Who is the founder of rspca

We have been saving animals for almost years. In just under three minutes we've captured the highlights of our history in 'draw my life' style. Take a look at how we got here in our video below.

We were founded in a London coffee shop in The men present knew they were creating the world's first animal welfare charity, but they couldn't have imagined the size and shape that the charity would become today.

When we were founded, our focus was working animals, such as 'pit ponies', who were worked down the coal mines. But we've changed with the times. During the First and Second World Wars we worked to help the millions of animals enlisted to serve alongside British, Commonwealth and Allied forces. And, our work with pets that we're best known for today, only developed with the trend to keep them. We've always been influential in forming and improving animal welfare law.

William Wilberforce, who is better-known for his work in bringing about the end of slavery, found a like mind in Richard Martin. In , Humanity Dick, as Martin was teasingly called, managed to get a bill through Parliament banning the inhumane treatment of animals.

It was imaginatively called An Act to Prevent the Cruel and Improper Treatment of Cattle , and that same year it was used to prosecute a fruit and veg seller named Bill Burns. The case against the accused was sealed when hisabused donkey hobbledinto the courtroom, to the horror of the jury. Martin and Wilberforce sensed the tide of public opinion was slowly turning although the press dined out on the fact that Burns had been convicted on the testimony of a donkey.

Rumour has it that the uniforms and ranks of the police were borrowed from the original RSPCA inspectors who had already started making their rounds.

But the similarities don't end there. In recent months, the charity has been criticised for over-stepping its powers, and becoming "too political" in its activities in relation to, for example, fox-hunting. Not bad for an organisation born out of a coffeeshop chat. Search now on Ancestry for your Essex ancestors. Visit our Parish Registers of Essex page for more information.

Newspaper archives are now a very important source of information for researching your family tree.

Try our example search to help you discover if your ancestors are in the British Newspaper Archive. Ebay is a good source of old images of Essex towns and villages. If you're looking for pictures to add to your family tree album, then try one of the auctions, or there are several 'Buy It Now' shops offering postcards which have been touched up and improved - so if you're unsure about bidding, try these.

Search Essex parish registers on Ancestry. Help me find my ancestors - example search. We may use it to provide you with information, services and products. Without your information, we may not be able to provide you with the requested services or products, or with information about campaigns, activities, products and services that you may be interested in.

We may disclose your information to state and territory RSPCA organisations which are members of RSPCA Australia, and those organisations will use your information in accordance with their privacy policies. We will also disclose your information when legally required.