IDENTITY STATEMENT
Reference code(s): GB 0117 RBC
Held at: Royal Society
Title: Royal Society: Register Book Copy
Date(s): 1661-1738
Level of description: sub-fonds
Extent: 19 volumes
Name of creator(s): Royal Society
CONTEXT
Administrative/Biographical history:
This Copy version was transcribed in the eighteenth century, possibly for reasons of security like the Journal Books and the Council Minutes. It is known that one volume of the Register was lost (Volume 2) and then recovered - but not before a replacement had been made, leaving three versions in total (Original, Duplicate and Copy). A further copy of the original Volumes 1and 2 was made (date unknown) and returned to the Society in 1814, being presented to Sir Joseph Banks (MSG/776). Volume 10 of the series does not exist - this was left as a deliberate gap in the sequence, to be filled if original papers became available for copying.
CONTENT
Scope and content/abstract:
The Register Books exist in Original and Copy form. The Register Book contains copies of scientific papers submitted to the Society - the original documents may be found in the Classified Papers series. The papers were transcribed to establish their precedence for a particular discovery or idea. It follows that not all communications to the Society were registered in this manner, but only those judged to contain some significant material.
ACCESS AND USE
Language/scripts of material: English
System of arrangement:
By date.
Conditions governing access:
Open
Conditions governing reproduction:
No publication without written permission. Apply to Archivist in the first instance.
Physical characteristics:
Finding aids:
Individual indexes in Volumes 1-4. All volumes catalogued in Archive
ARCHIVAL INFORMATION
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information:
Accruals:
Archival history:
Immediate source of acquisition:
ALLIED MATERIALS
Existence and location of originals:
Existence and location of copies:
Related material:
Register Book Original; see Classified Papers for original documents.
Publication note:
DESCRIPTION NOTES
Note:
Archivist's note: Copied from the Royal Society catalogue by Sarah Drewery.
Rules or conventions: General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal Place and Corporate Names 1997.
Date(s) of descriptions: Feb 2009.