RHS Adam Matthew Digital Collections Subscriptions

The Royal Historical Society (RHS) is delighted to announce that Adam Matthew Digital (AM) has generously agreed to award the Society 200 twelve-month subscriptions to its digitised collections of primary sources. These licenses will be made available free-of-charge to early career researchers (ECRs) based at UK universities for their doctorate.  This agreement will significantly enhance the access of ECR historians to digital primary materials during the dislocations, travel restrictions and archive and library closures that are necessitated by the COVID-19 crisis in 2020. You can find out more about the scheme’s launch on the RHS blog.

How do I apply?

The 200 free subscriptions will be allocated by the RHS in 3 successive tranches, with deadlines in late May, June and July 2020.

While we do not have a precedent to gauge potential demand, we expect the number of eligible and worthy applications to be considerably higher than the number of available subscriptions. Allocation will accordingly be phased over a 3-month period and undertaken by a 3-fold process:

  • determination of applicants’ eligibility;
  • assessment of eligible applicants’ relative need for the Adam Matthew Digital Collections to advance their research; and
  • in the event that demand exceeds supply, awards will be made by a lottery of eligible applicants who demonstrate substantial need. Please see the Q&A below for more information.
Applications for a RHS Adam Matthew Digital Collections Subscription must be made using the online application form. Please note that you can access the application form through the Research/Conference Grants program within the RHS applications portal.

 

Prospective applicants should:

  • Check their eligibility against the criteria detailed below;
  • If eligible to apply, explore the Adam Matthew Digital Collections to identify which if any materials are substantially relevant for your research project. The 200 twelve-month subscriptions Adam Matthew has kindly allocated to the RHS include not only the 8 million+ pages of primary source material in the Research Source Platform, but also over 70 thematic collections made available through 2019.
  • Having confirmed both eligibility and the need for/utility of the Adam Matthew Digital Collections for your research, make an online application by any one of the 3 stated deadlines.
  • Please note that (unless you specify otherwise) if your application in Round 1 is unsuccessful, but deemed by the RHS assessors to be both eligible and to demonstrate substantial need/utility with respect to the Adam Matthew Digital Collections, it will be resubmitted automatically by RHS for Rounds 2 and 3.  Likewise, eligible applications that demonstrate substantial need/utility which are initially submitted in Round 2 will automatically be resubmitted by RHS for Round 3.

Who is eligible to apply?

Two categories of History ECRs are eligible to apply:

  • Those registered for a PhD/DPhil or an MPhil in a historical subject at a UK institution. Registration may be full-time or part-time.
  • Those within two years (at the time of the application) of receiving their doctorate from a UK institution, and who are not yet in full-time employment. Please note the two years does not include any periods of maternity or paternity leave. Please detail this in the ‘any other information’ section of your application form.

Questions and Answers:

  • Do I need to be physically-based in the UK at the time of my application?
    •   We understand that international and other eligible ECRs may be resident outside the UK at the time of their application.  If you are/were registered for a doctoral degree at a UK university (for PhD/DPhil students) OR would normally be resident in the UK as of March 2020 (for postdoctoral ECRs) your current place of residence need not be within the UK.
  • Can I share my Adam Matthew Digital subscription with other students or researchers?
    • Your subscription is awarded solely for your personal research use. The application form includes a fair use declaration to which you agree to adhere in applying for this scheme.
  • Why is the RHS using a lottery as part of its allocation process?
    • Allocation of research resources by lottery is a mechanism that is currently being tested internationally where demand exceeds supply. It arguably affords less scope for conscious or unconscious bias than conventional grant allocation systems.  In the current context, its benefits also include rapidity. It also takes into account the extent to which this scheme will entail work for Adam Matthew Digital and RHS staff already stretched by the demands of the COVID-19 crisis.  The RHS will employ this mechanism, after preliminary peer-review assessments of eligibility and need/utility, in the event that more ECRs apply than can be accommodated by this scheme.
  • Do I need to provide a post-award report to the RHS and/or to Adam Matthew Digital?
    • Successful applicants will be asked to provide a short report on the uses to which the grant has been put and the outcome in terms of contribution to the progress of their research following the end of the subscription.
  • If I receive a RHS Adam Matthew Digital Collections Subscription will my eligibility to apply in future for standard RHS funding (for research trips or conferences) be affected?
    • No. Receipt of a subscription will not ‘count’ against your total eligibility (currently twice as a PhD student and once as a postdoctoral ECR) to receive awards from our standard funding schemes.
  • Do I need to acknowledge the support of Adam Matthew Digital and/or the RHS in my dissertation and/or subsequent publications?
    • Please use the following credit line in any research outputs that benefit from the subscription: ‘Research for this article/blog/dissertation/book was supported by the award of a Royal Historical Society Adam Matthew Digital subscription in 2020.’

Contact Us

All enquiries should be sent to Imogen Evans, RHS Administrative Secretary at adminsecretary@royalhistsoc.org.

 

 

RHS COVID-19 Hardship Grants for UK Early Career (ECR) Historians

The Royal Historical Society (RHS) has launched (7 May 2020) an emergency funding scheme in the specific context of the COVID-19 pandemic. This global crisis confronts us all with a series of unprecedented challenges. For History ECRs, these may include any or all of acute financial hardship, mandatory physical relocation, family and community disruptions, new demands on carers, mental and/or physical health concerns and loss of access to research support and resources.

The Society’s ECR Hardship Grants are intended to help mitigate these damaging circumstances. We recognise that the resources we are able to offer are very modest given the scale of the current crisis and that it is highly likely that demand will outstrip supply. We encourage PhD students confronting these challenges to apply, where possible, to their institution’s hardship funding scheme prior to any application to the RHS 2020 Hardship Scheme.

This scheme is not designed to provide a ‘top-up’ grant for funded students or recent postdoctoral researchers in stable employment: it is an emergency, short-term intervention to offer some material assistance in the COVID-19 context, rather than to fund a specific research output or publication.

Please note that our usual grant schemes are still running, and we encourage innovative applications to support research and the costs associated with virtual events at this time.

How do I apply?

Please ensure that you have read all of the information below.

To make an application please complete the online application formPlease note that you can access the Hardship Grant application form through the Research/Conference Grants program within the RHS applications portal.

The next (2nd) deadline is Monday 29 June 2020.

 

Eligibility

For the purposes of this emergency funding scheme (as is the case with our standard Conference Travel scheme) applicants will be considered eligible who are:

  • registered for a PhD/DPhil or an MPhil in a historical subject at a UK institution. Registration may be full-time or part-time.
  • within two years (at the time of the application) of receiving their doctorate from a UK institution, and who are not yet in full-time employment. Please note the two years does not include any periods of maternity or paternity leave. Please detail this in the ‘any other information’ section of your application form.

Purpose of the Scheme

The main purpose of these awards is to support ECR historians whose finances (and thus well-being) have suffered significant detriment due to the impact of COVID-19.  Specifically the grants are intended to support research-active History postgraduates and ECRS:

  • who were actively undertaking historical research in the UK prior to the government restrictions imposed in March 2020 and who are now suffering financial hardship as a direct consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic;
  • who are NEITHER in receipt of full-time funding for their doctorate NOR in full-time employment;
  • whose contracts at universities or heritage organisations have been significantly reduced or terminated prematurely in response to COVID-19;
  • whose fixed-term fellowships (for example, to a research library) have been cancelled or postponed due to the COVID-19 crisis;
  • who would normally expect to work part-time AND/OR on a zero-hours contract.
  • who normally work to support their studies and need to leave external employment to undertake caring responsibilities due to COVID-19;
  • who need to leave external employment for health reasons (including pregnancy or disability);
  • who need temporarily to relocate their place of residence due to COVID-19;
  • who are awaiting viva and unable to find employment.

