Closing date for next application round:
Monday 11 December 2023
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 applicants 18 years or older.
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. From August 2022 we are extending the benefits available to Members of the Society (please see below).
To apply for the RHS Membership please use the Society’s Applications Portal, and select your chosen membership category.
Benefits of Membership
- Print and online copies of the latest volume of the RHS academic journal, Transactions.
- Online access to the current issue and entire searchable back archive of Transactions of the Royal Historical Society: the collection comprises 144 volumes and more that 2200 articles, published between the journal’s foundation in 1872 and the early 2020s.
- Online access to all 380 volumes of the Society’s Camden Series of primary source material, including the latest titles published in 2021 and 2022. Since 1838, the Camden Series has made primary records available in accessible scholarly editions, compiled and introduced by specialist historians. The Series is especially strong in material relating to British history, including the British Empire and Britons’ influence overseas.
- All other RHS publications offered at a substantial discount: includes the Bibliography of British and Irish History and Camden Series volumes.
- 30% discount on all academic books (print only) published by Cambridge University Press.
- 30% discount on purchases of print copies of the Society’s New Historical Perspectives book series, offering monographs and essay collections, and produced in association with the Institute of Historical Research and University of London Press.
- 30% discount on History titles published by Oxford University Press.
- 20% discount on print subscription to History Today, Britain’s leading history magazine (£52 per annum, usually £65 full price). 20% discount on online subscription to the archive of History Today (£56 per annum, usually £70 full price).
- Receipt of the weekly ‘RHS News Circular’ (this example, August 2023): regular update on RHS activities, plus listings of events / calls for papers from other UK historical societies and research networks.
- Copies of RHS newsletters and the Society’s annual reports.
- Eligible for RHS training and career development events / workshops reserved for Fellows and members.
- Eligible to apply for the Society’s Research Funding programmes available to historians at all career stages.
- 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. The remaining closing dates for applications and supporting references in 2023 are: 11 December 2023.
Dates for applications in 2024 are as follows: 25 March 2024, 27 May 2024, 12 August 2024 and 14 October 2024.
Rejoining the Society as a Member
If your Membership has lapsed / has been cancelled, and you would like to re-join the Society, please contact our Membership department at membership@royalhistsoc.org in the first instance. We will be glad to assist you.
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