| Martha Brotherton | |
| Birth Name: | Martha Harvey |
| Birth Date: | 1783 |
| Birth Place: | Old Whittington, Derbyshire, England |
| Death Date: | (aged 78) |
| Death Place: | Salford, England |
| Occupation: | Cookbook writer, activist |
| Notable Works: | Vegetable Cookery (1812) |
| Children: | 4 |
| Relatives: | William Harvey (brother) |
| Resting Place: | Weaste Cemetery, Salford |
| Known For: | Writing the first vegetarian cookbook |
Martha Harvey Brotherton (born Martha Harvey; 1783 – 13 January 1861) was an English cookbook writer and an advocate for vegetarianism. In 1812, she published Vegetable Cookery, the first known vegetarian cookbook. She married Joseph Brotherton, her cousin, in 1806; he later became Salford’s first Member of Parliament. A passionate supporter of the Bible Christian Church, she championed the church’s values, which included dietary reform and ethical living.
Martha Harvey, was born in 1783 in Whittington, Derbyshire, the daughter of Joseph Harvey and Martha Brotherton. She had several siblings. Her brother, William Harvey, became a notable figure in Salford's Bible Christian Church and various social reform movements, including the Vegetarian Society, temperance, and parliamentary reform. William also served as Mayor of Salford in 1857 and 1858.[1]
On 12 March 1805, she married Joseph Brotherton (1783–1857) at Whittington Anglican Church, Derbyshire. The couple initially resided in Manchester before moving to Salford, where her husband inherited his father's cotton mill, became a minister of the Bible Christian Church, and eventually Salford's first Member of Parliament. The couple had four children.
Brotherton played a significant role in the Bible Christian Church, both as the minister's wife, and as the author of the first vegetarian cookbook, Vegetable Cookery, in 1812.[2] The book was originally published anonymously[3] and was republished several times throughout the 19th-century.[4] Historians have observed that Brotherton's book guided early 19th-century Americans in adopting vegetarianism.[5] Kathryn Gleadle notes that the book was crucial to the movement, forming the basis for later vegetarian cookbooks.[6]
Brotherton attended the first annual meeting of the Vegetarian Society, as well as other meetings.[7]
Brotherton died of a heart attack on 13 January 1861 at the age of 78. She was buried alongside her husband at Weaste Cemetery, Salford. A statue was made for her by Matthew Noble.