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Royal Historical Society
@royalhistsoc.org
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The Royal Historical Society is the UK's foremost society promoting the scholarly and professional study of the past. Our membership is an international community of historians: https://royalhistsoc.org/
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Fellows of the Society come from a wide range of backgrounds and are recognised for their original contribution to historical knowledge.

This takes many forms well beyond publication of a book. We've a new guide to the many routes to Fellowship: bit.ly/49IG67g. Applications welcome #Skystorians
Front page of new guide on Joining the Fellowship of the Royal Historical Society: a brief guide if you’re considering an application with text: Fellowship is one of several ways to join and belong to the Royal Historical Society. Fellows are elected to this position by the Society in recognition of their work for the historical discipline and profession. There are many different routes to Fellowship, just as there are different kinds of contributions and careers within the discipline of history.
December 1, 2025 at 10:51 AM
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Fellows and Members of the Society receive a wide range of benefits. Our new 'Guide for Members' bit.ly/48qN0eS offers details, including access to funding, publications, history news, networking, and publisher discounts.

We invite applications to 'Join Us' at any time bit.ly/3K428qL #Skystorians
Pages from the Society's new 'Guide to Members' showing sections on News and Information, Research funding and research support, Membership and networking and Fellows of the Royal Historical Society.
December 1, 2025 at 9:14 AM
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The Royal Historical Society is a membership organisation of 7000+ historians, UK and RoW. We welcome historians to join us at any time: our next closing date is 15 December.

We offer membership categories for all kinds of historians and at all stages of research: bit.ly/46V8WOQ #Skystorians 1/2
Webpage image with text: 'Join the Royal Historical Society: Fellowship / Associate Fellowship / Membership / Postgraduate Membership: next closing dates 15 December 2025 and 9 March 2026'
November 29, 2025 at 9:26 AM
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The Society's 'Annual Newsletter' is now available bit.ly/4pzfom7

With news and reflections on 2025 and a look ahead to activities, events and initiatives for the coming year as we begin work on our new Strategy for 2026-2028 bit.ly/3KpX0x8.

#Skystorians
Cover and selected pages from the Royal Historical Society's 2025 Annual Newsletter.
November 28, 2025 at 11:34 AM
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Fellows of the Society are elected for their 'original contribution to historical scholarship'.

Our new guide provides more on the many ways Fellows achieve this - with activities going well beyond publications bit.ly/48mpcJa We welcome Fellowship applications from historians of all kinds 1/2
Image of guide to 'Joining the Fellowship of the Royal Historical Society'. Full abstract: "Fellowship is one of several ways to join and belong to the Royal Historical Society. Fellows are elected to this position by the Society in recognition of their work for the historical discipline and profession. There are many different routes to Fellowship, just as there are different kinds of contributions and careers within the discipline of history. Today’s RHS Fellows are history practitioners from a very wide range of backgrounds (within and beyond higher education) who have contributed to historical understanding and knowledge through a body of work. These contributions take many forms: from academic publications of different formats, to editorial and curatorial work, history programming and public history. This post addresses common questions asked by those considering applying to join the Fellowship of the Royal Historical Society. If you are interested in making an application, we hope this helps."
November 27, 2025 at 12:46 PM
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RHS Fellows based in universities come not just from History depts but from across HE bit.ly/48iH0oG

In the past 12 months, we've welcomed historians based in (among others) Accounting, Education, English, Film Studies, Law, Media Studies, Modern Languages, Political Theory & Theology #Skystorians
Image of RHS badges with logo 'Join Us'
November 25, 2025 at 11:30 AM
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To accompany publication of their new edition, the volume's editors - Mark Philp, Aysuda Aykan and Curtis Leung - write for the RHS blog on the life and work of William Upcott (1779-1845) bit.ly/3LXaIYR.