Within both broad categories of eligible applicants (doctoral and postdoctoral), the lists of eligible precipitating factors outlined above are intended to be illustrative rather than fully comprehensive.

The grants are intended to help support ECR historians’ wellbeing and thus to enhance their ability to undertake future historical research.  The awards are intended to support History researchers (including research-active historians who teach in universities or work in the heritage sector), rather than the production of specific pieces of historical research, in a time of global crisis.

Who is not eligible?

Due to the limits of our available funding and our modest staff numbers, we regret that we are not able to open these awards to all History ECRs.  Specifically this scheme is not able to support:

  • PhD students in receipt of full funding;
  • applicants in full-time ongoing paid employment or who have been furloughed under the government scheme;
  • PhD students who have suspended their studies for reasons other than directly related to COVID-19;
  • PhD students who are registered at universities outside the UK;
  • Recent recipients of a UK History PhD who were not normally resident and employed in the UK as of March 2020;
  • ECRs who are in receipt of or due a redundancy payment from their employer;

What are the criteria for selection?

Our selection criteria are intended to be broad and flexible, affording the grant awarding panel appropriate leeway to respond to and accommodate novel circumstances and needs in the rapidly changing context of Covid-19.

Please note that:

  • Only fully completed applications can be considered;
  • Applicants must meet all of the relevant eligibility requirements for their status (either PhD student or recent recipient of the PhD) to be considered for a hardship grant;
  • Unfunded PhD students may be given priority over part-funded PhD students;
  • Post-doctoral applicants on zero-hour contracts may be given priority over applicants on fixed-term contracts;
  • To the extent that the selection committee can identify the cases of the greatest financial need, these applications will be given priority.

How (and how many) grants will be allocated?

Individual grants of up to £500 will be awarded by a combination of 1) assessment of eligibility and need, and 2) a lottery system.

Specifically:

  • In the first instance, the RHS aims to fund at least 12 hardship grants of up to £500 each, in each of 2 application cycles.
  • If demonstrated need significantly exceeds this sum, the Society shall seek to increase the number of awards available in round 2 by fund-raising or other means and/or to add a 3rd round of hardship funding;
  • Each application will be assessed to confirm that the applicant meets all eligibility criteria;
  • All eligible applications will then be assessed for their degree of demonstrated financial need;
  • If the number of eligible applications demonstrating substantial need exceeds the supply of RHS hardship grants, applications demonstrating the highest need will be allocated by a lottery system. Allocation of awards by lottery is an innovative development in international research funding.  In the current context, the lottery’s benefits as a selection tool include not only its tendency to reduce the scope for conscious or unconscious bias but also its speed of operation.
  • Applications entered into the first lottery that are not selected for funding will be automatically resubmitted to the 2nd lottery unless the applicant directs otherwise.
  • Applicants that are not selected are welcome to re-apply to the next round with additional information, particularly if circumstances change. Applicants should note that this is a re-application in such cases.

When will applicants be notified?

All applicants will be notified of the result of their application within a month of the deadline.

