Roger Crab
Encyclopedia
Roger Crab was an English soldier, haberdasher
, herbal doctor and writer who is best known for his ascetic lifestyle which included Christian vegetarianism
. Crab fought in the Parliamentary Army
in the English Civil War
before becoming a haberdasher in Chesham
. He later became a hermit and worked as an herbal doctor. He then joined the Philadelphians
and began promoting asceticism
through his writings.
in 1621. At the time of his birth his mother had an annual income of £20. As a young man, he began trying to find a way to live a perfect life. In 1641 he ceased eating meat, dairy and eggs. He also chose to be celibate
.
At the outbreak of the English Civil War in 1642, he joined the Parliamentary Army under Oliver Cromwell
. During one battle he received a serious head wound from a sword. During his time as a soldier, he was at one point sentenced to death by Cromwell. He was later sentenced to two years in prison by Parliament. Christopher Hill
has suggested that Crab was involved with the Levellers
in the late 1640s and was imprisoned as a result.
lived as a hermit. Believing that profit was sinful, he gave away almost all of his possessions before moving. He built up a practice as a herbal doctor, advising his patients avoid meat and alcohol. He was a popular doctor among the village women. However, he was accused of witchcraft by a clergyman, possibly due to prophecies he issued. He attempted to live modestly, wearing homemade sackcloth clothes. He moved to Bethnal Green
in 1657. There he joined the Philadelphians, a group founded by John Pordage
.
for it. He was a pacifist, and had radical views on the evils of property, the Church and universities.
Crab ate a vegan diet from 1641 until his death in 1680. He initially included Potatoes and carrots in his diet, but later gave them up in favor of a diet of mostly bran and turnips. Later in his life he ate only Rumex
and grass, claiming to spend of 3/4 d. per week on food. Late in his life he added parsnips to his diet.
He might be the inspiration for Lewis Carroll
's The Mad Hatter
.
Haberdasher
A haberdasher is a person who sells small articles for sewing, such as buttons, ribbons, zips, and other notions. In American English, haberdasher is another term for a men's outfitter. A haberdasher's shop or the items sold therein are called haberdashery.-Origin and use:The word appears in...
, herbal doctor and writer who is best known for his ascetic lifestyle which included Christian vegetarianism
Christian vegetarianism
Christian vegetarianism is a minority Christian belief based on effecting the compassionate teachings of Jesus, the twelve apostles and the early church to all living beings through vegetarianism or, ideally, veganism...
. Crab fought in the Parliamentary Army
Roundhead
"Roundhead" was the nickname given to the supporters of the Parliament during the English Civil War. Also known as Parliamentarians, they fought against King Charles I and his supporters, the Cavaliers , who claimed absolute power and the divine right of kings...
in the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
before becoming a haberdasher in Chesham
Chesham
Chesham is a market town in the Chiltern Hills, Buckinghamshire, England. It is located 11 miles south-east of the county town of Aylesbury. Chesham is also a civil parish designated a town council within Chiltern district. It is situated in the Chess Valley and surrounded by farmland, as well as...
. He later became a hermit and worked as an herbal doctor. He then joined the Philadelphians
Philadelphians
The Philadelphians, or the Philadelphian Society, were a Protestant 17th century religious group in England. They were organized around John Pordage , an Anglican priest from Bradfield, Berkshire, who had been ejected from his parish in 1655 because of differing views, but then reinstated in 1660...
and began promoting asceticism
Asceticism
Asceticism describes a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from various sorts of worldly pleasures often with the aim of pursuing religious and spiritual goals...
through his writings.
Early life
Crab was born in BuckinghamshireBuckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
in 1621. At the time of his birth his mother had an annual income of £20. As a young man, he began trying to find a way to live a perfect life. In 1641 he ceased eating meat, dairy and eggs. He also chose to be celibate
Celibacy
Celibacy is a personal commitment to avoiding sexual relations, in particular a vow from marriage. Typically celibacy involves avoiding all romantic relationships of any kind. An individual may choose celibacy for religious reasons, such as is the case for priests in some religions, for reasons of...
.
