The Royal Entomological Society Archive Collections
The archive collections date back to the founding of the Society in 1833. The Society acquired material from both donations and purchases, collecting letters, journals, and other papers of entomologists, as well as portraits and photographs of eminent entomologists, which now form the basis of the substantial archive, which covers the history of the Society, the history of entomology as a science, and the lives of entomologists. The archive holds material dating from the 17th Century to the present day.
Material relating to the history of the RES includes membership files, minute books, office files, and correspondence with other learned societies.
Coleopterist David Sharp (1840-1922)
RES President 1887-1888
RES Photographic Collection
Collections relating to the history of entomology include:
- Manuscripts and other papers of Jacob Hübner (1721-1826)
- Correspondence of Alexander Henry Haliday (1807-1870)
- Correspondence of Herbert Druce (1846-1913)
- Correspondence and other papers of Roland Trimen (1840-1916)
- Editorial Papers of Professor Edward Bagnall Poulton (1856-1939)
- Correspondence and Papers of Hugh Warner Bedford (1894-1979)
- Correspondence and Papers of Colbran Joseph Wainwright (1867-1949)
- Papers of George Charles Champion (1851-1927)
- Journals of Rev. Alfred Edwin Eaton (1844-1929)
- Journals, notebooks, correspondence and papers of other entomologists
- A selection of entomological illustrations
- Photographs of entomologists
Eric Gowing Scopes, a Fellow, started organising the archives as a volunteer in 1988, and the work was continued by Simon Fenwick, an archivist in 1997, and a print catalogue ‘A guide to the Archives of the Royal Entomological Society’ was published in 2002, and is available for reference within the library. Not all material has been included in the catalogue, and material continues to be added to the archive. The Librarian can answer queries about the contents of our collections.
Visit the Archive
The archive is based at our Mansion House site in St Albans. We are open by appointment Tuesday-Thursday 9.30am-4.30pm. Contact the librarian library@royensoc.co.uk or 01727 899387 to make an appointment.
Explore our Digitised Archive
A substantial part of the RES Archive is now digitised as part of the Wiley Digital Archives Environmental Science and History Collection, which is available for institutions to purchase, and for in-person visitors to the RES to search. The content of these unique documents is fully searchable, allowing the history of entomology to be more easily discovered.
Digitised material from the Archive is included in online exhibitions such as this collection of Entomological Christmas Cards.
Donations
We welcome donations of archive items from RES Members and Fellows and the public that relate to the history of the RES, and the history of entomology as a science and the lives of entomologists. Please contact the Librarian on library@royensoc.co.uk or 01727 899387 if you are interested in making a donation. Unfortunately we cannot accept all donations, please see our Archive Acquisitions Policy for more details
Archive Acquisitions Policy
Our Archive Acquisitions Policy can be read here.