Questions and Answers

  • Do I need to be an ECR Member of the RHS to apply?
    • No. Although the Society welcomes applications to its ECR Membership, its funding schemes apply equally to eligible ECRs regardless of their RHS membership status;
  • If I receive an RHS Hardship grant, will my eligibility to apply in future for standard RHS funding (for research trips or conferences) be affected?
    • No. Receipt of a hardship award will not be considered if you subsequently apply for a standard RHS award and thus will not be ‘counted’ against your total eligibility (currently twice as a PhD student and once as a postdoctoral ECR) for our standard funding schemes.  This is an exceptional discretionary award to support you at a critical time and does not affect your broader eligibility to apply to the RHS to support your research.
  • Do I need to be a UK citizen to receive a RHS Hardship grant?
    • Non-UK nationals are eligible to receive awards as long as they meet the eligibility criteria detailed above.
  • Are part-time students eligible for support?
    • Yes, part-time students are eligible for this programme.
  • How will my award be paid?
    • Awards will be paid into a UK bank account.
  • I am registered for a PhD at a UK university but am an international student and have travelled home because of COVID-19. Am I still eligible to apply?
    • If you remain registered at a UK university for the History PhD/DPhil you remain eligible for hardship funding (which will be paid to your UK bank account).
  • Why is the RHS asking applicants to provide information on their employer and disrupted employment?
    • The Society recognises that if the COVID-19 crisis lasts for several months and/or resurfaces we may need to make longer-term adjustments to our funding for ECRs.  Information on the types of employment most disrupted to the detriment of ECRs will allow us to make appropriate accommodations in our own funding and to advocate for good practice with employers. All personal information will only be held by the RHS for the length of time needed to administer and assess the outcomes of this scheme. No personal information will be shared with employers.
  • Do I need to submit receipts to document my expenditure from the Hardship Grant?
    • We understand that in this crisis many different types of expenditure—including, but not only, groceries, medications, accommodation, equipment, relocation costs and costs entailed by caring responsibilities—may justifiably be accrued by applicants and we trust them to expend their grants to the best effect to maintain their well-being during this crisis.
  • Do I need to progress or to complete a specific piece of research with the use of any Hardship Grant
    • No. The hardship grants are designed to support you as a History researcher and a person, not to fund the production of specific historical outputs. We recognise that many History researchers may be unable to undertake research at this time.
  • Do I need to submit a report to the RHS detailing my use of RHS Hardship grant funds?
    • No. Unlike our standard scheme, no formal report is required after the award has been used.  We welcome contributions to our blog, Historical Transactions, but understand that the current COVID-19 crisis and its aftermath may limit and/or preclude many applicants’ capacity to undertake such writing.
  • Do I need to acknowledge RHS Hardship grant support in my PhD dissertation or publications?
    • Not unless you want to. This is an exceptional scheme for exceptional circumstances, and unlike our standard awards the RHS has no expectation that this support will be formally acknowledged by recipients in their scholarly work.

Contact us

All enquiries should be sent to Imogen Evans, RHS Administrative Secretary at adminsecretary@royalhistsoc.org.

 

Apply for Associate Fellowship

Closing date for next application round:

Monday 25 March 2024

 

Associate Fellowship is a new 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 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 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. 

November 2021 sees the introduction of two new membership categories: in addition to Associate Fellowship we now also offer Postgraduate Membership. These two options replace the previous category of Early Career Membership. Read more about these two new ways to belong to the Society. From August 2022 we are extending the benefits available to Associate Fellows of 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 144 volumes and more than 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 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 November 2021, annual subscription rates for Associate Fellows, payable on election, are: 

  • for Associate Fellows, UK-based: £45 pa
  • Associate Fellows, International: £55 pa
  • Associate Fellows, 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 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. 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 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.

 

Apply for Postgraduate Membership

Closing date for next application round:

Monday 25 March 2024

 

The Postgraduate Membership is a new category for the RHS, launched in November 2021. It is reserved for those studying History, or a cognate subject, at a higher level (from Masters to PhD) in a UK or overseas institution. Postgraduate Members join a group of researchers, many of whom will seek to work in a field relating to History. In creating this new category of membership, the Society recognises the particular experience of higher degree students. The Postgraduate Membership seeks to provide tailored support, for example in training events and grants, to assist students during a degree and immediately afterwards.

Postgraduate Membership is linked to student status and may run for as long as the member is registered for a postgraduate degree and one additional year thereafter. 

From November 2021, the Society also offers an Associate Fellowship for historians who are no longer studying for a further degree but whose career stage and or contribution to history. 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 work in sectors such as heritage and museums, libraries and archives, teaching, publishing and broadcasting, or personal research.

