Historical Collection

The Animal Legal & Historical Center contains a robust collection of historical materials related to animal law. One of the oldest pieces is a copy of the introduction from William Nelson’s book, The Laws Concerning Game, published in 1753. The book reviews game laws in England from 1066 to the 1700s.

To get started, it is suggested readers review the Overview of Historical Animal Law Materials by Professor David Favre. For greater depth, check out the scholarly article, The Development of the Anti-Cruelty Laws During the 1800's, by David Favre & Vivien Tsang, 1993 Det. C.L. Rev. 1 (1993).

Recently, our web center added a review of early animal control laws from the Corporations of Washington, Georgetown, and the County of Washington (now collectively known as the District of Columbia, or Washington D.C.). A summary of the historical enactment of animal control laws is included as well as a chronological account of all animal-related laws.

Interested history buffs and researchers can also use the “Search Materials” function in the purple navigation bar on the top of each page to search for historical materials. By selecting “Historical” from our Topics pull-down, readers can access all available cases, laws, and articles from before 1950. Alternatively, this search can be narrowed down to select only the desired material by using the “Legal Material Type” pulldown to select cases, articles, or statutes.

Instead of using the navigation bar, you can also access materials directly by clicking below: