Founded in 1886, the Somerset Record Society has been preserving, promoting and making accessible the written heritage of Somerset for over 130 years.
Our Society developed from the Somerset Archaeological and Natural History Society [SANHS] which had itself been established over thirty years earlier. Papers relating to the establishment of the Record Society can be found at the Somerset Heritage Centre under reference DD/SAS/G755/17.
The first Council of the Somerset Record Society [SRS] consisted of Bishop Edmund Hobhouse, F.H. Dickinson, E.A. Freeman, E. Green, Revd. W. Hunt with the Revd. J.A. Bennett acting as Honorary Secretary. The membership fee was £1 1s and many philanthropists donated extra funds to secure the future of our Society. The Right Hon. Lord Carlingford of Chewton Mendip gave £10, Bishop Hobhouse himself gave £7, with P.P. Bouverie, of Brymore House, Revd. J.J. Moss of Lydford and H.G. Moysey of Bathealton Court all giving £5 each.
It was Bishop Hobhouse who edited the first volume of our Society, Calendar of the Register of John de Drokensford, bishop of Bath and Wells, which was published in 1887. He went on to publish a further three volumes for the Society before his death in 1904: Pre-Reformation Churchwardens’ Accounts of Croscombe, Pilton, Yatton, Tintinhull, Morebath and St Michael’s, Bath, (1890); Rentalia et Custumaria Michaelis de Ambresbury, (1891); and Two Cartularies of the Augustinian Priory of Bruton and the Cluniac Priory of Montacute, (1894). Bishop Hobhouse led a varied career within the Church, both in England and as Bishop of Nelson in New Zealand; before retiring to Wells in Somerset where he became an active member of the Somerset Archaeological and Natural History Society and a founding member of the Somerset Record Society.
Over the years, a number of subsequent editors have compiled volumes on the medieval bishops’ registers of Bath and Wells, which still remain a popular source for historians and researchers. Volumes have been published on the registers of Bishops Ralph of Shrewsbury, Walter Giffard, Nicholas Bubwith, John Stafford, Thomas Bekynton, Robert Stillington, Oliver King and Thomas Wolsey. As well as being a very useful ecclesiastical resource, detailing the bishops’ administration such as appointments of clerics and lists of ordinands; the registers often contain information relating to the wider population such as endowments to chantries, issues of marriage licences and the probates of wills. One such editor to add to the publications of Bishops’ registers was Henry C. Maxwell-Lyte. Henry came from a long line of ancestors who were interested in genealogy and patronage. He continued this archival work, becoming Deputy Keeper of the Public Records, compiling a history of his old school, Eton, and significantly raising the profile of the Luttrell family to historians. Henry also contributed volumes to the Society on the history of the Honour of Dunster and on the Beauchamp family of Hatch.
Another member of the Society’s first Council meeting to publish for the Society was Reverend William Hunt who edited volume 7, Two chartularies of the priory of St. Peter at Bath, which was published in 1893. Hunt held the vicarage of Congresbury between 1867-1882. During this time he also held the position of Honorary General Secretary for SANHS (1872-1879). Hunt was a prolific writer and gained a notable reputation as a historian and biographer. Amongst other texts, he contributed 595 articles to the Dictionary of National Biography and published The Somerset Diocese: Bath and Wells (1885) in the Diocesan Histories and a history of Bristol (1887) in the Historic Towns series.
The Somerset Record Society has made a significant impact on the history of Somerset. The most heavily used of our Society’s volumes are those which are name-rich, such as publications of wills, quarter sessions, assize orders and probate inventories. As well as being abundant resources for family and local history, they also provide material for social and economic research. Edward Harbin Bates-Harbin of Newton Surmaville edited three of the four Quarter Session volumes produced by our Society. He is often described as a ‘master of Somerset history’[1] and was heavily involved with both the SRS and SANHS. In total he produced five volumes for the Somerset Record Society, as well as transcribing the Somerset part of the Domesday Book, which is still used by scholars today. His daughter, Sophia Rawlins, was also a member of Council of both the SRS and SANHS. Mrs Rawlins was appointed SRS Honorary Secretary in 1953 and Honorary Treasurer later the same year. She served as Secretary until 1980 and also edited a volume of Somerset Enrolled Deeds published by the Society in 1936. Her service was recognised in 1981 when the Council proposed a presentation of the Somerset Maps volume to Mrs Rawlins as a token of recognition of her long and dedicated service to the Society. As well as writing for our Society, she also produced publications on her ancestor Dr George Harbin, the family home of Newton Surmaville, and the MPs and High Sheriffs of Somerset. Mrs Rawlins also hosted the annual meeting of Somerset & Dorset Notes and Queries and served as their Chairman between 1968-1992. In addition to her scholarly work, she also published a historical novel titled Kay of the Hills.
Similarly, Reverend Frederick William Weaver edited three volumes on medieval wills for the Society. Weaver was a friend of Bishop Hobhouse and one of Somerset’s most notable antiquarians and historians. For many years he was joint editor of Somerset and Dorset Notes and Queries and joint secretary of SANHS. During his time in Somerset he was Curate at Bruton and Vicar of Milton Clevedon where he lived for nearly four decades. As well as volumes on medieval wills he researched and published widely on religious history in Somerset.
To date the Somerset Record Society has made a substantial imprint on the history of Somerset, publishing over 100 volumes on wide-ranging subjects related to the county which are a unique resource for the study of the history of Somerset. More recent volumes from the second half of the twentieth century have still covered topics such as church history, courts and wills; but have expanded to include other sources of historical research including diaries and memoirs, notably of John Harrington M.P. and John Allen Giles; maps and maritime surveys of the county and its coastline, and records of non-conformist church groups such as the Society of Friends. Volumes covering the local history of a particular area have also become popular, such as Wookey manor and parish, 1544-1841, edited by by Joan Hasler and The manors of Norton St Philip and Hinton Charterhouse, 1535-1691, edited by Colin J. Brett. The Society is always keen to hear from anyone with an idea for a future volume. If you have an idea for a volume, please visit our proposals page.
The Somerset Record Society became a registered charity on 7 April 1964. Prior to this date the Society was run by private subscription only. Some institutional subscriptions date back to the nineteenth century. Today, our Society has over 200 members and is governed by a Council of 12 members. We hold an annual general meeting each year, often at a place or building of historical interest. As well as the Society’s business meeting, there is a talk or lecture by a notable speaker, relating either to a recent publication or the place where the meeting is held. Meetings are open to non-members but only members have the right to vote at the A.G.M. Members pay an annual subscription of £15. For this they receive a copy of each volume on publication at no additional cost and a copy of Off the Record, the Society’s newsletter, each year. If you would like to join our Society and help us continue this unique series of publications, please visit our membership page.
[1] R Dunning, Somerset Families (Somerset Books, 2002), p. 50