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The Terms and Conditions were last updated on 27 February 2025

1. Introduction

These Terms and conditions apply to this website and to the transactions related to our products and services. You may be bound by additional contracts related to your relationship with us or any products or services that you receive from us. If any provisions of the additional contracts conflict with any provisions of these Terms, the provisions of these additional contracts will control and prevail.

2. Binding

By registering with, accessing, or otherwise using this website, you hereby agree to be bound by these Terms and conditions set forth below. The mere use of this website implies the knowledge and acceptance of these Terms and conditions. In some particular cases, we can also ask you to explicitly agree.

3. Intellectual property

We or our licensors own and control all of the copyright and other intellectual property rights in the website and the data, information, and other resources displayed by or accessible within the website.

3.1 All the rights are reserved

Unless specific content dictates otherwise, you are not granted a license or any other right under Copyright, Trademark, Patent, or other Intellectual Property Rights. This means that you will not use, copy, reproduce, perform, display, distribute, embed into any electronic medium, alter, reverse engineer, decompile, transfer, download, transmit, monetize, sell, market, or commercialize any resources on this website in any form, without our prior written permission, except and only insofar as otherwise stipulated in regulations of mandatory law (such as the right to quote).

4. Newsletter

Notwithstanding the foregoing, you may forward our newsletter in the electronic form to others who may be interested in visiting our website.

5. Third-party property

Our website may include hyperlinks or other references to other party’s websites. We do not monitor or review the content of other party’s websites which are linked to from this website. Products or services offered by other websites shall be subject to the applicable Terms and Conditions of those third parties. Opinions expressed or material appearing on those websites are not necessarily shared or endorsed by us.

We will not be responsible for any privacy practices or content of these sites. You bear all risks associated with the use of these websites and any related third-party services. We will not accept any responsibility for any loss or damage in whatever manner, however caused, resulting from your disclosure to third parties of personal information.

6. Responsible use

By visiting our website, you agree to use it only for the purposes intended and as permitted by these Terms, any additional contracts with us, and applicable laws, regulations, and generally accepted online practices and industry guidelines. You must not use our website or services to use, publish or distribute any material which consists of (or is linked to) malicious computer software; use data collected from our website for any direct marketing activity, or conduct any systematic or automated data collection activities on or in relation to our website.

Engaging in any activity that causes, or may cause, damage to the website or that interferes with the performance, availability, or accessibility of the website is strictly prohibited.

7. Registration

You may register for an account with our website. During this process, you may be required to choose a password. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of passwords and account information and agree not to share your passwords, account information, or secured access to our website or services with any other person. You must not allow any other person to use your account to access the website because you are responsible for all activities that occur through the use of your passwords or accounts. You must notify us immediately if you become aware of any disclosure of your password.

After account termination, you will not attempt to register a new account without our permission.

8. Idea submission

Do not submit any ideas, inventions, works of authorship, or other information that can be considered your own intellectual property that you would like to present to us unless we have first signed an agreement regarding the intellectual property or a non-disclosure agreement. If you disclose it to us absent such written agreement, you grant to us a worldwide, irrevocable, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use, reproduce, store, adapt, publish, translate and distribute your content in any existing or future media.

9. Termination of use

We may, in our sole discretion, at any time modify or discontinue access to, temporarily or permanently, the website or any Service thereon. You agree that we will not be liable to you or any third party for any such modification, suspension or discontinuance of your access to, or use of, the website or any content that you may have shared on the website. You will not be entitled to any compensation or other payment, even if certain features, settings, and/or any Content you have contributed or have come to rely on, are permanently lost. You must not circumvent or bypass, or attempt to circumvent or bypass, any access restriction measures on our website.

10. Warranties and liability

Nothing in this section will limit or exclude any warranty implied by law that it would be unlawful to limit or to exclude. This website and all content on the website are provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis and may include inaccuracies or typographical errors. We expressly disclaim all warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, as to the availability, accuracy, or completeness of the Content. We make no warranty that:

  • this website or our content will meet your requirements;
  • this website will be available on an uninterrupted, timely, secure, or error-free basis.

