Chetham Society


The Chetham Society "for the publication of remains historic and literary connected with the Palatine Counties of Lancaster and Chester" is a text publication society and registered charity established on 23 March 1843.

History

The Chetham Society is the oldest historical society in North West England. It was founded by a group of gentlemen, who wished to promote interest in the counties' historical sources. The society held its foundation meeting on 23 March 1843 at Chetham's Library, in Manchester, which was established in 1653 by the will of the philanthropist Humphrey Chetham. The society became a registered charity in 1988.
The Chetham Society was amongst the earliest antiquarian and historical societies to be established in Britain during the nineteenth century, and appears to have been modelled, in part, on the Durham-based Surtees Society founded in 1834.
During its early years, the Society enjoyed the support of patrons such as the Prime Minister of the day Sir Robert Peel, the Bishop of Chester, the Earls of Balcarres, Burlington, and Derby, Lord Stanley of Bickerstaffe, Lord Francis Egerton, as well as several other peers and MPs who became members.
Many distinguished historians and scholars have been involved in the life of the society, including John Eglington Bailey, Christopher Robert Cheney, John Parsons Earwaker, Edward Hawkins, Henry Hoyle Howorth, George Ormerod, Frederick Maurice Powicke, William Stubbs, Thomas Frederick Tout, John Michael Wallace-Hadrill, and Joseph Brooks Yates, amongst many others.

Membership

Membership of the Chetham Society is open to all individuals and institutions interested in the various historical and literary aspects of Lancashire and Cheshire.

Publications

Since 1843, the Society has published nearly 280 volumes in three series, supplying a regular output of valuable works of scholarship relating to the study of the history of North-West England.
Old Series
The Old Series ran from 1843 until 1893. Publications included Pott's Discovery of Witches, Civil War Tracts, and various diaries, journals, autobiographies, correspondence, heralds' visitations, family deeds, papers, letters, and accounts, school registers and records, wills, and ecclesiastical and parish histories.
New Series
The New Series commenced in 1883 and ended in 1947. Publications covered a diversity of areas and topics, including charters, cartularies, rolls, rentals, surveys, autobiographical writings, biographies, genealogies, and various parish, town, and local histories.
Third Series
The Third Series began in 1948. In recent years, the society's focus has tended to move away from its traditional role of publishing original primary texts towards publishing scholarly secondary analyses. Recent volumes have included:

Presidents

Vice-Presidents

General Editors

Secretaries

Treasurers

Citations