Group    From 1875 

Band of Mercy

Categories: Community / Clubs, Animals

Locally led organisations aimed at teaching young people about kindness to animals. They also worked to prevent cruelty to animals. Founded by Catherine Smithies as a furtherance of the temperance movement.

From be kind: "The history of the Band of Mercy movement dates back to 1875, when Catherine Smithies formed the first one in Britain. In 1879 the Band of Mercy Advocate began as a periodical publication in Britain. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) took over the organization of both the Bands of Mercy and its related publication in 1882." And from Wikipedia “… in 1824 {elsewhere we have read 1875}, Catherine Smithies, an anti-slavery activist, set up an SPCA youth wing called the Bands of Mercy. It was a children's club modelled on the Temperance Society's Bands of Hope, which were intended to encourage children to campaign against drinking and gambling. The Bands of Mercy were similarly meant to encourage a love of animals.”

Credit for this entry to: Alan Patient of www.plaquesoflondon.co.uk

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This section lists the memorials created by the subject on this page:
Band of Mercy

Creations i

Limehouse Station drinking fountain

The inscription which is on marble is barely legible, so we are grateful Wiki...

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Other Subjects

Bernard N. Mills

Bernard N. Mills

Second son of Bertram.  The picture shows him with his brother, Cyril.  We think Bernard is on the left.  Died at home in London.

Person, Animals, Theatre

1 memorial
Miss Rose

Miss Rose

We initially guessed that Miss Rose was a cat but in 2024 Kwok Li corrected us: the plaque commemorates “a loveable little black Pekinese dog, owned by Theodore and Elsie Crombie who lived at numbe...

Animal, Animals

1 memorial
Sam
1 memorial
Mrs Catherine Smithies

Mrs Catherine Smithies

Born as Catherine Bywater. Founded the Band of Mercy movement in Britain. She also campaigned against slavery but we can find no details. Her home, Earlham Grove House, built c.1865, has also been...

Person, Animals, Philanthropy, Race Issues, Social Welfare

1 memorial