The Bury and West Suffolk Archaeological Institute was a

victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literature ...

organisation established in 1848 in

Bury St Edmunds Bury St Edmunds (), commonly referred to locally as Bury, is a historic market town, market, cathedral town and civil parish in Suffolk, England.OS Explorer map 211: Bury St.Edmunds and Stowmarket Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – ...

Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...

. It had a lively existence for five years until 1853, when the local activities concerning antiquaries and natural historians were reorganised, leading to the foundation of the

Athenaeum, Bury St Edmunds The Athenaeum is a Grade I listed building and a major venue in Bury St Edmunds, England. Even before substantial rebuilding the site was used as an Assembly Rooms for the town in the eighteenth century. The building was rebuilt in 1789 and furth ...

and the

Suffolk Institute of Archaeology & History The Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History is the county archaeological society for the county of Suffolk, England. In 1848 the Bury and West Suffolk Archaeological Institute was established at Bury St Edmunds in the former county of West Suf ...

Quarterly General Meetings

The business of the society was conducted through Quarterly General Meetings. The first was held in

Bury St Edmunds Guildhall Bury St Edmunds Guildhall is a municipal building in the Guildhall Street, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. It is a Grade I listed building. History The Guildhall is one of the largest and most impressive secular medieval buildings in the country, and ...

in the room which housed the West Suffolk Library on 8 June 1848. A number of clergymen were present and the journalist

William Bodham Donne William Bodham Donne (1807–1882) was an English journalist, known also as a librarian and theatrical censor. Early life and career Donne was born 29 July 1807; his grandfather was an eminent surgeon in Norwich. His father Edward Charles Donne ...

Samuel Tymms Samuel Tymms (27 November 1808, Camberwell - 29 April 1871 Lowestoft) was an English antiquarian, topographer, printer and publisher. He started his work in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk in the nineteenth century. Tymms Samuel: Dictionary of National B ...

, who had been very active in organising the meeting was appointed

honorary secretary Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the organization. The term is derived ...

. Various objects were displayed by a number of members, and Tymms read his paper on "Notes on the Medical History of Bury, from the time of Abbot Baldwin", and a letter from Clare, Suffolk was read out highlighting local antiquities in the expectation of the society visiting the town. The second meeting was indeed held in Clare where the party visited the

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

, where Tymms delivered a presentation about that building. They were then hosted by Colonel Baker at his home, Clare Priory. After a tour of various notable locations in the town, the meeting assembled in a room in Half Moon public house, where further artefacts were put on display and a number of donations to the Institute were made. For the third meeting the Institute returned to Bury and was chaired by

Lord Arthur Hervey Lord Arthur Charles Hervey (20 August 1808 – 9 June 1894) was an English bishop who served as Bishop of Bath and Wells from 1869 to 1894. He was usually known by his aristocratic courtesy title, "Lord", rather than the style appropriate to ...

Presentations

* 8 June 184
"Notes on the Medical History of Bury, from the time of Baldwin
by Samuel Tymms * 14 September 184
Clare Castle
by Samuel Tymms

References

1848 establishments in England 1853 disestablishments in England Archaeology of England Bury St Edmunds Organisations based in Suffolk Historical societies of the United Kingdom Archaeological organizations Organizations established in 1848 Organizations disestablished in 1853 {{UK-archaeology-stub

Quarterly General Meetings

Presentations

See also

References