Nothing on this website constitutes or is meant to constitute, legal, financial or medical advice of any kind. If you require advice you should consult an appropriate professional.

The following provisions of this section will apply to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law and will not limit or exclude our liability in respect of any matter which it would be unlawful or illegal for us to limit or to exclude our liability. In no event will we be liable for any direct or indirect damages (including any damages for loss of profits or revenue, loss or corruption of data, software or database, or loss of or harm to property or data) incurred by you or any third party, arising from your access to, or use of, our website.

Except to the extent any additional contract expressly states otherwise, our maximum liability to you for all damages arising out of or related to the website or any products and services marketed or sold through the website, regardless of the form of legal action that imposes liability (whether in contract, equity, negligence, intended conduct, tort or otherwise) will be limited to the total price that you paid to us to purchase such products or services or use the website. Such limit will apply in the aggregate to all of your claims, actions and causes of action of every kind and nature.

11. Privacy

To access our website and/or services, you may be required to provide certain information about yourself as part of the registration process. You agree that any information you provide will always be accurate, correct, and up to date.

We have developed a policy to address any privacy concerns you may have. For more information, please see our Privacy Statement and our Cookie Policy.

12. Export restrictions / Legal compliance

Access to the website from territories or countries where the Content or purchase of the products or Services sold on the website is illegal is prohibited. You may not use this website in violation of export laws and regulations of United Kingdom.

13. Assignment

You may not assign, transfer or sub-contract any of your rights and/or obligations under these Terms and conditions, in whole or in part, to any third party without our prior written consent. Any purported assignment in violation of this Section will be null and void.

14. Breaches of these Terms and conditions

Without prejudice to our other rights under these Terms and Conditions, if you breach these Terms and Conditions in any way, we may take such action as we deem appropriate to deal with the breach, including temporarily or permanently suspending your access to the website, contacting your internet service provider to request that they block your access to the website, and/or commence legal action against you.

15. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend and hold us harmless, from and against any and all claims, liabilities, damages, losses and expenses, relating to your violation of these Terms and conditions, and applicable laws, including intellectual property rights and privacy rights. You will promptly reimburse us for our damages, losses, costs and expenses relating to or arising out of such claims.

16. Waiver

Failure to enforce any of the provisions set out in these Terms and Conditions and any Agreement, or failure to exercise any option to terminate, shall not be construed as waiver of such provisions and shall not affect the validity of these Terms and Conditions or of any Agreement or any part thereof, or the right thereafter to enforce each and every provision.

17. Language

These Terms and Conditions will be interpreted and construed exclusively in English. All notices and correspondence will be written exclusively in that language.

18. Entire agreement

These Terms and Conditions, together with our privacy statement and cookie policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and Royal Historical Society in relation to your use of this website.

19. Updating of these Terms and conditions

We may update these Terms and Conditions from time to time. It is your obligation to periodically check these Terms and Conditions for changes or updates. The date provided at the beginning of these Terms and Conditions is the latest revision date. Changes to these Terms and Conditions will become effective upon such changes being posted to this website. Your continued use of this website following the posting of changes or updates will be considered notice of your acceptance to abide by and be bound by these Terms and Conditions.

20. Choice of Law and Jurisdiction

These Terms and Conditions shall be governed by the laws of United Kingdom. Any disputes relating to these Terms and Conditions shall be subject to the jurisdiction of the courts of United Kingdom. If any part or provision of these Terms and Conditions is found by a court or other authority to be invalid and/or unenforceable under applicable law, such part or provision will be modified, deleted and/or enforced to the maximum extent permissible so as to give effect to the intent of these Terms and Conditions. The other provisions will not be affected.

21. Contact information

This website is owned and operated by Royal Historical Society.

You may contact us regarding these Terms and Conditions through our contact page.

22. Download

You can also download our Terms and Conditions as a PDF.

 

Open Research Support Grants

 

Open Research Support Grants are available to all historians (who are members of the Royal Historical Society) who are not postgraduate students or early career researchers (within 5 years of completing a PhD).

