The History of the RSPCA
How it all began
On 16 June 1824 a London vicar, Arthur Broome called a meeting at Old Slaughters Coffee House in the City with the intention of launching a Society for the purpose of preventing cruelty to animals. Among those present were the MPs William Wilberforce and Richard Martin. After campaigning to end slavery in the British colonies, Wilberforce had turned his attention to the plight of animals saying of the common practices of bull-baiting and cock-fighting:
"Wretched indeed must be the condition of the people of England if their whole happiness consisted in the practice of such barbarity."
Richard Martin, known as `Humanity Dick' piloted the first Bill to prevent cruel and improper treatment of cattle through parliament two years earlier.
Applying the law
The first meeting of the Society preceded the formation of the police force by five years. During the next six months the Society's first two inspectors brought 63 people, mainly from Smithfield meat market, before the courts on animal cruelty charges. The early inspectors often did their job at great personal risk and, as the Society grew, they were issued with uniforms and truncheons to increase the public's respect for them.
Royal Seal of approval
When Queen Victoria gave the Society its Royal prefix in 1840, the RSPCA was on its way to becoming a British institution although at that time there were just five full-time inspectors, each paid a guinea a week. Meanwhile other societies, often modelled on the RSPCA, were springing up around the world.
Taking action for animals
In order to improve public awareness of animals' needs and ensure animal welfare laws are upheld, the Society continues to implement the four-part action plan agreed in 1824 to:
- Produce information on the care and welfare of animals
- Produce educational material for schools
- Make frequent appeals to the public and press
- employ inspectors to check the condition of animals and prosecute perpetrators of cruelty.
The RSPCA has come a long way since its early beginnings. Cock-fighting and bull-baiting were of course abolished in the 19th century, but animals face many problems in the modern world. The RSPCA's inspectorate is now the largest non-government law enforcement agency in the UK with 323 members of the inspectorate investigating complaints from the public and bringing prosecutions.
The RSPCA has branches throughout England and Wales that work tirelessly for thousands of companion and wild animals every year at a local level through branches' animal centres and animal clinics.
The Society undertakes rescue operations for animals from a single domestic kitten in trouble to thousands of birds affected by oil spillage. The Society and its branches strive to re-home and treat unwanted or neglected animals that end up in RSPCA animal centres as well as campaigning for changes in the law.