Dugald Semple

Dugald Semple (1884 — 1964), was a Scottish advocate of "simple living", a naturalist, prolific author, and fruitarian. He is sometimes credited with cofounding the vegan movement in 1944 (with Dorothy and Donald Watson and other friends) without using the term 'vegan'. Semple's mother hailed from a farm near Beith, and his father worked as a tailor. He was born in Johnstone near Paisley, Scotland. Cathie Amos was his wife who predeceased him, dying of heart failure in 1941, Dugald died in Fairlie. They had no children, although Cathie had a son named Ian who was killed in World War I.

Dugald won a bursary to Paisley Grammar School and served an apprenticeship as an engineering draughtsman. In 1907 he moved into a tent, and later an old omnibus located on Linwood Moss. In 1916 he was a conscientious objector and thus exempted from military service on condition that he continued lecturing on food economy.

Dugald Semple, vegan and 'Scottish Apostle of the simple life,' farmed at Davie's o'the Mill near Beith in North Ayrshire from the 1930s until around 1950, when it was a smallholding. Dugald was a hippy before hippies officially existed and started living in an army tent from 1907. He was sometimes known as the 'Hut Man' from living in his 'hut on wheels' or caravan and therefore probably did not live in the house. He later lived in Fairlie. Semple preached self-responsibility and care for others. Curiously for a vegetarian he appears in a photograph of Davie's o'the Mill to be keeping chickens. He regularly appeared on radio programmes, including Out with Romany and Hutman of the BBC. He lived with his wife Cathie in London for two years when he was the secretary of the Vegetarian Society.

A regular visitor to Ailsa Craig, he was known locally as the 'Bird Man' and was an enthusiast for outdoor living, publishing a book entitled A Free Man's Philosophy. He welcomed walkers and cyclists who often camped on his land.

...
Wikipedia