The Yorkshire Philosophical Society (YPS) is a charitable

learned society A learned society (; also learned academy, scholarly society, or academic association) is an organization that exists to promote an academic discipline, profession, or a group of related disciplines such as the arts and science. Membership ...

(charity reg. 529709) which aims to promote the public understanding of the

natural sciences Natural science is one of the branches of science concerned with the description, understanding and prediction of natural phenomena, based on empirical evidence from observation and experimentation. Mechanisms such as peer review and repeat ...

, the

social science Social science is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among individuals within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the field of sociology, the original "science of s ...

s, and the

archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landsc ...

and history of

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

and

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

History

The Society was formed in York in December 1822 by James Atkinson, William Salmond, Anthony Thorpe and

William Vernon William Vernon (January 17, 1719 – December 22, 1806), of Newport, Rhode Island, was a merchant in the Atlantic slave trade who played a leading role in the Continental Congress' maritime activities during the American Revolution. In 1774, Ver ...

. The Society's aim was to gain and spread knowledge related to science and history and they built a large collection for this purpose. The geologist John Phillips was employed as the Society's first keeper of its museum. In 1828 the Society was given, by royal grant, some of the grounds of St Mary's Abbey including the ruins of the abbey. On this land the Society constructed a number of buildings including the

Yorkshire Museum The Yorkshire Museum is a museum in York, England. It was opened in 1830, and has five permanent collections, covering biology, geology, archaeology, numismatics and astronomy. History The museum was founded by the Yorkshire Philosophical Soc ...

built to house the Society's geological and archaeological collections and opened in 1830.

Landscape architect A landscape architect is a person who is educated in the field of landscape architecture. The practice of landscape architecture includes: site analysis, site inventory, site planning, land planning, planting design, grading, storm water manage ...

Sir John Murray Naysmith was commissioned by the Society to create a botanical gardens around the museum during the 1830s.

Organisation

The Yorkshire Philosophical Society is a

registered charity A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definition of a ch ...

, and has an open subscription-based membership. The offices and reading room of the YPS are located in

Museum Gardens The York Museum Gardens are botanic gardens in the centre of York, England, beside the River Ouse. They cover an area of of the former grounds of St Mary's Abbey, and were created in the 1830s by the Yorkshire Philosophical Society along wi ...

Lodge in

Honorary members

In 1933 Frank Elgee resigned as Curator of the Dorman Museum due to ill health and his wife Harriett Wragg Elgee, was appointed Curator holding that position until 1938. In 1933 his work was recognised and he was awarded an Honorary Degree of 'Doctor of Philosophy' by Leeds University. He was elected an Honorary Member of the Yorkshire Philosophical Society in 1936. Annual report of the Yorkshire Philosophical Society BHL2507771

Annual report of the Yorkshire Philosophical Society BHL2507771

Notable members

* Tempest Anderson (d. 1913), photographer and vulcanologist. * James Atkinson (d. 1839), surgeon and bibliographer.Pyrah, B. J. 1988. ''The History of the Yorkshire Museum and its geological collections''. York: William Sessions. pp14-30 *

Edward Charlesworth Edward Charlesworth (5 September 1813 – 28 July 1893) was an English geologist and palaeontologist. Edward Charlesworth was the eldest son of the Rev John Charlesworth. He studied medicine but abandoned a career in this discipline in 1836 to wo ...

(d. 1893), Keeper of the

and paleontologist. *

Mary Kitson Clark Anna Mary Hawthorn Kitson Clark, (14 May 1905 – 1 February 2005), married name Mary Chitty, was an English archaeologist, curator, and independent scholar. She specialised in the archaeology of Romano-British Northern England but was also inv ...

(1905–2005), Curator of Roman Antiquities at the Yorkshire Museum, archaeologist, and independent scholar. * John Phillips (d.1874), geologist. * Walter Harvey Brook (d. 1943), Honorary Curator of the

and medieval archaeologist. *

E. Ridsdale Tate Edwin Ridsdale Tate L.R.I.B.A (1862–1922) was a British antiquary, artist and architect based in York. Life Tate was born in York, where his birth was registered in the Bootham sub-district. For a time, he worked for local architectural firm ...

(d. 1922), artist and architect. * William Vernon Harcourt (d.1871), one of the founders of

British Association for the Advancement of Science The British Science Association (BSA) is a charity and learned society founded in 1831 to aid in the promotion and development of science. Until 2009 it was known as the British Association for the Advancement of Science (BA). The current Chi ...

Current activities

The Society holds a series of free public lectures every year covering subjects including science, technology, history, archaeology and geography. Research grants are given by the Society in connection with its area of interest and awards are available for archaeology students.

Yorkshire Philosophical Society members learn to edit Wikipedia

References

External links

Yorkshire Philosophical Society website
* {{authority control 1822 establishments in England Scientific societies based in the United Kingdom Charities based in North Yorkshire Organizations established in 1822 Organisations based in York 19th century in Yorkshire