Birmingham Natural History Society was a

learned society A learned society (; also learned academy, scholarly society, or academic association) is an organization that exists to promote an discipline (academia), academic discipline, profession, or a group of related disciplines such as the arts and s ...

for the study of the natural history of

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

, England, and in the surrounding Midlands region, and beyond. It was founded in 1858, and was a

registered charity A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definition of a ch ...

. The Society has had various names, e.g. in the 1870s it was called the Birmingham Natural History and Microscopical Society, and from 1894 to 1963 the Birmingham Natural History and Philosophical Society. , it is in the process of being dissolved.

History

The Society was founded in 1858. For a considerable part of its early life, it was called the Birmingham Natural History and Microscopical Society. In 1877, the Society played the lead in forming the

Union of Midland Natural History Societies The Midland Union of Natural History Societies (initially the Union of Midland Natural History Societies) was an association of amateur groups in the Midlands, English Midlands and central Wales, which existed from 1877. For sixteen years it pub ...

, which published the journal ''The Midland Naturalist''. Some of the societies in the union later merged with the Birmingham Natural History Society. The Birmingham Philosophical Society, founded in 1876, merged in 1894, when the title of the Society was changed to the Birmingham Natural History and Philosophical Society. The Midland Malacological Society and the Birmingham Entomological Society were amalgamated in 1906 and 1908 respectively.''Proceedings of the Birmingham Natural History and Philosophical Society'' 15(1), 1921–1922, cover page The society's activities were greatly reduced by world war one but activity had picked up again by 1920. In 1924 the society carried out an extensive survey of

Hartlebury Common Hartlebury Common is an area of lowland heath in north Worcestershire, England, situated just outside the town of Stourport-on-Severn. Hartlebury Common and Hillditch Coppice are a biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest w ...

. The Society rooms suffered bomb damage on October 25, 1940 and as a result the society suspended its activities for the remainder of hostilities. The society began to meet again in 1945 and restarted publication of its proceedings in 1950. The most recent title of the Society was first used in its ''Proceedings'' in 1964.''Proceedings of the Birmingham Natural History Society'' 20(3), 1964, cover page Important early members of the society included the botanist

James Eustace Bagnall James Eustace Bagnall ALS (7 November 1830 – 3 September 1918) was an English naturalist with a particular interest in botany, especially bryology. He was the author of the first Flora of Warwickshire ( VC38) in 1891. A noted bryologist, ...

(1830-1918), who produced the first Flora of Sutton Park (now a national nature reserve) and later the first ''Flora of

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avon an ...

''. From March 2020 onwards, there were no meetings because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. In May 2022, an extraordinary general meeting was held, at which it was agreed to dissolve the society, and divide its financial assets between the

Warwickshire Wildlife Trust Warwickshire Wildlife Trust is a Wildlife Trust and Registered Charity covering the county of Warwickshire and Solihull and Coventry in the county of West Midlands, England. The Trust aims to protect and enhance wildlife, natural habitats and ge ...

and the Birmingham and Black Country Wildlife Trust.

Activities

The society was responsible for the designation of Edgbaston Pool as a

Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of ...

, and until 2012 was formally involved in its management. The society operated a library for its members, and held regular meetings (at the Friends Meeting House in

Selly Oak Selly Oak is an industrial and residential area in south-west Birmingham, England. The area gives its name to Selly Oak ward and includes the neighbourhoods of: Bournbrook, Selly Park, and Ten Acres. The adjoining wards of Edgbaston and Harborne ...

, ), field trips and training sessions. It published a journal, ''Proceedings of the Birmingham Natural History Society'' (

ISSN An International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) is an eight-digit serial number used to uniquely identify a serial publication, such as a magazine. The ISSN is especially helpful in distinguishing between serials with the same title. ISSNs ...

0144-1477). First published in 1870, the journal appeared in four parts to a volume; parts have appeared at different intervals over time, e.g. each part of Volume 15 covered two calendar years whereas each part of Volume 29 covered three. Volume 30 Part 2 was published in 2020 prior to the dissolution of the society, covering 2018–2020.