'A Collector Collected' is now available online / in print from @universitypress.cambridge.org
Front page of the RHS blog article with full abstract: "In this post Mark Philp, Aysuda Aykan and Curtis Leung introduce their new volume in the Royal Historical Society’s Camden Series, ‘A Collector Collected: The Journals of William Upcott, 1803-1823’, published in November 2025. William Upcott (1779–1845) rose from humble origins to become a major collector of coins, prints, drawings, and, above all, autographs. His journals offer a detailed, non-elite account of a London life, interspersed with forays into the provinces to visit relatives in Oxfordshire and Northamptonshire, and to pursue his trade as a cataloguer and organiser of people’s collections. His later ‘Tour of the Peak’ in 1823, evidences his growing expertise and his open acceptance by his fellow enthusiasts. Upcott’s diaries are lively and engaging narratives of his life and activities in a world that he increasingly made his own, overcoming his deficiencies to become an accomplished bibliophile and collector."
November 25, 2025 at 9:21 AM
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New publication: 'A Collector Collected: The Journals of William Upcott, 1803-1829' bit.ly/4rpwoNE

The latest volume in the RHS Camden Series of primary sources charts the life of a self-made collector and cataloguer, and offers a detailed, non-elite account of a London life

1/2 #Skystorians
Cover of 'A Collector Collected: the Journals of William Upcott, 1803-1823', edited by Mark Philp, Aysuda Aykan and Cuertis Leung
November 25, 2025 at 9:21 AM
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Fellows of the Royal Historical Society are historians working in a wide range of sectors (in and beyond education) in the UK and worldwide.

We've a new guide about becoming a Fellow: bit.ly/48iH0oG If you'd like to join a 4000+ community of historians, please consider an application #Skystorians
Front page of RHS blog post: 'Joining the Fellowship of the Royal Historical Society. A brief guide if you're considering an application'. with abstract: 'Fellowship is one of several ways to join and belong to the Royal Historical Society. Fellows are elected to this position by the Society in recognition of their work for the historical discipline and profession. There are many different routes to Fellowship, just as there are different kinds of contributions and careers within the discipline of history.'
November 25, 2025 at 8:30 AM
royalhistsoc.org
This week the Society releases its new Strategy, 2026-2028 bit.ly/43A9tF4

The Strategy outlines five priorities for the Royal Historical Society over the next three years. It comes at a vital time for the health and future of our discipline and profession #Skystorians 1/2
Slide showing the 5 priorities for the Society's new STrategy for 2026-28 1. Champion, promote and celebrate historical research and expertise, to advance the creation of historical scholarship and the public understanding of history. 2. Advocate and campaign for the value of history, and the work of historians, wherever they are located. 3 Strengthen the profile and reach of the Royal Historical Society to support the historical discipline and its practice. 4 Enable our fellows and members to pursue historical research through a programme of publications, funding, training, events, networking and engagement. 5 Ensure a confident and sustainable future for the Royal Historical Society.
November 19, 2025 at 11:22 AM
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We are delighted to receive today print copies of the three latest titles in our 'New Historical Perspectives' book series, published with @ihr.bsky.social and @uolpress.bsky.social

Each title is available in paperback print and free Open Access: further details bit.ly/4pl2gkA #Skystorians
Photograph of the following three titles: Forging Fraternity in Late Medieval Society. The Palmers' Guild of Ludlow, by Rachael Harkes Waterscapes: Reservoirs, Environment and Identity in Modern England and Wales, by Andrew McTominey Atlantic Isles: Travel and Identity in the British and Irish West, 1880–1940, by Gareth Roddy
November 18, 2025 at 1:36 PM
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We look forward to meeting delegates and especially North American members this week. The Society is sponsoring panels, a reception, and we're also in the exhibitors' hall throughout #NACBS2025

Please do come and say hello and pick up one (or all three) of our new badges. 2/2
RHS postcard showing image of Jacobite commemorative tea pot, c.1760s, with caption 'The Royal Historical Society champions historical research and expertise, to advance historical scholarship and the public understanding of history'.
November 13, 2025 at 5:39 PM
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The Society is v. pleased to be in Montreal for #NACBS2025 which starts today.

President, Lucy Noakes @lucynoakes1.bsky.social and Director Philip Carter are attending, along with RHS Councillors @caitbeaumont.bsky.social and @kharveyhistory.bsky.social who are also giving papers #Skystorians 1/2
Royal Historical Society badges with the logos: 'Trust Me I'm a Historian', 'I Know the Value of History' and 'This is What a Historian looks Like'.
November 13, 2025 at 5:39 PM
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Today's Times Higher Education piece on the challenges faced by UK historians of Russia includes a contribution by Jamie Bryson.

