Cruel Treatment of Cattle Act 1822 explained

Short Title:	Cruel Treatment of Cattle Act 1822
Type:	Act
Parliament:	Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long Title:	An Act to prevent the cruel and improper Treatment of Cattle.
Year:	1822
Citation:	3 Geo. 4. c. 71
Royal Assent:	22 July 1822
Amendments:	Cruelty to Animals Act 1835
Repealing Legislation:	Cruelty to Animals Act 1849
Status:	repealed

The Cruel Treatment of Cattle Act 1822 (3 Geo. 4. c. 71) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom with the long title "An Act to prevent the cruel and improper Treatment of Cattle"; it is sometimes known as Martin's Act, after the MP and animal rights campaigner Richard Martin.^[1] It is the first known piece of animal welfare legislation in the world.^[2]

The Act listed "ox, cow, heifer, steer, sheep, or other cattle". This was held not to include bulls. A further act, the Cruelty to Animals Act 1835 (5 & 6 Will. 4. c. 59, s. 2) extended the wording of this Act to remedy the issue.^[3]

This Act was repealed and superseded by the Cruelty to Animals Act 1849.

See also

• Animal welfare in the United Kingdom

Notes and References

1. Web site: What Folly is This? Animal Welfare in Georgian London. Lucy . Inglis . June 2012 . July 5, 2021 . London Historians.
2. Web site: Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill. June 16, 2021. July 5, 2021. My Lords, it is a privilege to open this debate. Today, in this House, we are opening a new chapter in this country’s proud story of protecting and promoting animal welfare. I am proud, as I hope your Lordships are, of the UK’s reputation as a nation of animal lovers. The UK introduced the world's first animal protection law: the Cruel Treatment of Cattle Act 1822.. Hansard.
3. The Rights of Persons, According to the Text of Blackstone: Incorporating the Alterations Down to the Present Time, Sir William Blackstone and James Stewart, 1839, p. 79.