Publications

Works published by the society include: *''Proceedings of the Birmingham Natural History Society'' (formerly ''Proceedings of the Birmingham Natural History and Microscopical Society'', ''Proceedings of the Birmingham Natural History and Philosophical Society''); most recently published every three years (ISSN 0144-1477) *''The Fauna of the Midland Plateau'', published in three volumes between 1910 and 1913: Volume 1 ''Mycetozoa'', by W.B. Grove; Volume 2 ''Preliminary list of Thysanura and Collembola'', by W.E. Collinge; Volume 3 ''Introduction to the Fauna of the Midland Plateau'', by P.E. Martineau *''A Computer Mapped Flora'' by D. A. Cadbury, J. G. Hawkes and R. C. Readett, 1971 – a study of the flora of

Vice-County A vice-county (vice county or biological vice-county) is a geographical division of the British Isles used for the purposes of biological recording and other scientific data-gathering. It is sometimes called a Watsonian vice-county as vice-coun ...

38, Warwickshire, published in conjunction with the

University of Birmingham , mottoeng = Through efforts to heights , established = 1825 – Birmingham School of Medicine and Surgery1836 – Birmingham Royal School of Medicine and Surgery1843 – Queen's College1875 – Mason Science College1898 – Mason Univers ...

*''A Fungus Flora of Warwickshire'' edited by M.C.Clark, 1980, published in conjunction with the University of Birmingham and the

British Mycological Society The British Mycological Society is a learned society established in 1896 to promote the study of fungi. Formation The British Mycological Society (BMS) was formed by the combined efforts of two local societies: the Woolhope Naturalists' Field ...

*''Lepidoptera of the Midland (Birmingham) Plateau'', published in ''Proceedings of the Birmingham Natural History Society'' 26(3-4), 1992/93

Presidents

Notable past presidents of the society include: *

Samuel Allport Samuel Allport (January 23, 1816July 7, 1897) was an English petrologist. Life He was born in Birmingham and educated in that city. Although occupied in business during the greater portion of his life, his leisure was given to geological stud ...

(1868) * Edmond W. Carlier (1910–1911, 1923, 1931–1932) *

Robert William Chase Robert William Chase (1852–1927) was a British ornithologist, businessman, and philanthropist. His extensive collection of taxidermied birds is now in the care of Birmingham Museums Trust. Chase owned a brush-making business in Birmingh ...

(1885-1886, 1899, 1905-1907) *

John H. Fremlin John Heaver Fremlin (4 March 1913 – 9 March 1995) was an English nuclear physicist. Life and work Fremlin was secretary of the Cambridge Scientists Anti-War Group. Responding to concerns about the use of poison gas bombs, he hosted experim ...

(1972–1973) *

William Bywater Grove William Bywater Grove (24 October 1848 – 6 January 1938), was an English biologist, in particular a botanist and microbiologist. He is remembered in particular as a mycologist. He died in 1938 on the sixth of January when he was 89.New York Bota ...

(1888–1889) * Jack G. Hawkes (1963–1964, 1986–1987) *

John Henry Poynting John Henry Poynting FRS (9 September 185230 March 1914) was an English physicist. He was the first professor of physics at Mason Science College from 1880 to 1900, and then the successor institution, the University of Birmingham until his deat ...

(1897–1898) *

Lawson Tait Lawson Tait, born Robert Lawson Tait (1 May 1845 – 13 June 1899) was a pioneer in pelvic and abdominal surgery and developed new techniques and procedures. He emphasized asepsis and introduced and advocated for surgical techniques that significa ...

(1876) *

George Stephen West George Stephen West (20 April 1876 – 7 August 1919), ARCS, FLS, was a British botanist, a specialist in phycology and protistology, a botanical illustrator and a writer. With his father. botanist William West (West, 1848–1914), he collab ...

(1913)

References

Bibliography

External links

* {{authority control Charities based in Birmingham, West Midlands Natural history of England History of Birmingham, West Midlands Natural history societies Clubs and societies in the West Midlands (county)