(bapt. 29 December 1772 – 11 November 1835) was an English writer, theologian, educator, and Anglican clergyman. A Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, he served as a tutor, dean, and preacher before becoming Rector of Gilling East, Yorkshire, in 1813. He is best known for his 1798 work, An Essay on Humanity to Animals, one of the earliest theological defences of animal welfare, which argued from scripture and moral philosophy for the compassionate treatment and natural rights of animals. In ad