| Info | Founded on June 29, 2002 at Wadham College, Oxford, by Stuart Williams, FRAS and well-known astronomy historian Dr. Allan Chapman of Wadham College, with the able assistance of Ken Goward, FRAS, the UK's national society for the history of our great science has already passed a few milestones in its relatively short but memorable history!
The SHA's first Council was elected at the Founding Meeting, and consisted of Chair Emily Winterburn, Secretary Stuart Williams, FRAS, Treasurer Ken Goward, FRAS, and Councillors Roger Jones, Kevin Kilburn, FRAS and Dr. Nicholas Kollerstrom. Honorary Councillors Hon. President Dr. Allan Chapman and Hon. Vice Presidents Sir Patrick Moore and Dr. Michael Hoskin were appointed shortly thereafter.
The Society began in earnest by setting up an Archive at the Library of the Institute of Astronomy in Cambridge, under the supervision of Institute Librarian and SHA Archivist Mark Hurn. The Archive seeks to preserve a record of the Society and of members' work and to encourage the deposit of original research materials at appropriate record offices.
In parallel with this, a Members' Lending Library was founded by professional Librarian Madeline Cox, FRAS. Today, the Lending Library is known as the Sir Patrick Moore Library, managed by Madeline Cox, who oversees the SHA Library Service as Chair of our Library Committee. We also have a permanent Reference and Research Library housed at the Birmingham & Midland Institute; this is the Sir Robert Ball Library, managed by Research Librarian Stuart Williams with the assistance of Roger Jones.
Our first Newsletter and Website were created by Callum Potter, then the Society's Editor, both essential tools of communication and outreach to SHA members and the public, especially as 90% of SHA members use email. Since then, a second website was developed and superbly redesigned by Greg Smye-Rumsby, and the current and once more redesigned website is managed by Webmaster David Henderson in co-operation with Roger Jones and Stuart Williams.
The SHA Newsletter is now a substantial A4 quarterly, under the Joint Editorship of Clive Davenhall and David Rayner, with assistance from Associate Editors Madeline Cox and Stuart Williams, and has gone from strength to strength.
It was always the SHA's intention to publish and preserve members' research, and to that end, the Soxiety published the long-awaited first issue (2004) of its annual journal 'The Antiquarian Astronomer' at the beginning of 2005, to considerable acclaim, under the editorship of Callum Potter. Callum stepped down after the first issue, and the second issue was edited by Dr. Reg Withey who, with the assistance of Kevin Johnson, ensured that issue one was followed up swiftly at Christmas 2005. Issue 3 is now in advance editing for December 2006.
Our outreach to local astronomical societies and the Regions was begun successfully by Kevin Kilburn, FRAS, of Manchester Astronomical Society, and has since been strongly followed up by Martin Lunn, MBE, of Yorkshire Museum, who replaced Kevin on Council during summer 2003. Kevin returned to Council in 2006 in a general capacity, and Martin has since also taken on the role of Publicity Officer for the SHA.
The Society's Survey of Astronomical History, a core element of its work and the primary reason for its founding, was swiftly set up by SHA Councillor Roger Jones with the assistance of Stuart Williams, FRAS. The Survey aims to reveal the depth of local history of astronomy in particular across the UK, and will take particular prominence in 2007, when the Society's meetings will focus on it. The Survey is now housed in the SHA's Sir Robert Ball Library in Birmingham.
The SHA held its first Members' Meeting on November 2, 2002 at Soho House in Handsworth, Birmingham, 18th century home of Matthew Boulton and The Lunar Society, where new discoveries by SHA member Andrew Lound relating to Boulton's astronomy and his connec |