Open Research Support Grants provide funds of either £500 or £1000 to historians to undertake historical research. Activities include: visiting archives and historical sites or conducting interviews; Open Research Support Grants may also be used to support travel to academic conferences.

In 2025 two rounds of grants will be awarded by the Society. Closing dates for applications in 2025 are as follows:

  • Friday 7 March 2025, now closed
  • Friday 5 September 2025

When awarding Open Research Support Grants priority will be given to historians who do not have access to any funding streams, or whose access to funding is insufficient to undertake crucial elements of their research.

Please note that in submitting your application, you are required to upload a current version of your CV. You may also upload an academic reference should you wish to do so.

Applications for the current round of Open Research Support Grants are now invited. The deadline for applications for this round is: Friday 7 March 2025.
Applications should be submitted via the Society’s application platform>

Notes on eligibility

  • Open Research Support Grants are reserved for those who are members of the Royal Historical Society. To join the Society, please see here.
  • Funding is reserved for research projects that are both clearly and predominantly historical in orientation, with a specific chronological remit.
  • Whilst applicants who have previously been awarded an ‘Open Research Support Grant’ will be considered, priority will be given to those who have not previously received an award.
  • Applications for funding for research taking place within 4 weeks of the application deadline will not be considered.
  • Applications for funding for conference attendance taking place within 4 weeks of the application deadline will not be considered.
  • Applications for retroactive research visits/activities will not be considered.

All applications for the Open Research Support Grants are reviewed by the RHS Research Support Committee, formed of members of the Society’s Council. Review of applications will not take place until the deadline for submission has passed. An average timeline for review, ratification and notification of the outcome of an application is around six weeks after the deadline.

Please note that all applications, successful or otherwise, will be directly notified of their outcome.

Current holders of Open Research Support Grants, 2024

  • Thomas Leahy – awarded October 2024
  • Angela Byrne – awarded October 2024
  • Jasmine Calver – awarded October 2024
  • Denis Casey – awarded October 2024

HEADER IMAGE: Utagawa Hiroshige (Japanese, Tokyo (Edo) 1797–1858 Tokyo (Edo)), Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, public domain.

 

Getting Published: a guide to first articles and journal publishing

An RHS Online Training Workshop for Early Career Historians

 

14.00-16.00 BST, Wednesday 21 July 2021

Watch the video of this event

 

‘Getting Published: a guide to first articles and journal publishing’ is an online training event hosted by the RHS designed for early career historians. The focus of this first ‘Getting Published’ session is journals, with specific attention on getting a first academic article written and published in your chosen journal.

The event brings together journal editors and publishers, recent first-time authors, and early career historians. It seeks to demystify the process of journal publishing and provide practical advice and tips on how best to succeed.

The workshop combines brief presentations on academic journals, stages of the publishing process, the experience of getting published, as well as active audience participation in which your questions and concerns are raised and discussed.

Topics for this session include: the journal landscape; differences between an article and a thesis chapter; choosing and approaching the right journal for you; what to expect with peer review and from your publisher if your article is accepted; how to respond to inevitable rejections; journal articles and the Research Excellence Framework (REF); and next steps in publishing on completing your first article.

The session will also consider, and explain, Open Access (OA) publishing: what it means for journal publishing – for authors, editors and journal publishers; what options to choose; and the future for Open Access journal publishing in the wake of UKRI’s imminent declaration on its position of the OA charter ‘Plan S’.

Speakers at the event:
  • Professor Emma Griffin (RHS President, UEA and co-editor of Historical Journal), chair
  • Professor Sandra den Otter (Queen’s University, Ontario and co-editor of the Journal of British Studies)
  • Dr Rebekah Lee (Goldsmiths, University of London and co-editor of the Journal of Southern African Studies)
  • Professor Jane Winters (School of Advanced Study, University of London, RHS Vice-President, Publishing, and specialist in Open Access and digital publishing)

The panel will be joined by three recent authors who’ll offer their experience of navigating journal publishing for the first time, as PhD students and recent post-doctoral researchers:

  • Dr Diya Gupta (RHS and Institute of Historical Research / Journal of War & Culture Studies)
  • Dr Jonah Miller (Cambridge / History Workshop Journal)
  • Sasha Rasmussen (Oxford / Cultural and Social History)

After contributions from the panel, the event will take the form of a discussion involving all attendees. Those attending will be invited to submit questions in advance of the event.

