History of The Vegetarian Society of the UK Ltd.: The 1969 Merger

The Vegetarian Society of the UK Ltd. was created by a merger of The Vegetarian Society (1847-1969) and the London Vegetarian Society (1888-1969), and some smaller organisations, in 1969.

In 1888 the London group had broken away from the original society based in Manchester, and the newly merged societies were also based in Manchester, initially with a London office which closed in the 1980s, and is still generally known as 'The Vegetarian Society'. VSUK therefore traces its origins back to 1847 and considers itself to have been in continuous operation since that time, despite the name change.

In 1997 the Society celebrated its 150th anniversary and the following articles were all written at that time:

1847-1997 Vegetariansm - A Cause for Celebration - 150 years of the Vegetarian Society UK (EVU News 1997)
- Español - 1847-1997 Vegetarianismo: Un motivo de celebración
- Italiano - 1847-1997 Vegetarianismo - Un motivo per festeggiare
150 Years of Vegetarianism (European Congress 1997)
The Vegetarian Society of the UK: 150 Years in the Forefront of Vegetarian Campaigning (IVU News 1998)

Español - La Sociedad Vegetariana del Reino Unido: 150 Años encabezando el Movimiento Vegetariano

The History of Vegetarianism in the UK (VSUK)

The following articles are all on the VSUK website, originating from various publications:

Through the Ages - general history of vegetarianism
Society History - the origins of The Vegetarian Society
Read all about it - the story of The Vegetarian magazine
The Development of the Movement - Information Sheet
Generating Vegetarians - a six generation veggie family

Some individual members of the Society (including the London Society):

Isobel Wilson MBE (1908-1994) - past President and founder of the Cookery School
Dr. Gordon Latto (1911-1998) former President
John le Grice - former Deputy President
Kathy Silk - former President
Sir Paul (1942 - ) & Lady Linda (1941-1998) McCartney Patrons
Tina Fox - current Chief Executive (and Chair of IVU)
Maxwell Lee - current President (and member of IVU Council)
David Pye - current trustee (and IVU Treasurer)