Talk:Muriel Dowding, Baroness Dowding

Vegetarian?
We have this to support Dowding's vegetarianism. Yet all it says is: ''There were regular Sunday lunch parties introducing influential people to vegetarian food. With pride she would display what she called a 'vegetarian larder' to guests.''

It doesn't actually say she was vegetarian, just that she had a "vegetarian larder". Is this a good enough reference for the claim? --91.135.14.165 (talk) 16:03, 28 July 2009 (UTC)


 * I think it was enough referenced as it wasn't a controversial data, however I have added another reference. Akhran (talk) 01:23, 29 July 2009 (UTC)


 * Th sourced part of the reference seems to talk about vivisecion rather than vegetarianism; however, you're right that it isn't a terribly controversial claim. I'd still like to see a (good) source for the claim. --91.135.14.165 (talk) 22:48, 29 July 2009 (UTC)

I am surprised that there is no information to corroborate that Muriel, The Lady Dowding (1908-1993) was a vegetarian. She certainly was a strict vegetarian as is her son, and was her mother, Hilda Gertrude Albino (née Barnes 1882-1972) and her sister Kathleen, and later Lord Dowding became a vegetarian following his investigation into the cruelties in English slaughterhouses at his wife’s request. Lord Dowding’s maiden speech in the Upper House of Parliament on 18 March 1948 was to change many of the inadequacies in English abattoir regulations ensuring better treatment of animals going to slaughter: http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/people/mr-hugh-dowding

Muriel Dowding was a pioneer in furthering the protection of animals so cruelly exploited by the fur and cosmetic industry and she eventually founded an international organisation, Beauty without Cruelty, to change public opinion, followed later with a small company to provide humane alternatives: http://www.vegetarianwomen.com/articles/beauty_without_cruelty.html

One of the obituaries to Lady Muriel confirms her vegetarian principals: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-muriel-dowding-1464815.html

References to Lady Dowding’s deep vegetarian principals are so numerous, see this and scroll down to ‘Pioneer’: http://www.vegetarianfriends.net/issue74.html

Her vegetarian principals are again confirmed in Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muriel_Dowding,_Baroness_Dowding but surprisingly there is little more about her there. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Silksheen (talk • contribs) 10:19, 17 December 2011 (UTC)