This event is free to all though booking is essential.

Watch the event video

 

 

Future RHS training workshops

‘Getting Published’ is the first in a new annual series of RHS ‘Getting Started’ training events for early career historians. Events will provide guidance and insight into key areas of professional development.

Topics for future discussion will include: publishing and communicating research, teaching history, writing history, applying historical knowledge and research skills, and career options for research historians within and outside higher education. ‘Getting Started’ will run four times a year with the next session planned for autumn 2021.

 

 

For more guides see also the RHS’s new Teaching Portal: a set of over 50 specially commissioned essays–on research, online resources, teaching and career paths–for current research students and early career teachers.

 

 

New Historical Perspectives

 

 

New Historical Perspectives (NHP) is the Society’s book series for early career scholars (within ten years of their doctorate), commissioned and edited by the Royal Historical Society, in association with University of London Press and the Institute of Historical Research, and supported by a subvention from the Economic History Society.

What’s distinctive about New Historical Perspectives?

The NHP series provides extensive support and feedback for authors, many of whom are writing their first monograph having recently completed a History PhD.

Each author in the series receives substantial reports from peer reviewers and series editors; is assigned a contact and ‘mentor’ from the editorial board; and takes part in an Author Workshop to discuss a near complete book with invited specialists. Author Workshops are opportunities to discuss and develop a manuscript with expert readers before submission to the publisher.

Second, all NHP titles are published as free Open Access (OA) editions, eBooks, and in hard and paperback formats by University of London Press. Digital editions of each book increase discoverability and readership. The cost of publishing NHP volumes as Open Access is covered by the series partners, not the author or an author’s academic institution.

New titles in the series

Adulthood in Britain and the United States from 1350 to Generation Z, edited by Maria Cannon and Laura Tisdall (published in November 2024).

This volume explores how concepts of adulthood have changed over time. Adulthood has a history, just as other age-categories such as childhood, adolescence and old age have been shaped by cultural and social contexts.

Collectively, the authors explore four key ideas: adulthood as both burden and benefit; adulthood as a relational category; collective versus individual definitions of adulthood; and adulthood as a static definition.

 

 

 

Mapping the State. English Boundaries and the 1832 Reform Act, by Martin Spychal (published in September 2024), rethinks the 1832 Reform Act by demonstrating how boundary reform and the reconstruction of England’s electoral map b

y the 1831–32 boundary commission underpinned this turning point in the development of the British political nation.

Drawing from a significant new archival discovery­­—the working papers of the boundary commission—Mapping the State reassesses why and how the 1832 Reform Act passed, and its significance to the expansion of the modern British state.

 

 

Designed for Play: Children’s Playgrounds and the Politics of Urban Space, 1840–2010, by Jon Winder (published in July 2024) is the first empirically grounded historical account of the modern playground, drawing on the archival materials of social reformers, park superintendents, equipment manufacturers and architects in Britain and beyond to chart the playground’s journey from marginal obscurity to popular ubiquity.

Children’s playgrounds are commonly understood as the obvious place for children to play: safe, natural and out of the way. But these expectations hide a convoluted and overlooked history of children’s place in public space.

 

 

Recent titles in the Series

Edited collections in the Series

In addition to monographs, the series also publishes edited collections. NHP collections are collaborations between historians: edited and including chapters by early career scholars, along with essays from more senior historians.

New Historical Perspectives began publishing in late 2019 and a full listing of titles in the series is available from the University of London Press and via JSTOR Open Access Books.

Submitting a proposal

The Series Editors and Editorial Board welcome proposals for new NHP titles via the NHP book proposal form. Applications are invited from authors, within 10 years of completing their PhD from a UK or Irish university and who are looking to publish their first book.

