Description: Showing the parade of carts and carriages in front of the Exchange. The origins of the RSPCA lay in 1822, when Richard Martin MP piloted the first anti-cruelty bill giving cattle, horses and sheep a degree of protection through parliament. 'Humanity Dick' as he was known, was one of the 22 founders of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals which was launched in London in 1824. The SPCA became the first national animal protection society in the world. At that time, compassion for animals was regarded as bizarre. Animals were regarded as little more than commodities supplying food, transport or sport. In its early years the Society's major campaign was to win over the hearts and minds of the general public, and to change people's indifference to animal cruelty. The 181 convictions for cruelty that the Society achieved during 1832 - the first year such figures were recorded in its annual report - made a telling impact on public opinion about the treatment of animals. By 1840 the Society's work was held in such high regard that Queen Victoria gave her permission for the SPCA to be called the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Its practical welfare work developed quickly. The single inspector appointed in London to check on markets and slaughterhouses, was joined by others. Together they formed a law enforcement body that pre-dated the police force. News of the work of the Society spread outside London. By 1842, campaigners in Bath, Brighton, Bristol, Coventry and Scarborough had all requested the appointment of an inspector of their own. With the increasing number of donations and bequests the Society was attracting, there were funds to expand beyond the capital. Regional inspectors were appointed, with local campaigners promising to raise £20 a year towards 'their' inspector's wages. This development created the nucleus of a national network of 187 branches in England and Wales that exists today.