<P> The society was the first animal welfare charity to be founded in the world . In 1824 it brought sixty three offenders before the courts . It was granted its royal status by Queen Victoria in 1840 to become the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, as it is today . The origins of the role of the RSPCA inspector stem from Broome's efforts in 1822 to personally bring to court some individuals against whom charges of cruelty were heard . Broome employed and personally paid the salary for an inspector to monitor the abuse of animals at the Smithfield Market . The inspector hired by Broome, Charles Wheeler, served in the capacity of an inspector from 1824 - 1826 but his services were terminated when the society's revenue was exceeded by its debts . The accrued debts led to a suspension of operations when Broome as the society's guarantor for debts was imprisoned . When operations resumed there was some divided opinions in the Committees that steered the society about employing inspectors, which resulted in a resolution in 1832 to discontinue employing an inspector . The permanent appointment of a salaried inspector was settled in 1838, and the inspector is the image best known of the organisation today . </P> <P> Broome's experience of bankruptcy and prison created difficulties for him afterwards and he stood aside as the society's first secretary in 1828 and was succeeded by the co-founding member Lewis Gompertz . Unlike the other founder members who were Christians, Gompertz was a Jew and despite his abilities in campaigning against cruelty, fund - raising and administrative skills, tensions emerged between him and another committee member . The tensions led to the convening of a meeting in early 1832 which led to Gompertz resigning . His resignation coincided with a resolution adopted in 1832 that "the proceedings of the Society were entirely based on the Christian faith and Christian principles ." </P> <P> Alongside the society's early efforts to prosecute offenders who maltreated animals, there were efforts made to promote kindly attitudes toward animals through the publication of books and tracts as well as the fostering of annual sermons preached against cruelty on behalf of the society . The first annual anti-cruelty sermon that was preached on behalf of the society was delivered by Rev Dr Rudge in March 1827 at the Whitechapel Church . In 1865 the RSPCA looked for a way to consolidate and further influence public opinion on animal welfare by encouraging an annual "Animal Sunday" church service where clergy would preach sermons on anti-cruelty themes and the very first sermon was delivered in London on 9 July 1865 by Rev. Arthur Penryhn Stanley (1815 - 1881), the Dean of Westminster . The "Animal Sunday" service became an annual event in different church gatherings in England, which was later adopted by churches in Australia and New Zealand in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, and it was the forerunner of the "pet blessing" services that emerged in the 1970s . In the twentieth century the RSPCA widened the horizons in the public domain by promoting an annual "animal welfare week ." </P> <P> During the second half of 1837 the society sponsored an essay - writing competition with a benefactor offering a prize of one hundred pounds for the winning entry . The terms of the competition stipulated: </P>

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