Humanity Dick

by Shevawn Lynam

Lynam, Shevawn. Humanity Dick - A Biography of Richard Martin, M.P., 1754-1834. London, Hamilton, 1975. 23 cm. xvii, 300 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, facsimiles, portraits. Original Hardcover with original dustjacket. Excellent, close to new condition with only minor signs of external wear. Colonel Richard Martin (15 January 1754 – 6 January 1834), was an Irish politician and campaigner against cruelty to animals. He was known as Humanity Dick, a nickname bestowed on him by King George IV. He succeeded in getting the pioneering Cruel Treatment of Cattle Act 1822, nicknamed 'Martin's Act', passed into British law. Martin is now best known for his work against animal cruelty, especially against bear baiting and dog fighting. Martin's attempt to have an anti-cruelty to animals Bill passed stands in a chronological line with some previous failed efforts in England's Parliament. A sympathetic groundswell of public opinion emerged in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century in opposition to cultural amusements such as bull-baiting and cock-fighting and in the visible maltreatment of animals that were herded in for slaughter at London's Smithfield Market. The first unsuccessful legislative attempt was led by William Johnstone Pulteney on 18 April 1800 to ban bull-baiting but it was lost to the opposition vote in the House of Commons. A renewed effort was undertaken in 1809 with an anti-cruelty Bill introduced into the House of Lords by Lord Erskine (1750-1823) which passed in that House but was defeated by a vote in the House of Commons. Martin voted in favour of both Pulteney's and Erskine's bills. Martin drafted a new Bill in consultation with the then retired Lord Erskine as well as with the agricultural writer and animal rights advocate John Lawrence (1753-1839). His actions resulted eventually in Martin's Act of 1822, entitled Ill Treatment of Cattle Bill. The Bill passed in t..

Genres: History

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1975

About the author

Shevawn Lynam was an Irish novelist and journalist. She was the Spanish-language specialist with the BBC and Ministry of Information during World War II.

Reviews

[Alexandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

this book was the worst and the best. totally biased in favour of richard martin, almost blindly to the reality of life for tenants in connemara, and so dense to make some parts incredibly hard to get through. if you like detailed descriptions of parliament proceedings this is the book for you.

that said, some of the episodes and characters in the book are some of the most interesting and humorous I've come across in a biography in some time (especially sections dealing with 'fighting fitzgerald'). martin's career in animal rights honestly pales in comparison to his early duelling days, his first wife's dalliances with wolfe tone, or even his disastrous financial life.

if you can get through the tedious sections, it's worthwhile.