William Lisle Blenkinsopp Coulson

William Lisle Blenkinsopp Coulson (3 July 1840 – 1 June 1911) was an English army officer and campaigner for animal welfare. He was a notable supporter of the Humanitarian League. After his death, he was memorialised by a statue in Newcastle upon Tyne. Life and work Coulson was a member of a landowning Northumberland family, most of whose country estates were sold in 1876 to Edward Joicey. Between 1877 and 1880, he had Blenkinsopp Castle, a disused property dating originally to the 14th-century, renovated in the Victorian style. Blenkinsopp Castle was later sold to Joicey. For some years, he owned and resided at the nearby Blenkinsop Hall estate. He served in the army from 1860 to 1892, attaining the rank of colonel. After retiring from the army, he became a magistrate and served on the boards of many charities concerned with the welfare of children and animals. Described by Henry S. Salt as "one of the first men of standing who lent their support to the Humanitarian League", he chaired its first public meeting. Coulson visited schools throughout England, lecturing about the importance of kindness to animals. In the 1890s, he participated in the Humanitarian League's campaign against otter hunting, which he characterised as "a brutal, demoralizing amusement". He wrote letters on the subject to local, regional and national newspapers and contributed an article on "The Otter-Worry" to a Humanitarian League pamphlet about blood sports. Among his other publications were a pamphlet on the horse and Musings on Moor and Fell, a book of local and natural history.