• Source: Catherine Smithies

Catherine Smithies (née Bywater; 1785 – 1877) was an English philanthropist and campaigner for animal welfare, abolitionism and temperance. She was the creator of the first Band of Mercy, which promoted teaching children kindness towards non-human animals and led to the Bands of Mercy movement.




Biography






= Early life and family

=
Smithies was born in 1785 in Tadcaster, Yorskhire. She later lived in Leeds. Smithies was a Methodist, and her religious beliefs strongly influenced her activism.
In 1812, she married James Smithies at St Peter's Church, Leeds. Her son, Thomas Bywater Smithies (1817–1883), the second of ten children, was born in 1817; he later became a close partner in her campaigns for abolition and temperance. After her husband's death in 1861, she moved to London to live with Thomas at Earlham Grove House, which was built around 1865.




= Activism and philanthropy

=
Smithies was an active member of the Band of Hope, a temperance organisation founded in Leeds in 1847 that encouraged children to pledge abstinence from alcohol. The organisation focused on educating youth about the dangers of alcohol through hymns, talks, and activities. Smithies' involvement in the Band of Hope shaped her later efforts to promote compassion and care for animals.
In the 1860s, Smithies authored A Mother's Lessons on Kindness to Animals, which was published in several volumes. In 1870, along with Angela Burdett-Coutts, she founded the Ladies Committee at the RSPCA.



Founding the Band of Mercy

In 1875, Catherine Smithies established the first Band of Mercy, modelled on the Band of Hope but focusing on animal welfare. The organisation encouraged its members to take a pledge: "I will try to be kind to all living creatures, and try to protect them from cruel usage."
The Band of Mercy promoted its message through meetings, storytelling, hymns, and visual presentations using lantern slides. The movement grew rapidly, spreading internationally to countries such as Australia and the United States. Publications like the Band of Mercy Advocate, edited and produced by Thomas, became instrumental in disseminating the organisation's message.




= Death

=
Smithies died in 1877. On her deathbed she stated: "the teaching of children to be kind and merciful to God's lower creatures is preparing the way for the gospel of Christ." She was buried in Abney Park Cemetery in Stoke Newington; Thomas was buried alongside her after his death. A guard of honour was formed by uniformed RSPCA officers at her funeral.
After her death, Smithies was memorialised by Thomas, in issue number 281 of The British Workman. Smithies' family and friends erected an obelisk and a public drinking fountain in Wood Green as a as a memorial to honour her life and contributions.




References

Kata Kunci Pencarian:

• Ingrid Newkirk
• Jo-Anne McArthur
• Brigitte Bardot
• John Maxwell Coetzee
• Nonkekerasan
• Dzabihah
• Martha Nussbaum
• Hubungan Prancis dengan Thailand
• Penghargaan BAFTA untuk Efek Visual Khusus Terbaik
• Catherine Smithies
• Smithies (surname)
• Bands of Mercy
• Thomas Bywater Smithies
• Humane society
• Peter Wohlleben
• Albert Belden
• Puppy mill
• Thomas Young (animal welfare writer)
• Cinnamon Trust