Jabez Inwards facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jabez Inwards
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Jabez Inwards by Charles William Sherborn, etching, published 1881, National Portrait Gallery
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| Born | 23 April 1817 |
| Died | 21 December 1880 (aged 63) |
| Resting place | Highgate Cemetery |
| Occupation | Temperance lecturer and phrenologist |
Jabez Inwards was a popular speaker and expert during the Victorian era. He was well-known for his talks about the temperance movement, which encouraged people to live healthy lives without alcohol. He was also a phrenologist, someone who studied the shape of people's heads to understand their personality.
Jabez Inwards's Career
Jabez Inwards was a tall and strong man with a friendly personality. He was also very witty. He began his career giving talks about temperance in villages near his hometown of Houghton Regis in Bedfordshire.
He was a very persuasive speaker. His talks about avoiding alcohol were so good that his fame grew quickly. People from beyond his local area wanted to hear him speak.
In 1855, Jabez moved to London with his family. There, many groups wanted him to speak at their temperance events. He also gave lectures on other topics. These included phrenology, astronomy, and even how life assurance (like insurance) worked. He also preached the Gospel.
Jabez was a very busy man. His diaries show that he gave about four speeches every week for thirty years! He also wrote several books and published some of his lectures.
Jabez Inwards was a vegan, meaning he did not eat any animal products. He also wrote for a monthly magazine called The Journal of Health & Phrenological Magazine. This magazine was published by his friend, William Horsell, who was also a teetotaler and phrenologist.
Jabez Inwards's Personal Life
Jabez Inwards married Elizabeth Duncombe in 1837. They had four children together. One of their children was Richard Inwards, who became a mining engineer.
Jabez Inwards passed away at his home in Kentish Town, London, on December 21, 1880. He was buried in a family grave in Highgate Cemetery.
In 1886, a special drinking fountain was built to remember Jabez Inwards. It was placed where Royal College Street and Kentish Town Road meet. The fountain was over four meters (13 feet) tall and had a granite urn on top. The Metropolitan Drinking Fountain and Cattle Trough Association designed it.
The fountain had an inscription that read: "Erected by the Friends of Temperance to the memory of Jabez Inwards, born April 23, 1817; died at Kentish Town, December 21, 1880". About 3,000 people came to the ceremony when the fountain was officially opened.
Jabez Inwards's Books
Jabez Inwards wrote several books and published his lectures. Here are some of them:
- Essays on Temperance et caetera (1849)
- A Catechism for Teetotalers (1855)
- The Life and Labours of J. Inwards, together with copious extracts from his speeches, his essays on Bible Temperance, etc (1860)
- A Lecture on Public Speaking (1870)
- The Philosophy of Moderate Drinking (1873)
