Wikipedia

Animals' Friend Society

(Redirected from Animals' Friend)

The Animals' Friend Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was an animal welfare organisation founded in London in 1832 by Lewis Gompertz and T. Forster, after Gompertz resigned from the RSPCA. The society was nonsectarian and sought to prevent cruelty to animals through education, advocacy and legal action. By the mid-1840s, it had reported more than 3,000 prosecutions. It published The Animals' Friend, or, the Progress of Humanity (1833–1841), edited by Gompertz, and had several local branches before disbanding after his retirement in 1846. Separate groups using the name remained active in towns including Birmingham and Luton later in the nineteenth century. In 1910, Ernest Bell revived the name for a London-based organisation supported by figures including Thomas Hardy. The revived society published The Animals' Friend (1894–1930) and related humane education materials.

Animals' Friend Society
Animals' Friend Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
Founded1832; 194 years ago (1832)
Founder
PurposePromoting animal welfare
Headquarters
  • 18 West Strand, London (original)
  • York House, Portugal Street, London (revival)
Region served
United Kingdom
Publication
  • The Animals' Friend, or, the Progress of Humanity (1833–1841)
  • Animals' Friend (1894–1930)

History

edit

Original society

edit

Lewis Gompertz was one of the founding members of the RSPCA. After a dispute with the RSPCA, Gompertz resigned and founded the Animals' Friend Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals with his friend T. Forster in 1832.[1] It was headquartered at 18 West Strand, London.[2] Its chief officer was T. B. Gibbins.[3]

The society was nonsectarian, unlike some other animal welfare organisations of the period. By 1841, it had at least ten local branches and was experiencing financial difficulties. In 1844, the society reported that since its formation it had prosecuted no fewer than 3,143 cases of animal cruelty.[3] A splinter group, the National Animals' Friend Society, was founded in 1844 and drew on Christian ideals.[4] In 1846, Gompertz retired due to ill health.[5]

Regional branches

edit

Independent regional branches of the Animals' Friend Society remained active until 1880.[6][7] John Cadbury was a supporter of the Birmingham branch, which was active in the 1850s.[8][9]

The Luton Animals' Friend Society was established in 1875.[10] Louisa Bigg was its secretary.[11]

Revival

edit

An organisation with the same name was founded in 1910 by Ernest Bell.[12]: xv [13] It was headquartered at York House, Portugal Street, London.[14]

Novelist and poet Thomas Hardy supported the revived society.[4]

Publications

edit

The Animals' Friend, or, the Progress of Humanity

edit

The society published an illustrated journal titled The Animals' Friend, or, the Progress of Humanity between 1833 and 1841.[15][16] It was edited by Gompertz.[5]

The Animals' Friend

edit
1896 title page of volume 2 of The Animals' Friend, edited by Sidney Trist

As part of the George Bell & Sons humane education publishing line, Ernest Bell launched The Animals' Friend (1894–1930) and served as its editor. In 1897, the journal introduced a Children's Supplement, later renamed Little Animals' Friend (1911–1944). In 1910, The Animals' Friend became the official publication of the Animals' Friend Society. The society and Bell's company also produced further titles and teaching resources.[12]: 195 

Between 1895 and 1896, The Animals' Friend published a series of articles titled "Why I Oppose Vivisection", written by Arthur Beale, John Makinson and Lawson Tait.[17]

Ernest Bell was editor for over 30 years.[18] Sidney Trist also served as editor.[19] In October 1929, a book bound in non-animal "leather" with pages of vegetable parchment was presented to Bell to mark his retirement as editor of the magazine.[20] The presentation was given by Lady Clifford Cory at Central Hall, Westminster.[20] In 1930, The Animals' Friend was published by the National Council for Animals' Welfare.[21]

The "A. F." pamphlet series

edit

The society published the following pamphlets:[22][23]

  • An After-Life for Animals by Ernest Bell
  • Animals in Their Relation to Empire by Mrs. Charlton
  • Animals Under British Rule by Mrs. Charlton
  • For Love of Beasts by John Galsworthy
  • Bird-Caging and Bird-Catching by Ernest Bell
  • Cruelties in Dress by Jessey Wade
  • Cruelty to Animals in India by Mrs. Charlton
  • Docking and Nicking by J. Lee Osborn
  • Dog-Stealing by C. R. Johns
  • Drag-Hunting and Its Possibilities by Basil Tozer
  • Horse-Racing, a Cruel Sport by Ernest Bell
  • Horses in Warfare by Ernest Bell and H. Baillie-Weaver
  • How Sealskins Are Obtained by Joseph Collinson
  • How to Kill Animals Humanely by Edith Carrington and C. Cash
  • Humane Slaughtering, with a preface by R. C. P. Paddison
  • Humane Teaching in Schools by J. Howard Moore
  • The Hunted Otter by Joseph Collinson
  • Morality of Field Sports by E. A. Freeman
  • Mother Love in the Animal World by Jessey Wade
  • The Other Side of the Bars
  • The Pitiful Story of the Performing Animal by an Ex-Trainer, edited by C. R. Johns, with a preface by Ernest Bell
  • A Plea for Horses in War by the Hon. Mrs. Charlton
  • The Rights of Animals by Ernest Bell
  • The Sentimental Vegetarian by M. Little
  • Sport by G. G. Greenwood
  • The Teaching of Inhumanity by Emily Cox
  • Treatment of Animals by John Galsworthy
  • Ways of Helping by Lettice Macnaghten
  • Why Do Animals Exist? by Ernest Bell

"Animals' Friend" leaflets

edit

The society published the following leaflets:[23]