Proposals may include full-size monographs and edited collections of up to 100,000 words. The NHP series also publishes shorter monographs (50-60,000 words) where this is an appropriate length for a topic. Completed proposal forms should be submitted to the University of London Press Publisher, Dr Emma Gallon: emma.gallon@sas.ac.uk.

Many NHP authors are publishing their first book, and editorial mentoring and Author Workshops are designed to help with the transition from PhD to monograph.

Enquiries about the series

For general enquiries, please email Dr Emma Gallon, Publisher, at University of London Press: emma.gallon@sas.ac.uk.

If you wish to contact the Series’ co-editors directly, please email Professor Elizabeth Hurren (eh140@leicester.ac.uk) or Dr Sarah Longair (slongair@lincoln.ac.uk).

 

‘Designed for Play’: latest title published in the Society’s New Historical Perspectives book series

Designed for Play: Children’s Playgrounds and the Politics of Urban Space, 1840–2010, by Jon Winder, is the latest title published in the Society’s New Historical Perspectives book series.

Designed for Play offers an original and accessible contribution to modern British history, urban and environmental history, and histories and geographies of childhood. Its subject is the complex and revealing history of public provision for children’s play, from London’s Playground and Recreation Society, of the 1850s, to the present day.

 

 

Chapters cover the development of garden gymnasiums in the 1890s, the influence of Charles Wicksteed, increasing standardisation in the interwar period, the impact of progressive education, pioneering female designers and the adventure playground movement in the twentieth century, and more recent challenges to the playground’s status as a site of health, nature and safety.

The playground has seldom been explicitly endorsed by central government and as a result Designed for Play draws on the dispersed archives of philanthropic, municipal, commercial and voluntary actors to highlight the convoluted journey of the playground: from obscurity to popular ubiquity and back towards a place of somewhat aimless eccentricity in the twenty-first century.

To accompany publication of his book, on 11 July, Jon has written an introductory article for the Society’s blog.

Designed for Play is the 18th title in the Society’s New Historical Perspectives book series, published with University of London Press. All titles in the series, including Jon’s, are published free Open Access, as pdf download and Manifold online reading edition. Designed for Play is also available in a paperback print edition, priced £29.99.

New Historical Perspectives (NHP) is the Society’s book series for early career scholars (within ten years of their doctorate), commissioned and edited by the Royal Historical Society, in association with University of London Press and the Institute of Historical Research.

The series publishes monographs and edited collections by early career historians on all chronologies and histories, worldwide. Contracted authors receive mentoring from the editorial boar and an author workshop to develop their manuscript before its final submission.

All titles in the series are published in paperback print and open access (as pdf downloads and Manifold reading editions) with all costs covered by the Royal Historical Society and partners. Recent and forthcoming titles include:

For details and access of all titles in the series, please see here.

HEADER IMAGE: Sketch Suggestions of Improvised Equipment for Children’s Play by R.B. Gooch, National Playing Fields Association, 1956, London Metropolitan Archives, CLC/011/MS22287.

 

‘Mapping the State’: latest title published in the Society’s New Historical Perspectives book series

Mapping the State. English Boundaries and the 1832 Reform Act, by Martin Spychal, is the latest title published in the Society’s New Historical Perspectives book series.

The 1832 Reform Act was a landmark moment in the development of modern British politics. By overhauling the country’s ancient representative system, the legislation reshaped constitutional arrangements at Westminster, reinvigorated political relationships between the centre and the provinces, and established the political structures and precedents that both shaped and hindered electoral reform over the following century.

 

 

Mapping the State leads to a fundamental rethinking of the 1832 Reform Act by demonstrating how boundary reform, and the reconstruction of England’s electoral map by the little-known 1831–2 boundary commission, underpinned this turning point in the development of the British political nation.

Eschewing traditional approaches to the 1832 Reform Act, it draws from a significant new archival discovery – the working papers of the boundary commission – and a range of innovative quantitative techniques to provide a major reassessment of why and how the 1832 Reform Act passed, its impact on reformed politics both at Westminster and in the constituencies, and its significance to the expansion of the modern British state.

