Birmingham Natural History Society

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Birmingham Natural History Society
Founded1858 (1858)
TypeLearned society
Registration no.500819
FocusStudy of natural history
Area served
Birmingham, England
Key people
  • Dr Peter Jarvis (Hon. Secretary)
Websitebnhsoc.org.uk

Birmingham Natural History Society is a learned society for the study of the natural history of Birmingham, England, and in the surrounding midlands region, and beyond.[1] It was founded in 1858, and is a registered charity.[2] The Society has had various names, e.g. in the 1870s it was called the Birmingham Natural History and Microscopical Society, and from 1894 to 1963 the Birmingham Natural History and Philosophical Society.

History[]

The Society was founded in 1858.[3] For a considerable part of its early life, it was called the Birmingham Natural History and Microscopical Society.[4] In 1877, the Society played the lead in forming the , which published the journal The Midland Naturalist.[5] Some of the societies in the union later merged with the Birmingham Natural History Society. The Birmingham Philosophical Society, founded in 1876, merged in 1894, when the title of the Society was changed to the Birmingham Natural History and Philosophical Society. The Midland Malacological Society and the Birmingham Entomological Society were amalgamated in 1906 and 1908 respectively.[3] The society's activities were greatly reduced by world war one but activity had picked up again by 1920.[6] In 1924 the society carried out an extensive survey of Hartlebury Common.[7]

The Society rooms suffered bomb damage on October 25, 1940 and as a result the society suspended its activities for the remainder of hostilities.[7] The society began to meet again in 1945 and restarted publication of its proceedings in 1950.[8]

The current title of the Society was first used in its Proceedings in 1964.[9]

Important early members of the society included the botanist James Eustace Bagnall (1830-1918), who produced the first Flora of Sutton Park[4] (now a national nature reserve) and later the first Flora of Warwickshire.[10]

Activities[]

The society was responsible for the designation of Edgbaston Pool as a Site of Special Scientific Interest,[11] and until 2012 was formally involved in its management.[11]

The society operates a library for its members,[1] and holds regular meetings (at the Friends Meeting House in Selly Oak,

 WikiMiniAtlas
52°26′11″N 1°56′33″W / 52.4362635°N 1.9424939°W / 52.4362635; -1.9424939Coordinates: 52°26′11″N 1°56′33″W / 52.4362635°N 1.9424939°W / 52.4362635; -1.9424939), field trips and training sessions.[1] It publishes a journal, Proceedings of the Birmingham Natural History Society (ISSN 0144-1477). First published in 1870,[12] the journal currently appears in four parts to a volume; parts have appeared a different intervals over time, e.g. each part of Volume 15 covered two calendar years whereas each part of Volume 29 covered three.[13]

As of 2012, the hon. secretary is Dr Peter Jarvis.[11]

Publications[]

  • Proceedings of the Birmingham Natural History Society (formerly Proceedings of the Birmingham Natural History and Microscopical Society, Proceedings of the Birmingham Natural History and Philosophical Society); currently published every three years (ISSN 0144-1477)
  • A Computer Mapped Flora by D. A. Cadbury, J. G. Hawkes and R. C. Readett, 1971 - a study of the flora of Vice-County 38, Warwickshire, published in conjunction with the University of Birmingham[1]
  • A Fungus Flora of Warwickshire edited by M.C.Clark, 1980, published in conjunction with the University of Birmingham and the British Mycological Society[1]
  • Lepidoptera of the Midland (Birmingham) Plateau, published in Proceedings of the Birmingham Natural History Society 26(3-4), 1992/93[1]

Presidents[]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f "Birmingham Natural History Society". Retrieved 2012-01-28.
  2. ^ "Birmingham Natural History Society, registered charity no. 500819". Charity Commission for England and Wales.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b Proceedings of the Birmingham Natural History and Philosophical Society 15(1), 1921–1922, cover page
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b Bagnall, James E. (1876), Notes on Sutton Park: Its Flowering Plants, Ferns, and Mosses, read at a general meeting of the Birmingham Natural History and Microscopical Society, held December 6th, 1876, Birmingham, OCLC 18894820
  5. ^ Anon. (1878), "Opening Address", The Midland Naturalist, 1: 1–4, retrieved 2012-01-29
  6. ^ Kenrick 1958, pp. 29–30.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b Kenrick 1958, p. 31.
  8. ^ Kenrick 1958, p. 39.
  9. ^ Proceedings of the Birmingham Natural History Society 20(3), 1964, cover page
  10. ^ Bagnall, James E. (1891), Flora of Warwickshire, London: Gurney & Jackson, OCLC 15190032
  11. ^ Jump up to: a b c Coxhead, Peter (January 2012). "From the President". Newsletter. Birmingham Natural History Society (96).
  12. ^ Anon. (1962), "Editorial", Proceedings of the Birmingham Natural History and Philosophical Society, 20 (1): 1–2
  13. ^ Cover pages of the relevant volumes: Proceedings of the Birmingham Natural History and Philosophical Society 15(1) 1921-1922 and Proceedings of the Birmingham Natural History Society 29(1) 2008–2010
  14. ^ Watson, Phil (2010). Birmingham Ornithology Collections Part 1 - The R W Chase Collection of British Birds (PDF). Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery.

Bibliography[]

  • Kenrick, K.L. (1958). Birmingham Natural History and Philosophical Society Centenary Celebrations : the records of the society and the story they tell. Birmingham Natural History and Philosophical Society.

External links[]

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