One hundredth anniversary of the RSA becoming 'Royal'; William Shipley Group events; new research on sculpture uses RSA Archive

January 2008 marks the hundredth anniversary of the RSA becoming the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce. The minutes of the Council meeting on 27th January 1908 (reference AD.MA/100/12/200) record that King Edward VII, who was then Patron of the Society, had granted permission for the use of the prefix ‘Royal’ in its title. It then states that 'it was resolved that the Secretary be instructed to take all the necessary steps for prefixing the word "Royal" to the title, whenever the title is used'. A short notice was also published in the newly entitled Journal of the Royal Society of Arts on January 31st 1908 Volume 56.

It was not however recorded in the minutes who had made the initial suggestion to apply to the King for the use of the prefix 'Royal'. The Society had possessed a Royal Charter since 1847 which amongst other things established the Council as the governing body of the Society. There is no reason given in the Council minutes as to why the use of the prefix ‘Royal’ was not sought at that time. ‘The History of the Royal Society of Arts’ by Sir Henry Trueman Wood, published in 1913, notes that the granting of the Royal Charter in 1847 marked the beginning of a new chapter in the RSA’s history. After this point greater emphasis began to be placed on lectures and the reading of papers, the Journal commenced publication in 1852 and the Society started ‘a fresh career of usefulness’.

A joint meeting between the William Shipley Group and the Johnson Society of London will take place on Saturday 12 January. ' "The Wider Range of Knowledge": Johnson, the RSA and the Adelphi revisited', will consider Dr Samuel Johnson's connections with the RSA. The event will take place at 2.30pm at Wesley's Chapel, 49 City Road, London.

Please contact Susan Bennett on susan@bennett.as for further details, and visit the William Shipley Group website for information about more upcoming events.

We were pleased to receive a copy of an article from the Sculpture Journal by David Wilson, Director of the Wordsworth Centre The article, ‘New information from the Society of Arts: Roubiliac’s model of Hercules and Atlas, and Nathaniel Smith’s model of St Andrew after Duquesnoy’, draws upon research undertaken last year by Mr Wilson in the RSA Archive. We hold two letters by Louis Francois-Roubiliac (1702-1762), which Mr Wilson reports were previously unknown to scholars in this field. The above work, Beasts, by Nathaniel Smith, a pupil of Roubiliac's, is certified as being by Smith in one of the letters.