To accompany publication of his book, on 19 September, Martin has written an introductory article for the Society’s blog.

Mapping the State is the 19th title in the Society’s New Historical Perspectives book series, published with University of London Press. All titles in the series, including Martin’s, are published free Open Access, as pdf download and Manifold online reading edition. Mapping the State is also available in a paperback print edition, priced £29.99.

About the ‘New Historical Perspectives’ book series

New Historical Perspectives (NHP) is the Society’s book series for early career scholars (within ten years of their doctorate), commissioned and edited by the Royal Historical Society, in association with University of London Press and the Institute of Historical Research.

The series publishes monographs and edited collections by early career historians on all chronologies and histories, worldwide. Contracted authors receive mentoring from the editorial boar and an author workshop to develop their manuscript before its final submission.

All titles in the series are published in paperback print and open access (as pdf downloads and Manifold reading editions) with all costs covered by the Royal Historical Society and partners. Recent and forthcoming titles include:

For details and access of all titles in the series, please see here.

 

Apply for Membership

Closing date for next application round:

Monday 24 March 2025

 

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.

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 145 volumes and more that 2200 articles, published between the journal’s foundation in 1872 and the early 2020s.
  • Online access to all 385 volumes of the Society’s Camden Series of primary source material, including the latest titles published in 2024-25. 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: this includes print volumes for new and recent titles in the Camden Series and all titles in the New Historical Perspectives series.
  • Substantial discounts on the Society’s former title, the Bibliography of British and Irish History, which is available to Members at £40 per year.
  • 30% discount on all academic books (print only) published by Cambridge University Press.
  • 30% discount on History titles published by Oxford 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.
  • 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, October 2024): 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 July 2024, annual subscription rates for Members, payable on election, are: 

For Members within the UK or RoI:

  • With online access to Transactions and an annual print copy: £45.00 per annum
  • With only access to Transactions: £40.00 per annum

For Members outside of the UK or RoI:

  • With online access to Transactions and an annual print copy: £55.00 per annum
  • With only access to Transactions: £50.00 per annum

The RHS subscription year runs July to June with renewals due on 1 July of each year. 

A Membership 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. Remaining dates for applications in 2025 are: Monday 24 March 2025, Monday 26 May 2025, Monday 11 August 2025 and Monday 13 October 2025.

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

 

Apply for Associate Fellowship

Closing date for next application round:

Monday 24 March 2025

 

Associate Fellowship is a newer membership category for the RHS, launched in November 2021. It recognises the contribution made by a wide range of historical researchers and advocates for History with established careers across many sectors. Some Associate Fellows are historians working in Higher Education who have not yet reached the extent of publications, or equivalent, required to join the full Fellowship. Others contribute to History through their professional work in sectors such as heritage and museums, libraries and archives, teaching, publishing and broadcasting, or through private research.

All Associate Fellows are welcome to apply for full Fellowship as their careers develop and contributions continue, and we warmly encourage this. 

In addition to the Associate Fellowship, since 2021 the Society has also offered a category of Postgraduate Membership. These two options replace the previous category of Early Career Membership. Read more about these two ways to belong to the Society.

To apply for the RHS Associate Fellowship please use the Society’s Applications Portal, and select your chosen membership category.

Benefits of Associate Fellowship

  • Print and online copies 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 145 volumes and more than 2200 articles, published between the journal’s foundation in 1872 and the early 2020s.
  • Online access to all 385 volumes of the Society’s Camden Series of primary source material, including the latest titles published in 2024-25. 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: this includes print volumes for new and recent titles in the Camden Series and all titles in the New Historical Perspectives book series.
  • Substantial discounts on the Society’s former title, the Bibliography of British and Irish History, which is available to Associate Fellows at £40 per year.
  • 30% discount on all academic books (print only) published by Cambridge University Press.
  • 30% discount on History titles published by Oxford 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.
  • 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, October 2024): 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 RHS members’ events, including Early Career training​ programmes 
  • 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.

