Closing date for next application round:
Monday 6 June 2022
Membership of the RHS is open to all those who have an interest in the rich and varied world of the past. You may be involved in teaching, libraries, archives, museums, heritage, or the media in either a professional or volunteer capacity. You may be actively engaged in local or family history, or simply want to join our worldwide community of historians. Membership is open to all.
If you are a published or practising historian, our Fellowship or Associate Fellowship categories may be more appropriate for you. Please also consider these options before applying to join the Society.
To apply for the RHS Membership please use the Society’s Applications Portal, and select your chosen membership category.
Benefits of RHS Membership
- Copies of the RHS academic journal, Transactions.
- All other RHS publications offered at a substantial discount: includes the Bibliography of British and Irish History, Camden Series volumes and New Historical Perspectives print volumes.
- A 30% discount on all academic books (print only) published by Cambridge University Press.
- Receipt of the weekly ‘RHS News Circular’: regular update on RHS activities, plus listings of events / calls for papers from other UK historical societies and research networks: example from July 2021.
- Copies of RHS newsletters and the Society’s annual reports.
- Eligible to participate in the Society’s Annual General Meeting.
- Access to the RHS Archive and Library collections, and RHS Library rooms, at University College London (UCL).
- Become part of a thriving international community of historians, of all kinds and from many backgrounds.
- Help us support and advocate for the study and practice of history in its many forms. Society income also supports our grants programme for historians at the start of their careers
- Read more on the Society’s 6 priority areas: Policy & Advocacy, Events & Training, Innovative Publishing, Grants & Support, Awards & Recognition, and Library & Archive.
Annual subscription
From November 2021, annual subscription rates for Membership, payable on election, are:
- for Members, UK-based: £40 pa
- Members, International: £50 pa
- Members, Hardship Rate: £10.00 pa (online access to Transactions only)
The RHS subscription year runs July to June with renewals due on 1 July of each year.
The Associate Fellow Hardship Rate is available to unemployed and low income/wage members (self-defined) and includes unfunded/self-funded students.
How to Apply
Prior to making your application, please consult the FAQs relating to Membership.
To apply for the RHS Membership please use the Society’s Applications Portal, and select your chosen membership category.
Applications to join the RHS are welcome through the year. Closing dates for applications and supporting references in 2022 are: Mondays 10 January, 4 April, 6 June, 22 August and 31 October.
All applications are considered by our Membership Committee who meet five times a year. You can expect to hear the outcome approximately eight weeks after the closing date for your application. Incomplete applications will be held on file until we have received all the necessary information.
All enquiries about applying for election to the Membership should be addressed to the RHS office: membership@royalhistsoc.org