotelympia. Wilson won bronze medals in 1954 and 1956, and a gold medal in 1958. She became a judge in 1964.[4]
Wilson was a committee member of the Manchester Vegetarian Society and later of the Vegetarian Society of the United Kingdom. She joined the council after the Vegetarian Society and London Vegetarian Society amalgamated in 1968, and served as president from 1987 to 1989. She was made an honorary fellow of the society. She attended several world vegetarian congresses and served for a time as regional secretary for Europe of the International Vegetarian Union.[4]
Her cookbook Vegetarian Cuisine was published in 1967 by the Vegetarian Society.[1]
Lake District work
editWilson joined local government in 1968, saying that she wanted to help preserve the Lake District landscape. She served on Westmorland County Council and, after local government reorganisation, on Cumbria County Council. She also served on committees concerned with the protection and management of the Lake District.[4][6]
One of her local campaigns concerned heavy goods traffic through the Lake District National Park. Wilson helped organise an overnight lorry count to record the scale of traffic through the park. The campaign lasted about ten years, after which restrictions were introduced on lorries using the main road through the park.[6]
Wilson was also involved in arts and local publishing. With Andrew Wilson, she helped promote the Lake District through a newspaper and guidebooks. After retirement she took up painting, producing scenes of the Lake District.[4][6]
Honours and death
editWilson was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire in the 1992 Birthday Honours for services to the public and the community in Cumbria.[7] She received the award in December 1992.[6]
Wilson died at Westmorland General Hospital, Kendal, Cumbria, on 25 December 1994, aged 86.[4][8] Her funeral was held at Lancaster and Morecambe Crematorium on 30 December.[9]
Selected publication
edit- Vegetarian Cuisine. Vegetarian Society. 1967.
References
edit- 1 2 "Vegetarian Cuisine by Isabel James B.A., M.C.F.A., 1967". Ranchi Art and Books. Retrieved 21 May 2026.
- ↑ "Merchandise and Books". The Vegetarian: 53. November–December 1988.
Vegetarian Cuisine (Superb for students and people working on low budgets) Isabel James Wilson/VSUK publication
- 1 2 "Lunt, Isabel". UK BMD Summary. Retrieved 21 May 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Lee, Maxwell G. (Spring 1995). "Obituary: Isobel Wilson MBE". The Vegetarian. Vegetarian Society. Archived from the original on 29 May 2000. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
- ↑ "Lunt". The Guardian. 20 August 1970. p. 2. Retrieved 21 May 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Murphy, Eileen (October 1992). "Life as a vegetarian MBE". The Vegetarian. Vegetarian Society. Archived from the original on 29 May 2000. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
- ↑ "No. 52952". The London Gazette. 12 June 1992. p. 16.
- ↑ "Lakeland Tory Stalwart Dies at 86". Lancashire Evening Post. 31 December 1994. p. 7. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
- ↑ "Wilson". The Westmoreland Gazette. 30 December 1994. p. 38. Retrieved 21 May 2026 – via Newspapers.com.