Jamie's article on this topic, 'Russian History without Russia', was published last month in 'Transactions of the Royal Historical Society' bit.ly/4qMrTvU #Skystorians
Article text: Russian History without Russia: Archive Encounters in an Era of Restricted Access', by Jamie Bryson. Abstract: This comment is the personal reflection of an early career historian on the challenges of working on Russian history during a time of geopolitical change and declining access. As libraries and archives in the Russian Federation become increasingly difficult to use following the invasion of Ukraine, early-career and younger historians are being forced to adopt remote or indirect methods of research due to formal and informal barriers. I reflect on some of the ethical, practical and epistemological dilemmas of conducting historical investigations at a distance, drawing chiefly on my own experiences working on the tsarist secret police during the First World War. I argue that this is not a return to Cold War constraints, but a new era that demands fresh strategies and a redefinition of expertise.
November 6, 2025 at 11:33 AM
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To accompany publication of her new book, Rachel writes for the RHS blog about the extent and importance of guilds in pre-Reformation society bit.ly/4oncsc1

'Forging Fraternity' is the 25th title in the NHP series, with all volumes available free Open Access bit.ly/47tUAq0 #Skystorians 2/2
Front cover of RHS blog post on Forging Fraternity. Full abstract: In this post, Rachael Harkes introduces her new book — ‘Forging Fraternity in Late Medieval Society. The Palmers’ Guild of Ludlow’ — which is published in the Society’s ‘New Historical Perspectives’ series with University of London Press. Using the Palmers’ Guild of Ludlow as a prism, Rachael considers the almost ubiquitous membership of religious guilds in both urban and rural society on the eve of the Reformation. With more than 18,000 members recorded in the guild’s massive extant archive, drawn from across the social spectrum and spread throughout Wales, England, Iberia, Ireland and France, the Palmers offer a unique opportunity to investigate the interplay between institutions and individuals in the Middle Ages. ‘Forging Fraternity in Late Medieval Society’ is the 25th title in the Society’s New Historical Perspectives series for early career historians. Rachael’s book, and all other titles in the series are published free, Open Access, and in paperback print.
November 6, 2025 at 9:28 AM
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Published today: 'Forging Fraternity in Late Medieval Society. The Palmers' Guild of Ludlow', by Rachael Harkes bit.ly/49CIDzC

Rachael's new book is the latest title in the Society's New Historical Perspectives series. It's now available free Open Access & paperback print @uolpress.bsky.social 1/2
Book cover for: 'Forging Fraternity in Late Medieval Society The Palmers' Guild of Ludlow', by Rachael Harkes
November 6, 2025 at 9:28 AM
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Many thanks to Daniel Finkelstein for his excellent RHS Public History Lecture, delivered yesterday evening @greshamcollege.bsky.social: 'Minor Criminal: The Trial of the Man Who Murdered My Grandmother'

Daniel's lecture, a study of the Belsen Trial of 1945, is now available to view bit.ly/4oo5oMi
Image of Daniel Finkelstein delivering the 2025 RHS Public History Lecture at Gresham College, 4 November 2025
November 5, 2025 at 10:27 AM
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The enthusiasm for #History at this year's #HistDay25 is considerable and palpable.

History's popularity and appeal is an asset we must work with to better demonstrate the personal, professional, civic and social value of historical knowledge and understanding.

@ihr.bsky.social #Skystorians
November 4, 2025 at 2:48 PM
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The Royal Historical Society is a membership organisation of more than 6500 historians in the UK & worldwide.

Applications to Join Us, as a Fellow, Associate Fellow, Member or Postgraduate Member are welcome at any time. bit.ly/49zM3mM Next closing dates: 15 Dec 2025 and 9 March 2026 #Skystorians
RHS Flyer: Join US The Royal Historical Society is the UK’s leading membership organisation for anyone with a professional or personal interest in history. We welcome applications for Fellowship or Membership from historians worldwide. Benefits of Membership include: • Copies of the Society’s journal, Transactions • Online access to nearly 500 volumes of Society publications • Access to an extensive range of grants and funding to support research • Invitations to Society lectures and debates, with leading historians • Regular news and updates on history-related events • Discounts from selected publishers, and on subscriptions to History Today • Access to the Society's Directory of members, with opportunities to network with others. Find out more: royalhistsoc.org. The Royal Historical Society working for history and historians, since 1868
November 4, 2025 at 11:58 AM
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We look forward to meeting all those attending #HistDay25 today: bit.ly/4nvfl9v We're one of 70 exhibitors making this an ideal opportunity to discover new resources and archives to support your research.

