Founders of the League for the Prohibition of Cruel Sports

Fact Check: Claim About Jessey Wade, John Galsworthy, and the Founding of the League for the Prohibition of Cruel Sports

Claim:
A Happy Cow blog post, “So who were Jessey Wade and Ernest Bell?”, states:
“The League for the Prohibition of Cruel Sports (now League Against Cruel Sports) – Jessey [Wade] was a co-founder with Ernest Bell, John Galsworthy & other friends – founded in 1927.”
The post references Wikipedia and the Ernest Bell Library as sources.

Verdict:
Inaccurate. Jessey Wade and John Galsworthy were not listed as co-founders of the League for the Prohibition of Cruel Sports, and the founding year given is incorrect.

Analysis

1. Reliability of Wikipedia as a Source
   • The claim cites Wikipedia, a collaborative platform that acknowledges its limitations as a reliable source:
     “Wikipedia cannot be considered a reliable source, and its content is not accepted in many academic settings as a primary reference.”
   • While Wikipedia provides useful starting points, the claim’s reliance on it undermines its credibility.
2. What the Wikipedia Page States
   • At the time of review, the Wikipedia entry on the League states:
     “The League for the Prohibition of Cruel Sports was founded in 1924 by Ernest Bell, Henry B. Amos, and George Greenwood, with the support of Henry S. Salt, Edward Carpenter, and George Bernard Shaw.”
   • Jessey Wade and John Galsworthy are not mentioned as founders, nor does the page claim the League was founded in 1927.
3. Verified Historical Sources
   • According to A Hundred Years of the League¹:
     “In the small town of Morden in 1923, one man, Henry Amos, raised a protest against rabbit coursing… In 1924, along with Ernest Bell, he established the League for the Prohibition of Cruel Sports.”
   • This authoritative history confirms the League’s founding date as 1924 and names Henry Amos and Ernest Bell as its primary founders.
4. Jessey Wade and John Galsworthy
   • While Jessey Wade and John Galsworthy were notable animal rights advocates, there is no evidence they were involved in the League’s founding.
   • The claim conflates their broader contributions to humanitarian causes with direct involvement in this organisation.

Conclusion

The Happy Cow blog post contains several inaccuracies. It erroneously claims Jessey Wade and John Galsworthy as co-founders of the League for the Prohibition of Cruel Sports and provides an incorrect founding date of 1927. Verified historical sources clearly establish the League’s founding in 1924 by Henry Amos and Ernest Bell, with no mention of Wade or Galsworthy.

The Henry S. Salt Foundation emphasises the importance of using credible, evidence-based sources to ensure accuracy and integrity in historical research.

1. A Hundred Years of the League, League Against Cruel Sports, March 2024 ↩︎