Humanity Dick: The Eccentric Member For Galway

by Peter Phillips

Humanity Dick was one of the most colourful characters of the Regency period.
A renowned duellist, and the King of Connemara, he preferred to live off the proceeds of smuggling than to charge his tenants rent.
After succeeding in passing Martin's Law in 1822, preventing acts of cruelty to horses and cattle, he personally policed the streets of Georgian London arresting perpetrators.
He remains the only lawyer ever to have called a donkey as witness in a court of law.
All animal rights law in the world stems from Martin's Law. Phillips evokes a vital swathe of history, from the American War of Independence (Martin was in New England when it broke out), the French Revolution (Martin was living in Paris when the Bastille was stormed), the 1798 Irish Rebellion (Wolf Tone had an affair with Martin's wife) to the Regency crisis in England (he was a close friend of the Prince Regent). This biography brings to life the story of a neglected hero.

Genres: Biography

208 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A biography of Richard Martin, an Irish member of Parliament and one of the more colorful characters of his times is best known for passing Martin's Law in 1822, pioneering animal welfare legislation preventing acts of cruelty to horses and cattle. Upon passage, he personally policed the streets of Georgian London arresting perpetrators. All animal rights law in the world stems from Martin's Law.

[Lyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been reading this book off and on for a long time. I found it quite challenging to get my head around the history and hold onto the information from chapter to chapter; not helped of course by taking long breaks between chapters.
Martin was a fascinating character who fearlessly promoted the causes he believed in including animal protection, catholic emancipation and relief for the poor.
This is an interesting, but not riveting, read.