Who founded the RSPCA and when?
It was an outgrowth of the first anti-cruelty bill was introduced by Richard ‘Humanity Dick’ Martin MP, leader of a group of twenty-two reformers. Also leading the group were William Wilberforce MP, who was already famous for his efforts to abolish slavery in the British Empire, and the Reverend Arthur Broome. The Act was passed in Parliament on 22 July 1822 and was against cruelty to farm animals, particularly cattle. These men banded together to create a society with the will and authority to enforce the new law. The SPCA, the first animal welfare society in any country was thus founded on 16 June 1824, and was later granted its royal status by Queen Victoria in 1840.