These new membership categories – of Associate Fellowship and Postgraduate Membership – replace the previous category of Early Career Membership. Read more about these two new ways to belong to the Society. From August 2022 we are extending the benefits available to Postgraduate Members of the Society (see below).

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


Benefits of Postgraduate Membership

  • Online access to the current issue and entire searchable back archive of Transactions of the Royal Historical Society – from the journal’s foundation in 1872 to the early 2022.
  • 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 HistoryCamden Series volumes and New Historical Perspectives print 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.
  • Receipt of the weekly ‘RHS News Circular’ (this example, August 2023): a regular update on RHS activities, plus listings of events / calls for papers from other UK historical societies and research networks.
  • Eligibility to apply for RHS grants and funded fellowships.
  • Eligible for RHS training and career development events / workshops reserved for Fellows and members.
  • Eligible to apply for the Society’s Research Funding programmes (including Scholarships and Fellowships) 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.

 

Annual Subscription

From November 2021, annual subscription rates for Postgraduate Members, payable on appointment, are: 

  • Postgraduates, UK-based and International: £20 pa
  • Postgraduates, 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 Postgraduate 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 Postgraduate Membership.

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

Applications to join the RHS are welcome through the year. 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 Postgraduate Member

If your Postgraduate 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 which meets 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 Fellowship should be addressed to the RHS office: membership@royalhistsoc.org.

 

Apply for Membership

Closing date for next application round:

Monday 25 March 2024

 

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. 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

 

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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:

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

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  • You have the right to know why your personal data is needed, what will happen to it, and how long it will be retained for.
  • Right of access: You have the right to access your personal data that is known to us.
  • Right to rectification: you have the right to supplement, correct, have deleted or blocked your personal data whenever you wish.
  • If you give us your consent to process your data, you have the right to revoke that consent and to have your personal data deleted.
  • Right to transfer your data: you have the right to request all your personal data from the controller and transfer it in its entirety to another controller.
  • Right to object: you may object to the processing of your data. We comply with this, unless there are justified grounds for processing.

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.

9. Submitting a complaint

If you are not satisfied with the way in which we handle (a complaint about) the processing of your personal data, you have the right to submit a complaint to the Data Protection Authority.

10. Contact details

Royal Historical Society
Royal Historical Society
University College London
Gower Street
London
WC1E 6BT
United Kingdom
Website: https://royalhistsoc.org
Email: administration@royalhistsoc.org
Phone number: +44 (0)20 3821 5311

 

Privacy policy (UK)

This privacy statement was last updated on 13 March 2023 and applies to citizens and legal permanent residents of the United Kingdom.

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, data and retention period

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)

2. Sharing with other parties

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

Processors

Name: Mailchimp
Country: USA
Purpose: Email newsletters
Name: Google Analytics
Country: USA
Purpose: Website statistical analysis
Name: Survey Monkey
Country: USA
Purpose: Collecting membership data

3. Cookies

Our website uses cookies. For more information about cookies, please refer to our Cookie Policy

4. 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.

We have concluded a data processing agreement with Google.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. Accessing and modifying your data

If you have any questions or want to know which personal data we have about you, please contact us. You can contact us by using the information below. You have the following rights:

  • You have the right to know why your personal data is needed, what will happen to it, and how long it will be retained for.
  • Right of access: You have the right to access your personal data that is known to us.
  • Right to rectification: you have the right to supplement, correct, have deleted or blocked your personal data whenever you wish.
  • If you give us your consent to process your data, you have the right to revoke that consent and to have your personal data deleted.
  • Right to transfer your data: you have the right to request all your personal data from the controller and transfer it in its entirety to another controller.
  • Right to object: you may object to the processing of your data. We comply with this, unless there are justified grounds for processing.

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.

