| RefNo | DC/3 |
| Level | Item |
| Title | Charter Book of the Royal Society |
| Date | 1663 |
| Description | The Charter Book was created in 1663 following the grant of a second Royal Charter to the Royal Society by King Charles II, establishing the structure of the Royal Society.
The first pages bear the Royal Arms followed by the official coat of arms granted to the Royal Society in 1663, adorned by its motto, 'Nullius in Verba'. These arms were painted by Jonathan Goddard, who was reimbursed £1 15s on 29th July 1663. The subsequent pages contain a copy of the Charters granted by Charles II and of early Statutes adopted by the Fellowship, this documentation was a requirement of the 1663 Charter.
The main part of the Charter Book is devoted to Fellowship signatures as well as those of Royal Patrons of the Society. The first is that of the Founder and Royal Patron, Charles II, on the opening royal page. With the exception of King William III and Mary II, and Queen Anne, all British monarchs have signed the Charter Book on dedicated pages framed by lavishly decorated ink and watercolour borders. From George IV onwards a new decorated 'royal page' was added for each new monarch.
The first signature was entered in the Charter Book on 9 January 1665. Fellows elected before the granting of the 1663 Charter signed the book retrospectively and thereafter the book has recorded the signatures of new Fellows and Foreign and Honorary Members of the Royal Society, as they were elected year by year.
Upon their election, Fellows are required by Statutes to attend a ceremony admitting them into the Society during which they sign the Charter Book. At the head of each page is the Obligation: although its form of words varies with time, those who append their names below it undertake to promote the good of the Royal Society, attend its meetings and obey its laws. The calligraphy of the obligation reproduces an antique font given to the Oxford University Press by Bishop John Fell around 1677, the font itself predates this.
The long array of signatures in this volume is a memorial of men and - since 1945 - women, who have contributed to science in this country and others. It does not provide a full list of Fellows, as some duly elected Fellows could not travel to be admitted in person, and only rarely is the Charter Book removed from the Royal Society premises with the permission of the Council of the Royal Society.
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| Extent | 1 volume |
| Format | Manuscript |
| PhysicalDescription | Volume of vellum folios bound in crimson Nigerian goatskin leather with gilt clasps and corners, the front cover bears a silver gilt plate engraved with the Society's eagle crest and the back cover a plate bearing the armorial shield of the Society. The current binding dates to 1992, prior to which the folios were bound in plush crimson boards (these are still retained in the archive). There are indications that at least three prior rebindings took place, reusing the original metal furnishings. In 1992 the clasps were extended to accomodate additonal pages. See full 1992 rebinding report |
| AccessStatus | Open |
| RelatedMaterial | The occassion of King Charles II signing the Charter Book on 9 Jan 1665 is recorded in the second Journal Book of the Royal Society; JBO/2/62
Depositing of Charter Book at Midland Bank in Monmouth during the second world war and authorization as to which members of staff can withdraw it appear in the Dale Papers; HD/6/1/2/10-11, and HD/6/1/3/20-21 |
| Copies | Digital edition of signature pages from 1663-2018 available on the Royal Society website
A print facsimilie edition was first produced in 1912 by Oxford University Press. The most recent edition of the facsimilie is in full colour, produced in 2009, published by Cambridge University press. It contains the signatures up to 2009 along with a reproduction of the second Charter of the Royal Society and the signatures of the Founding Fellows of the Society taken from the first Journal book (JBO/1) |
| URLDescription | Digital edition of signature pages from 1663-2018 on The Royal Society Turning the Pages |
| URL | http://ttp.royalsociety.org/ttp/ttp.html?id=c627ecf4-22aa-4e4f-8919-c6a514f441aa&type=book |