made by both the society and its fellows to archaeology over nearly 300 years have been considerable.

Bernard Nurse

See also

Britain, Prehistoric Archaeology

References

Evans, J. 1956. The History of the Society of Antiquaries. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Levine, P. 1986. The Amateur and the Professional. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Needham, S. 1986. “Towards a Reconstitution of the Arreton Hoard: A Case of Faked Provenances.” Antiquities Journal 66: 9–28.

Piggott, S. 1985. William Stukeley. London: Thames and Hudson.

———. 1989. Ancient Britons and the Antiquarian Imagination. London: Thames and Hudson.

Ucko, P., et al. 1991. Avebury Reconsidered. London: Unwin Hyman.

Way, A. 1847. Catalogue of Antiquities… in the Society’s Possession. London.

Wymer, J. 1999. “A Memorial to John Frere.” Past 33: 3–4.

society of antiquaries of scotland

The second-oldest antiquarian society in Great Britain, the society of antiquaries of scotland was founded in 1780. David Steuart Erskine, eleventh earl of Buchan, called a meeting of eminent historians and antiquaries at his home in St. Andrews Square in Edinburgh on 14 November, and the new society was formally constituted on 18 December. Its first meeting followed on 16 January 1781, and it set the pattern for years to come: an academic lecture and a display of items donated to the society’s museum. In the terms of the charter granted in 1783, the aim of the society was “to investigate both antiquities and natural and civil history in general,” and King George III and his successors were to be the society’s patrons. The current laws of the society define its purpose as “the study of the antiquities and history of Scotland, more especially by means of archaeological research.” The society was granted a coat of arms in 1827.

The publication of academic papers began in 1792 with the first volume of the Transactions; the name of the journal was changed with volume four in 1831 to Archaeologia Scotica, and its publication ceased with volume five in 1890. It was replaced by the Proceedings of the society of antiquaries of scotland, the first volume of which was published in 1854, and it remains the primary journal of archaeological record in Scotland (Graham 1969–1970). The society’s minute books and correspondence, together with original drawings and manuscripts of antiquarian interest, are in the National Museums of Scotland Library, and other manuscripts formerly belonging to the society are in the National Monuments Record for Scotland.

Initially, the society occupied a number of different properties in Edinburgh, and at one time it shared a building with the Royal Society of Edinburgh. As the collection grew in size and importance, however, concern about its long-term future led to the transference of responsibility for its housing and financing to the government in 1859, in return for which the society agreed to give the collection to the nation. In 1890, the museum was moved to a purpose-built museum and portrait gallery in Queen Street; an ornate building was designed by Rowand Anderson in the Italianate Gothic style.

The museum had become the National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland, and the society had rooms, including a splendid library, in the new building. An act of Parliament in 1954 relieved the society of the management of the museum, but the library remained mutual and the society continued to be housed by the museum. The name of the museum was changed to the Royal Museum of Scotland when it was amalgamated by an act of Parliament in 1985 with the Royal Scottish Museum under the overall title National Museums of Scotland. Before the end of the twentieth century, the Scottish collections were to be redisplayed in a new building in Chambers Street, and the society was to move into new rooms there.

Members of the society are known as fellows and are admitted by election. There were 50 fellows in 1780 and almost 3,000 in the 1990s. Membership is worldwide and includes both professional and amateur archaeologists and historians. There are also up to 25 honorary fellows, elected in recognition of their services to