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The Surtees Society

The Society

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The Surtees Society is a record publishing society based in Durham.  Membership is open to both individuals and institutions on paymnet of an annual subscription; members receive a copy of each volume as it is published: see the Membership page.  

The Society’s publishes manuscripts illustrating the history of northern England, especially County Durham and Northumberland.  Over almost two centuries it has published more than 200 volumes, each containing carefully edited transcriptions of one or more manuscript source, covering a wide range of historical topics and time periods, from the Middle Ages to the 20th century: for a full list, see the Publications pages.  Volumes continue to be published regularly and proposals for new volumes are always welcome (see the Editing page).

The Society

History of the Society

Although it was not made explicit in the founding statement, the Society’s concern from the beginning was with the historical, rather than the contemporary, condition of the region. This has remained true throughout the Society’s history.  In the most recent revision of the Society’s Rules, its purpose is defined as:

the advancement of public education in the region that constituted the ancient kingdom of Northumbria, especially by the transcription, editing, translating and publication of original historical documents.

Other similar societies were subsequently founded in parts of what had been the kingdom of Northumbria, but the Society continues to publish manuscripts from all the six northern counties of England.  Throughout ita history the Society has been based in Durham and most of the volumes so far published relate to County Durham or Northumberland.

Volume 150 contains an account of the first century of the Society’s history.

People

The Society is managed by its Council.  The current officers and council members are listed below (the trustees of the charity are identified by an asterisk):

Angus Winchester*
Angus Winchester*
President
Richard Higgins*
Richard Higgins*
Treasurer & General Secretary
Christopher Watson
Christopher Watson
Membership Secretary

Vice-Presidents and Members of Council

Joan Allen
Rachel Anderson
Alex Brown
David Crouch
Hugh Doherty
Greg Finch*
Adrian Green
Christopher Hunwick
Richard Pears*
Anthony Pollard
Michael Spence
Leona Watson