On 28 November 1660, a small group of men gathered after a lecture by Sir Christopher Wren and decided to form a learned society dedicated to promoting the sciences. Since then, over 8,000 Fellows have been elected to the Royal Society. The story of the Royal Society is the story of modern science.
The foundation
The Royal Society was born organically of the regular meetings of groups of scientists in London and Oxford. In November 1660, after a lecture by Christopher Wren (1632-1723) the group decided to formalize itself as a 'College for the Promoting of Physico-Mathematicall, Experimentall Learning'.
Gresham College, the first home of the Royal Society, had been set up in 1597 under the will of the founder of the Royal Exchange, Sir Thomas Gresham (1519-1579). It provided for seven Professors in: Astronomy, Divinity, Geometry (Mathematics), Law, Music, Physic (Medicine), and Rhetoric. The first Fellows met in the rooms of Lawrence Rooke (1622-1662) then Gresham Professor of Astronomy.
Portrait of Francis Bacon, Baron Verulam and Viscount St Albans by Studio of Paulus van Somer (c. 1577-1621)The Royal Society
Many scholars have presented the Royal Society as the practical result of the writings of Francis Bacon (1561-1626). His works argued that scientific knowledge ought to be based on inductive reasoning and careful observation of nature.
To best serve this purpose, he advocated that an established incorporated group of men should devote itself to the pursuit of science.
Although he did not live long enough to see the foundation of the Royal Society, it was after his design that the Society was shaped.
Portrait of Robert Boyle (1689) by John Riley (1646-1691)The Royal Society
Robert Boyle (1627-1691), a founding member of the Royal Society, was one of the first to talk about it as an Invisible College, defined by its thinking not its physical location.
Boyle considered that the Fellows shared a set of common principles and interest in scientific knowledge.
Portrait of William Brouncker (1674) by Peter Lely (1618-1680)The Royal Society
William Brouncker, 2nd Viscount Brouncker (1620-1684) was chosen as the first President of the newly formed Society. A mathematician, he was particularly interested in parabola and cycloids and developed a formula to develop fractions of Pi.
In this painting, Brouncker is pointing at a sketch related to the quadrature of the hyperbola which he computed in the 1660s.
Royal patronage
After organizing its regular meetings, the group of scientists sought out Royal patronage for the Society. Having shown King Charles II (1630-1685) how important their experiments and researches were, they petitioned him for a royal grant of incorporation in 1661.
The Royal Society's first charter (1662)The Royal Society
The First Charter defined the structure and role of the Royal Society as well as giving it its official name: The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge. The goal of the Society was to promote and carry out experiments and encourage argument, discussion and the dissemination of scientific knowledge.
As first patron of the Royal Society, King Charles II donated a ceremonial silver gilt mace in 1663 which has ever since been used to represent the monarch at the meetings of the Fellowship.
The Royal Society's motto Nullius in verba is taken to mean 'take nobody's word for it'. It is an expression of the determination of Fellows to verify all statements with facts determined by experiments and to maintain their independence. The coat of arms was designed when the Society received its Charter and entered the College of Arms.
A place of experimentation
From the first meeting, the Fellows agreed that the Society would be a place to experiment, to try new scientific instruments and to test theories. Weekly demonstrations were organised and instruments purchased for this purpose.
In 1663, Robert Hooke (1635-1703) was made first Curator of Experiments of the Royal Society. His role was to prepare the demonstrations.
He was followed by Francis Hauksbee (1660–1713), an instrument-maker and natural philosopher who designed this air-pump.
Portrait of Robert Boyle (1689) by John Riley (1646-1691)The Royal Society
With the assistance of Hooke, Robert Boyle, set out to design a pump that would allow for the study of the properties of air. In this painting he points at one of his most important publications: New Experiments Physico-Mechanical, Touching the Spring of the Air, and its Effects (1662), which collected his findings.
Francis Hauksbee's air pump (1709) by Francis Hauksbee (1666-1713)The Royal Society
Experiments using air-pumps allowed scientists to understand the effect of vacuum, the physical properties of gases, magnetism and sounds. They were impressive enough to attract the Royal patronage, but King Charles II also jokingly described the Fellows as ‘spending time in weighing of air’.
Apart from the air-pump, many other experiments were conducted on the Society's premises.
Telescope at Gresham College (1664) by Robert Hooke (1635-1703)The Royal Society
For instance, Hooke had a large reflecting telescope installed in the court of Gresham college to support astronomical observations.