9. Submitting a complaint

If you are not satisfied with the way in which we handle (a complaint about) the processing of your personal data, you have the right to submit a complaint to the Information Commissioner's Office:


Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

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@royalhistsoc.org
Phone number: +44 (0)20 3821 5311

 

Privacy policy (US)

This privacy statement was last changed on 13 March 2023, last checked on 13 March 2023, and applies to citizens and legal permanent residents of the United States.

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)

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 Opt-out preferences webpage. 

We have concluded a data processing agreement with Google.

6. Security

We are committed to the security of personal data. We take appropriate security measures to limit abuse of and unauthorized 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. You have the following rights:

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 object to the processing.
  3. You may request an overview, in a commonly used format, of the data we process about you.
  4. You may request correction or deletion of the data if it is incorrect or not or no longer relevant, or to ask to restrict the processing of the data.

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@royalhistsoc.org

Phone number: +44 (0)20 3821 5311

 

Privacy policy (CA)

This privacy statement was last changed on 13 March 2023, last checked on 13 March 2023, 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)

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.

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@royalhistsoc.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

 

Central Office Staff

Adam Hughes
Chief Executive Officer

Adam is Chief Executive Officer of the Royal Historical Society. He is responsible for the overall direction of the Society’s professional office, working closely with the President, the Trustees, the Academic Director and central office team. Key areas of particular focus include governance and leadership, membership, external relations, fundraising, financial planning and management, infrastructure/operations, and strategy.

Prior to joining the Royal Historical Society Adam was Director of Operations at the Biochemical Society and Portland Press, and before then held roles within publishing and communications. Academically he has a background in Anthropology and the History of Film and Visual Media.

Phone: +44(0) 20 3821 5214

Dr Philip Carter
Academic Director

Philip is Academic Director at the Royal Historical Society. He is responsible for the academic and research elements of the Society’s programme, and works closely with both the RHS Council and central office team. Philip’s remit includes policy and advocacy work, events, prizes, publishing and publisher relations, digital and communications, institutional partnerships, and the Society’s Library and Archive.

Prior to joining the RHS in 2021, Philip was Director of Digital and Publishing, and a Senior Lecturer in British History, at the Institute of Historical Research, University of London (2016-21), and Senior Editor for the Dictionary of National Biography at Oxford University (2010-16), where he now holds an associate editorship.

Trained as a historian of Hanoverian Britain, Philip’s current research looks at the late nineteenth and early twentieth-century development of national centres for History, including the Royal Historical Society and the Institute of Historical Research, where he has been a Senior Fellow since 2021. Philip is also a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society (2002) and of the Society of Antiquaries (2023).

Phone: +44(0) 20 3821 5222

Lisa Linossi
Membership and Grants Officer

Lisa is the Membership and Grants Officer at the Royal Historical Society. Her key areas of focus include administration of fellowship and membership applications to join the Society, management of membership renewals, requests for research support funding and responsibility for the Society’s data management.

Lisa is also secretary to the Society’s Membership and Research Support committees. Academically, she has a background in Art History and completed her Master of Arts degree at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa, prior to joining the RHS.

Phone: +44(0) 20 3821 5377

Sabiqah Zaidi
Communications and Operations Administrator

Sabiqah joined the Society as our Communications and Operations Administrator in May 2022, having worked as a part-time administrator for the RHS since mid-2021. In her role Sabiqah is supports management of the Society’s membership and awards programmes, member relations, communications and running of the RHS office. Prior to joining the RHS, Sabiqah worked in legal and local government administration.

Sabiqah is currently studying part-time for a BA in History at Birkbeck, University of London.

Phone: +44(0) 20 3880 5278

Dr Emily Betz
Events Officer

Emily is the Events Officer at the Royal Historical Society. She is responsible for planning and organising the Society’s events, including lectures, workshops, and conferences. Prior to joining the RHS, Emily worked in the events industry here in London and abroad in California.  

Emily recently finished her PhD in Early Modern History at the University of St Andrews. Her current research looks at the perceptions of melancholia in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Britain. 

Phone: +44 (0)20 3880 5219