 

 

Annual Subscription

From July 2024, annual subscription rates for Associate Fellows, payable on election, are: 

For Associate Fellows within the UK or RoI:

  • With online access to Transactions and an annual print copy: £50.00 per annum
  • With only access to Transactions: £45.00 per annum

For Associate Fellows outside of the UK or RoI:

  • With online access to Transactions and an annual print copy: £60.00 per annum
  • With only access to Transactions: £55.00 per annum

The RHS subscription year runs July to June with renewals due on 1 July of each year. 

An 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 Associate Fellowship. 

To apply for the RHS Associate Fellowship please use the Society’s Applications Portal, and select your chosen membership category.

Applications to join the RHS are welcome through the year. Remaining dates for applications in 2025 are as follows: Monday 24 March 2025, Monday 26 May 2025, Monday 11 August 2025 and Monday 13 October 2025.

Rejoining the Society as an Associate Fellow

If your Associate Fellowship 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 which meets five times a year. You can expect to hear the outcome approximately six 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 Fellowship should be addressed to the RHS office: membership@royalhistsoc.org.

 

Privacy policy (CA)

This privacy statement was last changed on 27 February 2025, last checked on 27 February 2025, and applies to citizens and legal permanent residents of Canada.

In this privacy statement, we explain what we do with the data we obtain about you via https://royalhistsoc.org. We recommend you carefully read this statement. In our processing we comply with the requirements of privacy legislation. That means, among other things, that:

  • we clearly state the purposes for which we process personal data. We do this by means of this privacy statement;
  • we aim to limit our collection of personal data to only the personal data required for legitimate purposes;
  • we first request your explicit consent to process your personal data in cases requiring your consent;
  • we take appropriate security measures to protect your personal data and also require this from parties that process personal data on our behalf;
  • we respect your right to access your personal data or have it corrected or deleted, at your request.

If you have any questions, or want to know exactly what data we keep of you, please contact us.

1. Purpose and categories of data

We may collect or receive personal information for a number of purposes connected with our business operations which may include the following: (click to expand)

1.1 Contact - Through phone, mail, email and/or webforms

The following categories of data are collected

  • A first and last name
  • A home or other physical address, including street name and name of a city or town
  • An email address
  • A telephone number
  • Education information
  • Professional or employment-related information

Retention period

We retain this data until the service is terminated.

1.2 Payments

The following categories of data are collected

  • A first and last name
  • A home or other physical address, including street name and name of a city or town
  • An email address
  • A telephone number
  • Financial information such as bank account number of credit card number

Retention period

We retain this data upon termination of the service for the following number of months: 84

1.3 Registering an account

The following categories of data are collected

  • A first and last name
  • A home or other physical address, including street name and name of a city or town
  • An email address
  • A telephone number
  • Date of birth
  • Sex
  • Education information
  • Professional or employment-related information

Retention period

We retain this data until the service is terminated.

1.4 Newsletters

The following categories of data are collected

  • A first and last name
  • A home or other physical address, including street name and name of a city or town
  • An email address

Retention period

We retain this data until the service is terminated.

1.5 Compiling and analyzing statistics for website improvement.

The following categories of data are collected

  • IP Address
  • Internet activity information, including, but not limited to, browsing history, search history, and information regarding a consumer's interaction with an Internet Web site, application, or advertisement
  • Geolocation data

Retention period

Upon termination of the service we retain this data for the following period: 24 months.

2. Sharing with other parties

We only share or disclose this data to other recipients for the following purposes:

Purpose of the data transfer: Email newsletters
Country or state in which this service provider is located: USA
Purpose of the data transfer: Website statistical analysis
Country or state in which this service provider is located: USA
Purpose of the data transfer: Collecting membership data
Country or state in which this service provider is located: USA

3. Disclosure practices

We disclose personal information if we are required by law or by a court order, in response to a law enforcement agency, to the extent permitted under other provisions of law, to provide information, or for an investigation on a matter related to public safety.

If our website or organisation is taken over, sold, or involved in a merger or acquisition, your details may be disclosed to our advisers and any prospective purchasers and will be passed on to the new owners.