Over the next decades, the Royal Society became a repository for various scientific instruments and natural curiosities. It was intended to be 'a General Collection of all the Effects of Arts, and the Common, or Monstrous Works of Nature', for use by the Fellows in their attempts to understand and classify the natural world. These illustrations are taken from the first catalogue of the collection produced by Nehemiah Grew (1641-1712) in 1681, and from a volume by Richard Bradley (1688-1732).
Publishing science
Along with its Charter, the Royal Society obtained a license to print and publish books. Print was considered as the best medium to promote science, as the technology allowed for rapid diffusion of ideas. In 1664, the first book to be published with the Royal Society's 'imprimatur' was a treaty on forestry written by John Evelyn (1620-1706). Sylva, or A Discourse of Forest-Trees and the Propagation of Timber in His Majesty's Dominions went on to become an influential text for forestry.
Title page of Micrographia (1665) by Robert Hooke (1635-1703)The Royal Society
The second book to receive the Royal Society seal was Micrographia, by Robert Hooke. The publication was the first to include images of plants and insects observed under a microscope. It went on to become one of the most influential and successful books in the history of science.
Frontispiece and title page of the first volume of The Philosophical Transactions. (1665)The Royal Society
The longest-running scientific journal, The Philosophical Transactions, was launched in March 1665 by Henry Oldenburg (c.1619-1677), the Society’s first Secretary. The journal appeared monthly, selling for one shilling.
Portrait of Henry Oldenburg (1668) by Jan van Cleve (1646-1716)The Royal Society
Henry Oldenburg acted as the Philosophical Transactions' first publisher and editor. He made use of his large network of correspondents across Europe to collate the latest scientific news into a new form of print - a science journal. He intended the journal to promote the enterprise of early modern science and - perhaps - make some money on the side.
World's Oldest Science Journal - Objectivity #17 (2015-04-29) by James Hennessy and Brady HaranThe Royal Society
Homes of the Society
The Royal Society of London, despite being an 'invisible college' formed by its Fellowship, is also a physical place where Fellows can convene to discuss scientific topics. The successive locations of the Society embody the transformations of the city of London over 300 years and the westward shift of its center of gravity.
Crane Court became the Royal Society’s second home in 1710. The move from Gresham College was decided by Sir Isaac Newton (1643-1727), then President of the Royal Society. Situated off Fleet Street, Crane Court was the first property purchased for the sole use of the Society. One of its rooms was designed by Sir Christopher Wren FRS (1632-1723). On nights when the Fellows met, a light was hung outside to announce the meeting.
A meeting of the Royal Society at Somerset House (1844) by Henry MelvilleThe Royal Society
Unfortunately Somerset House had no room for the Society's Repository, and the contents of the collection were duly given to the Trustees of the British Museum for inclusion in the national collections.
This changed drastically the role of the meetings which invited less demonstrations and more scientific discussions.
The Society moved to Burlington House on Piccadilly in May 1857, having outgrown its rooms at Somerset House. The move was strategically convenient: Burlington House was close to Parliament and to the Athenaeum, the club to which many Fellows (and politicians) belonged. The Royal Society remained in Burlington House, with the Linnean Society, the Chemical Society. and the Royal Academy of Arts until 1967, when it moved to Carlton House Terrace.
Group portrait of Fellows of the Royal Society (1882) by UnknownThe Royal Society
The Burlington years were defining for the Society. There, Fellows structured themselves into committees to address specific scientific questions and help run the Society's many activities.
As these nineteenth-century caricatures of one such committee show, members' attention could sometimes drift...
Conversazione at the Royal Society at Burlington House. (1888-06-16)The Royal Society
Also in Burlington House, the Society opened itself to the public, organising 'Conversazione', exhibitions presenting the latest scientific innovations to visitors.
These 'Conversazione' still take place to date, and have been renamed 'Summer Science Exhibition'.
Carlton House Terrace, The Royal Society (2015)The Royal Society
The Royal Society has been occupying 6-9 Carlton House Terrace since the 21st November 1967 when it was opened by Her Majesty the Queen, Patron of the Royal Society.
The buildings were completed in 1829 under the direction of the architect John Nash (1752-1835) and have had fascinating residents over the years.
The Royal Society hosts scientific meetings and events and its archives and library are open to the public, come and visit us!
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