Charter Book of the Royal Society 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. 1663