4. How we respond to Do Not Track signals & Global Privacy Control

Our website does not respond to and does not support the Do Not Track (DNT) header request field.

5. Cookies

Our website uses cookies. For more information about cookies, please refer to our Cookie Policy on our Cookie policy (CA) webpage. 

We have concluded a data Processing Agreement with Google.

Google may not use the data for any other Google services.

The inclusion of full IP addresses is blocked by us.

6. Security

We are committed to the security of personal data. We take appropriate security measures to limit abuse of and unauthorised access to personal data. This ensures that only the necessary persons have access to your data, that access to the data is protected, and that our security measures are regularly reviewed.

7. Third party websites

This privacy statement does not apply to third party websites connected by links on our website. We cannot guarantee that these third parties handle your personal data in a reliable or secure manner. We recommend you read the privacy statements of these websites prior to making use of these websites.

8. Amendments to this privacy statement

We reserve the right to make amendments to this privacy statement. It is recommended that you consult this privacy statement regularly in order to be aware of any changes. In addition, we will actively inform you wherever possible.

9. Accessing and modifying your data

If you have any questions or want to know which personal data we have about you, please contact us. Please make sure to always clearly state who you are, so that we can be certain that we do not modify or delete any data of the wrong person. We shall provide the requested information only upon receipt of a verifiable consumer request. You can contact us by using the information below.

9.1 You have the following rights with respect to your personal data

  1. You may submit a request for access to the data we process about you.
  2. You may request an overview, in a commonly used format, of the data we process about you.
  3. You may request correction or deletion of the data if it is incorrect or not or no longer relevant. Where appropriate, the amended information shall be transmitted to third parties having access to the information in question.
  4. You have the right to withdraw consent at any time, subject to legal or contractual restrictions and reasonable notice. You will be informed of the implications of such withdrawal.
  5. You have the right to address a challenge concerning non-compliance with PIPEDA to our organisation and, if the issue is not resolved, to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.
  6. We shall give access to personal information in an alternative format to an individual with a sensory disability who has a right of access to personal information under PIPEDA and who requests that it be transmitted in the alternative format if (a) a version of the information already exists in that format; or (b) its conversion into that format is reasonable and necessary in order for the individual to be able to exercise rights.

10. Children

Our website is not designed to attract children and it is not our intent to collect personal data from children under the age of consent in their country of residence. We therefore request that children under the age of consent do not submit any personal data to us.

11. Contact details

Royal Historical Society
Royal Historical Society
University College London
Gower Street
London
WC1E 6BT
United Kingdom
Website: https://royalhistsoc.org
Email: administration@ex.comroyalhistsoc.org

Phone number: +44 (0)20 3821 5311

We have appointed a contact person for the organisation's policies and practices and to whom complaints or inquiries can be forwarded:
Philip Carter
Academic Director, RHS
Royal Historical Society
University College London
Gower Street
London WC1E 6BT

 

Open Research Funding

 

The Society provides the following funding programme for historians who are more than 5 years on from completion of their PhD, and who are members of the Royal Historical Society. This programme runs annually. Follow the link for further details, including timetables for applications.

Mid- and later-career historians are also eligible to apply for the Society’s annual Workshop Grants and Jinty Nelson Teaching Fellowships as well as the Society’s Funded Book Workshops, launched in 2023.

If you wish to join the Society before making an application, please consult the appropriate membership categories via the Join Us page.

Open Research Support Grants

Open Research Support Grants are available to all historians who are more than 5 years on from completion of their PhD. They enable researchers to undertake activities such as visiting archives and historical sites or conducting interviews. Open Research Support Grants may also be used to support travel to academic conferences.

Open Research Support Grants are intended to support historians (working within and beyond Higher Education) who do not have access to any funding streams, or whose access to funding is insufficient to undertake crucial elements of their research. Open to all members of the Royal Historical Society who are more than 5 years on from completion of their PhD.

All enquiries about Research Funding should be sent to the Society’s Membership and Grants Officer at: membership@royalhistsoc.org.

HEADER IMAGE: Society Couples Dancing, Johann Theodor de Bry, c.1580, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, public domain.