Thanks to @ihr.bsky.social & @senatehouselib.bsky.social for making this possible #Skystorians
Image of table at History Day with Royal Historical Society items.
November 4, 2025 at 11:24 AM
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Dénes's article is available free Open Access, as is all content published in Transactions bit.ly/486BF5d

The journal's editors welcome submission of research articles and comment pieces, on historical practice and debate, from historians working within and outside education 2/2 #Skystorians
Cover of the latest volume of Transactions of the Royal Historical Society.
November 3, 2025 at 9:03 AM
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Rachael's new book, as for all titles in the NHP series, is published Open Access and also available as a paperback print edition.

Rachael's volume is also the 25th book in a series offering monographs & edited collections. For a full listing from University of London Press see bit.ly/4qcEqbW 2/2
Image of 20 book covers from the Royal Historical Society's New Historical Perspectives book series for early career historians. ALT 15 October 2025 at 12:25 5 likes Write your reply Royal Historical Society ‪@royalhistsoc.org‬ Home Explore 16 Notifications Chat Feeds Lists Saved Profile Settings New Post Search Discover Following What's History 🗃️ More feeds Trending Dodgers World Series Blue Jays Louis Varland Fortnite Feedback • Privacy • Terms • Help Image of first 20 book covers from the Royal Historical Society's New Historical Perspectives book series for early career historians.
November 2, 2025 at 2:54 PM
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On Thursday we publish the next title in our New Historical Perspectives book series:

'Forging Fraternity in Late Medieval Society: The Palmers' Guild of Ludlow', by Rachael Harkes, is available from 6 November bit.ly/4ogSm2H

Full details from @uolpress.bsky.social #Skystorians 1/2
Front cover of Forging Fraternity in Late Medieval Society The Palmers' Guild of Ludlow, by Rachael Harkes
November 2, 2025 at 2:54 PM
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This coming week (Tuesday 4 November), we look forward to meeting all those attending #HistDay25 @ihr.bsky.social and @senatehouselib.bsky.social: bit.ly/4nvfl9v

We'll be bringing badges and our new set of postcards #Skystorians
Royal Historical Society badges with logos: This is what a historian looks like, Trust me, I'm a historian, and I know the value of history. Three postcard design from the Royal Historical Society.
November 2, 2025 at 1:16 PM
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To accompany publication, Gareth also wrote for the RHS blog about his book and the ‘westward gaze’ which flourished in late-19th century Britain and Ireland - from Cornish cliffs and Welsh mountains to Hebridean islands and the Connemara highlands bit.ly/47rdnkA 2/2
Opening page of RHS blog post: full text: Atlantic Isles: Travel and Identity in the British and Irish West, 1880–1940: In this post, Gareth Roddy introduces his new book — Atlantic Isles: Travel and Identity in the British and Irish West, 1880-1940 — which is published in the Society’s ‘New Historical Perspectives’ series with University of London Press. Atlantic Isles examines the cultural and political prominence of the ‘westward gaze’ which flourished in late-nineteenth century Britain and Ireland. From Cornish cliffs and Welsh mountains to Hebridean islands and the Connemara highlands, the west was an imagined geography that transcended the national territories of these isles. Gareth’s book draws on wide-ranging contemporary sources, including works of geology, philology, ethnology, history, geography, archaeology, folklore, literature, sociology and an extensive collection of travel writing. The significance of western landscapes for national identities is well known but — as Atlantic Isles shows — the west was also central to debates about Britishness and to the bold attempt to construct a narrative of multinational union that claimed deep historical roots at a time when Home Rule dominated political debate. Atlantic Isles is the 24th title in the Society’s New Historical Perspectives series for early career historians. Gareth’s book, and other titles in the series are published free, Open Access, and in paperback print.
November 1, 2025 at 11:26 AM