At the outbreak of the English Civil War in 1642, he joined the Parliamentary Army under Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
. During one battle he received a serious head wound from a sword. During his time as a soldier, he was at one point sentenced to death by Cromwell. He was later sentenced to two years in prison by Parliament. Christopher Hill
Christopher Hill (historian)
John Edward Christopher Hill , usually known simply as Christopher Hill, was an English Marxist historian and author of textbooks....
has suggested that Crab was involved with the Levellers
Levellers
The Levellers were a political movement during the English Civil Wars which emphasised popular sovereignty, extended suffrage, equality before the law, and religious tolerance, all of which were expressed in the manifesto "Agreement of the People". They came to prominence at the end of the First...
in the late 1640s and was imprisoned as a result.
Career
After leaving the military Crab moved to Chesham. There he began working as a haberdasher. He continued this work between 1649 and 1652. In 1652 he moved to IckenhamIckenham
Ickenham is a suburban area centred on an old village in Greater London, part of the London Borough of Hillingdon.While no major historical events have taken place in Ickenham, settlements dating back to the Roman occupation of Britain have been discovered during archaeological surveys, and the...
lived as a hermit. Believing that profit was sinful, he gave away almost all of his possessions before moving. He built up a practice as a herbal doctor, advising his patients avoid meat and alcohol. He was a popular doctor among the village women. However, he was accused of witchcraft by a clergyman, possibly due to prophecies he issued. He attempted to live modestly, wearing homemade sackcloth clothes. He moved to Bethnal Green
Bethnal Green
Bethnal Green is a district of the East End of London, England and part of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, with the far northern parts falling within the London Borough of Hackney. Located northeast of Charing Cross, it was historically an agrarian hamlet in the ancient parish of Stepney,...
in 1657. There he joined the Philadelphians, a group founded by John Pordage
John Pordage
John Pordage was an Anglican priest, astrologer, alchemist and Christian mystic. He founded the 17th century English Behmenist group which would later become known as the Philadelphian Society when it was led by his disciple and successor, Jane Leade.-Behmenists:John Pordage was the eldest son of...
.
Views
He was an anti-sabbatarian. He did not observe Sunday as a non-working day, and was put in the stocksStocks
Stocks are devices used in the medieval and colonial American times as a form of physical punishment involving public humiliation. The stocks partially immobilized its victims and they were often exposed in a public place such as the site of a market to the scorn of those who passed by...
for it. He was a pacifist, and had radical views on the evils of property, the Church and universities.
Crab ate a vegan diet from 1641 until his death in 1680. He initially included Potatoes and carrots in his diet, but later gave them up in favor of a diet of mostly bran and turnips. Later in his life he ate only Rumex
Rumex
The docks and sorrels, genus Rumex L., are a genus of about 200 species of annual, biennial and perennial herbs in the buckwheat family Polygonaceae....
and grass, claiming to spend of 3/4 d. per week on food. Late in his life he added parsnips to his diet.
He might be the inspiration for Lewis Carroll
Lewis Carroll
Charles Lutwidge Dodgson , better known by the pseudonym Lewis Carroll , was an English author, mathematician, logician, Anglican deacon and photographer. His most famous writings are Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass, as well as the poems "The Hunting of the...
's The Mad Hatter
Mad Hatter
Hatta, the Hatter is a fictional character in Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and the story's sequel, Through the Looking-Glass. He is often referred to as the Mad Hatter, though this term was never used by Carroll...
.
Works
Crab wrote his autobiography while living in Ickenham. He published The English Hermite (1655) and Dagons-Downfall (1657) in which he declared that the Sabbath had been turned into an idol. Also in 1659 Gentle Correction for the High-flown Backslider, and A Tender Salutation were published.Epitaph
His tombstone has the following epitaph:- Tread gently, reader, near the dust
- Committed to this tomb-stone's trust:
- For while 'twas flesh, it held a guest
- With universal love possest:
- A soul that stemmed opinion's tide,
- Did over sects in triumph ride;
- Yet separate from the giddy crowd,
- And paths tradition had allowed.
- Through good and ill reports he past,
- Oft censured, yet approved at last.
- Wouldst thou his religion know?
- In brief 'twas this: to all to do
- Just as he would be done unto.
- So in kind Nature's law he stood,
- A temple, undefiled with blood,
- A friend to everything that 's good.
- The rest angels alone can fitly tell;
- Haste then to them and him; and so farewell!'