Royal Historical Society
ActiveDescription
Founded in 1868, the Royal Historical Society (RHS) is a successful learned society, membership organisation and charity with a more than 150-year history. Today, the RHS is the UK’s foremost society working for history and historians.
More than 7,000 historians belong and contribute to the Society as Fellows and Members, active in the UK and worldwide. This makes the RHS the UK’s largest membership organisation for historians of all kinds, and from all walks of life — held in high regard by historians internationally, and a partner to many similar organisations overseas.
These national and international connections are led by the historians who make up the RHS Council (Trustees), supported by a small central team based at University College London, which is the home of the Society.
The Society’s remit covers the following principal areas:
- policy work relating to academic research, education and teaching
- advocacy and intervention in debates about the study of history and promotion of the historical profession
- publishing of a journal, primary source collections, book series, online resources, and scholarly communications relating to the discipline
- academic events showcasing new research, including an annual lecture programme
- research and skills training and professional engagement, with a focus on all career stages
- a grants and fellowships programme, to support innovation in historical research and teaching by historians at all career stages within and outside Higher Education
- prizes and awards, to recognise excellent work by early career historians
- provision of a research Library and Archive, based at UCL, with particular strengths in the development of the modern historical profession in the UK.
In late 2021 the Society revised and extended its membership categories to engage with a wider membership from sectors beyond Higher Education. Researchers and those working in history are welcome to join the RHS as Fellows and Members, with applications welcome at anytime.
Currently active
Yes
Offers funding
Yes, this infrastructure provides funding in the following categories:
Founding year
1868
Contact details
Gower Street
London
WC1E 6BT
United Kingdom
On the map
Categorisation
Type
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University affiliation(s)
Partner Infrastructures
Institute of Historical Research (IHR)
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German Historical Institute London (GHIL)
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History UK is the independent national body promoting and monitoring History in UK Higher Education. It is funded by history departments or their equivalents and campaigns on issues of concern to acad… read more about History UK
The National Archives collect and secure the future of the government record, from Shakespeare’s will to tweets from Downing Street, to preserve it for generations to come, making it as accessib… read more about The National Archives
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The Historical Association is a registered charity incorporated by Royal Charter (charity no. 1120261). It supports the teaching, learning and enjoyment of history at all levels and bring together peo… read more about Historical Association
London
Additional Partnerships
The Social History Archive (DC Thomson)
Last modified:
2026-10-29 16:31:25