  • A Lethal Box for Cats, by Horace Snow
  • Christmas Cheer: What it Means, by Ernest Bell
  • The Chaining of Dogs, by Ernest Bell
  • The Church and Cruel Sports, by Joseph Collinson
  • The Collier's Dog, by Moses Lee
  • The Cost of a Skin, by J. Howard Moore
  • The Cruel Steel Trap, by Jerome K. Jerome
  • Driving, by A. F. and C. Carter
  • Egret Plumes, by William Dutcher
  • Fur Coats, by Jessey Wade
  • Guinea-Pigs and Wives, by G. G. Greenwood
  • Hats and the Woman, by Jessey Wade
  • The Horse's Prayer, also issued as a poster
  • Horses in War, by Ernest Bell
  • Humanity and Diet, by Ernest Bell
  • Hunted for Seven Hours
  • Is Horse Racing Cruel?, by Ernest Bell
  • Is It Cruel to Keep Birds in Cages?, by Ernest Bell
  • Juvenile Cruelty, by Ernest Bell
  • Little Father Christmas, by Jessey Wade
  • Mr Andrew Lang on Otter Hunting
  • The Otter Worry, by Norman Gale
  • Ostrich Feathers: A Dialogue, by Ernest Bell
  • The Pitiless Hunt of the Otter, by Joseph Collinson
  • Sealskins, by Joseph Collinson
  • Tiny Dogs: How they are Manufactured, by Mrs Kenningale Cook
  • Tortoiseshell: How it is Procured, by Ernest Bell
  • What Are the Rights of Animals?, by Ernest Bell
  • Winter Cruelties, by Jessey Wade

References

edit
  1. ↑ Wolf, Lucien; Marsden, Ben (2004). "Gompertz, Lewis (1783/4–1861), animal rights campaigner and inventor". In Marsden, Ben (ed.). Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/10934. Retrieved 22 April 2020. (Subscription, Wikipedia Library access or UK public library membership required.)
  2. ↑ "Animals' Friend Society, for the prevention of cruelty to animals [Prospectus and abstracts from the Society's reports]". Wellcome Collection. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
  3. 1 2 "Animals' Friend Society". Animals' Friend Society, for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. 1845.
  4. 1 2 Li, Chien-Hui (1 January 2006). "Mobilizing Literature in the Animal Defense Movement in Britain, 1870-1918" (PDF). Concentric: Literary and Cultural Studies. 32 (1). doi:10.6240/concentric.lit.200601_32(1).0002.
  5. 1 2 "Gompertz, Lewis". JewishEncyclopedia.com. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
  6. ↑ "Animals' Friends". Birmingham Mail. 9 October 1979. p. 2. Retrieved 2 May 2026 – via Findmypast.
  7. ↑ "Alleged Cruelty". The Kenilworth Advertiser. 3 April 1880. p. 3. Retrieved 2 May 2026 – via Findmypast.
  8. ↑ "Animals' Friend Society". Aris's Birmingham Gazette. 15 May 1854. p. 4. Retrieved 2 May 2026 – via Findmypast.
  9. ↑ Kew, Barry (28 April 2023). Lewis Gompertz: Philosopher, Activist, Philanthropist, Inventor. Wipf and Stock Publishers. p. 6. ISBN 978-1-6667-6129-0.
  10. ↑ "Animal' Friend Society". The Luton Times and Dunstable Herald. 1 May 1875. p. 3. Retrieved 2 May 2026 – via Findmypast.
  11. ↑ "The Proposed Cattle Trough". The Luton Times and Dunstable Herald. 18 September 1875. p. 5. Retrieved 2 May 2026 – via Findmypast.
  12. 1 2 Li, Chien-hui (2017). Mobilizing Traditions in the First Wave of the British Animal Defense Movement. London: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-1-137-52651-9.
  13. ↑ Bell, Ernest (September 1921). "Our Proper Relationship Towards Animals". Our Dumb Animals. 54 (4): 60 – via Internet Archive.
  14. ↑ "History of Cat Rescue in Britain - Some Benefactors". Messybeast Portal. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
  15. ↑ Donald, Diana (23 October 2019). Women against cruelty: Protection of animals in nineteenth-century Britain. Manchester University Press. doi:10.7765/9781526115430.00008. ISBN 978-1-5261-1543-0.
  16. ↑ Li, Chien-Hui (2000). "A Union of Christianity, Humanity, and Philanthropy: The Christian Tradition and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Nineteenth-Century England" (PDF). Society & Animals. 8 (3): 265–285. doi:10.1163/156853000511122. ISSN 1063-1119.
  17. ↑ Linzey, Andrew; Linzey, Clair (2015). "Normalising the Unthinkable: The Ethics of Using Animals in Research" (PDF). Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 January 2022. Retrieved 2 May 2026.
  18. ↑ "Ernest Bell". Henry S. Salt Society. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
  19. ↑ Gregory, James (2007). Of Victorians and Vegetarians: The Vegetarian Movement in Nineteenth-Century Britain. Tauris Academic Studies. p. 95. ISBN 978-1-84511-379-7.
  20. 1 2 "Social & Personal". Western Mail. 28 October 1929. p. 9. Retrieved 2 May 2026 – via Findmypast.
  21. ↑ Wade, Jessey (1942). "The Story of "The Animals' Friend" and its Early Campaigns–Part 2" (PDF). The Animals' Friend. 10 (48): 196–197.
  22. ↑ ""The Animals' Friend" kindness cards / Animals' Friend Society". Wellcome Collection. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
  23. 1 2 Galsworthy, John (1913). The Treatment of Animals and Other Essays. Animals' Friend Society. Retrieved 1 May 2026 – via Internet Archive.
edit
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Animals%27_Friend_Society&oldid=1353021049#Animals'_Friend"