| C. P. Newcombe | |
| Image Upright: | 0.8 |
| Birth Name: | Cornelius Prout Newcombe |
| Birth Date: | 5 September 1825 |
| Birth Place: | St Luke's, London, England |
| Death Place: | Rusthall, Kent, England |
| Occupation: | Businessman, educator, activist |
| Years Active: | –1913 |
| Known For: | Vegetarianism and veganism activism |
| Children: | 4 |
Cornelius Prout Newcombe (5 September 1825 – 30 July 1913) was an English businessperson, educator, and prominent advocate of vegetarianism, veganism and temperance.
Newcombe's career began in business with a partnership in insurance and shipbuilding, which collapsed in 1854, leading him to become a schoolmaster. He founded Alexandra Park College in Hornsey and later worked as a headmaster in New Zealand before returning to England. Newcombe believed in the health benefits of a strict vegetarian diet and organised a meeting of vegetarian octogenarians. He edited the Vegetarian Society's journal The Vegetarian Messenger and Health Review, published The Manifesto of Vegetarianism, and was critical of consuming animal products. Newcombe also contributed to temperance literature. After his death, he was commemorated by the Vegetarian Society with a memorial essay competition.
Cornelius Prout Newcombe was born on 5 September 1825[1] in St Luke's, London.[2] He was the second son of Frederick Newcombe, a butcher, and Hannah Prout.[3] Newcombe was related to notable figures such as his uncle, the painter Samuel Prout, his cousin, the musical theorist Ebenezer Prout,[4] and his niece, the artist and suffrage activist Bertha Newcombe.
In 1848, Newcombe married Caroline Tunnicliff in Coventry, and the couple had four children. In the early 1850s, he formed a business partnership, Griffiths, Newcombe, & Co., an insurance brokerage and shipbuilding company. However, the company collapsed in 1854, leading Newcombe to become a schoolmaster.
In 1858, after Caroline's death, Newcombe married Mary Kirk. In 1868, he founded Alexandra Park College in Hornsey.[5] Later in his career, Newcombe moved to New Zealand, where he served as the head of various schools. He returned to England around 1895 and continued working as a head teacher.
At the age of 80, in 1905, Newcombe organised and presided over a meeting of fellow vegetarian octogenarians in London. He was a strong advocate of vegetarianism, claiming that humans were naturally vegetarian[6] and that cancer could be cured by a strict vegetarian diet.[7] In 1906, he sought funding for a "Fruitarian Cancer Hospital".[8]
In 1911, Newcombe published The Manifesto of Vegetarianism, dedicated to John E. B. Mayor, Joseph Wallace, and Albert Broadbent.[9] He also edited The Vegetarian Messenger and Health Review, the journal of the Vegetarian Society.[10] In 1912, he wrote in the journal addressing the division within the vegetarian community between those who consumed animal products and those who did not. Newcombe opened up the discussion to letters arguing for each side, receiving 24 responses. He was critical of the defences presented for consuming eggs and milk, instead arguing for a diet consisting solely of cereals, pulses, fruit, nuts, and vegetables.
Newcombe also created and edited a temperance publication, The Temperance Gazette, published by William Horsell, and was a member of the National Temperance Association.[11]
Newcombe died on 30 July 1913 at the age of 87 in Rusthall, Kent. He was cremated at Golders Green Crematorium. In his honour, the Vegetarian Society established a memorial prize essay competition.[12]