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RSPCA History

Tamsin

Administrator
Staff member
I'm doing research for my history essay and came across some stuff on the RSPCA, not really relevent but I think it's kind of interesting. Some snippets:

"It is not merely for animals that this Society is instituted but it is for ourselves." (Annual Meeting, 1866) By encouraging kindness to animals, the Society hoped eventually to civilize manners, and hence to make the masses more receptive to religious instruction."

Between 1830-1839 there were 1357 prosecutions, between 1890-1899 71657

"By 1832, the society's patrons already included seven earls, one marquess and six other peers. It never lost it's connection with "high society". In the 1840's, it's inspectors were often sent to the provinces at the request of wealthy local supports"

"the accused, who is often described in hostile terms: "a brutal-looking fellow", "a lubberyy looking fellow", a "dirty-looking fellow", "a rough, dirty, brutal-looking fellow" (1839-1857)

"Attempts to arrest working men for cruelty were often voilently resisted. Ramsgate donkey drivers in 1840 avenged themselves on one R.S.P.C.A. informant by assulting his son twice in three weeks. Gompetze urged animal lovers not to intervene against cruelty in the London streets unless they could hold their own in a fight."

"in 1863 it prosecuted the marquess of Hastings for promoting cockfights at Donington Hall"

from: B. Harrison (1967) Religion and Recreation in Nineteenth-Century England
 
Neither did I ... for some reason I had assumed the RSPCA came into being in the early 1910s or thereabouts. I had no idea they had been going as long as they have :shock:

Do you know when the 'royal' association of the society came into play, Tamsin? Have they always been the RSPCA? Do they / did they have a royal patron?
 
Tamsin said:
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"the accused, who is often described in hostile terms: "a brutal-looking fellow", "a lubberyy looking fellow", a "dirty-looking fellow", "a rough, dirty, brutal-looking fellow" (1839-1857)

pmslol, thus in'th today'th modern'th times'th we would'th be calling'th them either ''lubbery looking pop star' or 'dirty looking pervert' or 'rough, dirty, brutal-looking porn star' :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
 
Tamsin said:
"Attempts to arrest working men for cruelty were often voilently resisted. Ramsgate donkey drivers in 1840 avenged themselves on one R.S.P.C.A. informant by assulting his son twice in three weeks. Gompetze urged animal lovers not to intervene against cruelty in the London streets unless they could hold their own in a fight."

sorry Tam, you have really made my day with this :lol: :lol: :lol: I love the above bit :lol: :lol: :lol: its great how the rspca would arrest working men for cruelty and yet there were kids homeless on the streets, kids used for slave labour in wash houses and prostitution :lol: :lol: :lol:

Shame the rspca could not save all the ratties in the London plague :lol: :lol: :lol:

right I am off now before I wet my pants :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: good article though, very interesting indeed :D :D
 
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