In 2012 The Herald ran an article entitled, “Bid to break dog-fighting rings”. Most of the people in Scotland who heard about this were appalled because we are a nation of animal-lovers. The article went on to say that “dog-fighting rings are operating in Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Grampian areas, while badger-baiting is rife across the central belt”. Perpetrators of this cruel sport have been justly fined and imprisoned, because it is against the law. However, it has not always been like this. If you cross over from Edinburgh to Fife and visit the town of Leslie, you will find a large rock known as The Bull Stone. In the past, the locals there liked to have fun tying a bull to this rock, and then setting dogs on it. The more the screaming, roaring and blood there was, the better. Many dogs would be flung up into the air by the bull, and upon hitting the ground, their backs would be broken and they would have to be killed; others would be gored to death, or maimed for life. The bull, being worn down by the stream of enraged dogs, would be torn gradually to pieces and collapse, a heaving, exhausted wreck, where its throat would be ripped out. Bear-baiting was a rarer and more exciting sport for the locals. All across Scotland and Great Britain, such savage entertainment was practiced for the bloodlust of the multitudes.
How did we turn away from this savagery and condemn it by law? Again, it was the influence of Christians. The Puritans had banned such “sports” in the Commonwealth between 1642 and 1660, but as soon as King Charles II was restored to the throne, the practice resumed. It would not be until 1800, that the first person would take a political stand. Sir William Pulteney, a Scotsman of Dumfries (1729-1805), sought to pass a bill outlawing bull-baiting, and he narrowly lost by 43 votes to 41. Before this, English clergymen, like Revd John Wesley, Revd Augustus Toplady, Revd James Granger and Revd Humphry Primatt, had preached and written against this cruelty, but it was another Scottish Christian called Lord Thomas Erskine (1750-1823) from Edinburgh, who stood and fought to ban all of animal cruelty in Great Britain. He was inspired by the Scripture in Proverbs 12:10, which says: “A righteous man regards the life of his animal, but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel”. He was successful at the first hurdle, winning the votes of the House of Lords, but failed to win in the House of Commons. Finally, some progress was made when another Christian, Richard Martin, pushed through his bill and the Cruel Treatment of Cattle Act was passed in 1822.
Watching the heroic efforts of Sir William Pulteney, Lord Thomas Erskine and Richard Martin, was an English clergyman, Revd Arthur Broome (1779-1837). Stirred by the Bible, he firstly wrote a tract in 1801, called Unjustifiableness of Cruelty to the Brute Creation,and distributed this widely. In this pamphlet he cried out, “Oh! Let us not be “dumb” ourselves, but loud in their defence”. This call was inspired by the Scripture in Proverbs 31:8, and he applied it to the plight of animals who had no “advocate to plead in behalf of their invaded rights”.
He then went on from his base in London to pull together a team of mostly Christian politicians, clergymen and lawyers. The first gathering of 22 supporters met on 16 June 1824, in the Old Slaughter’s Coffee House, in London. Of the dozen key founders of what became known as the Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), almost all were Christians. William Wilberforce MP was appointed as the first chairman, with Revd Arthur Broome as the first secretary. Among these pioneers there were two Scottish Christians: Sir James Macintosh MP and Sir James Graham MP. The Minute Book in 1832 states that, “the proceedings of the Society were entirely based on the Christian faith and Christian principles”.
This influential group exerted pressure on government, and when the Quaker Christian, Joseph Pease, presented his bill to Parliament, he won, and the Cruelty to Animals Act of 1835 was passed, making it illegal to mistreat animals in Britain. This was followed by the Cruelty to Animals Act of 1849. In 1840 Queen Victoria, who was their Christian patron, granted them the royal charter, and so SPCA now became the RSPCA, whose influence in advancing the welfare of animals in the world is well known.
In 1839, the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA) was launched in Edinburgh, following the pattern of the London model. This work was pioneered by a Christian called Mrs. Martha Gibson, who had also sponsored the prize money for the best book on this subject. The first winner in 1839 was the post-graduate theological student from the University of Edinburgh called James Macauley, with his Essay on Cruelty to Animals.
“A righteous man regards the life of his animal, but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel” (Proverbs 12:10, NKJV).
Image: Julius Caesar Ibbetson (c.1817), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.