The Learned Society of Wales ( Welsh: Cymdeithas Ddysgedig Cymru) is a

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

and

charity Charity may refer to: Giving * Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons * Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sharing * C ...

that exists to "celebrate, recognise, preserve, protect and encourage excellence in all of the scholarly disciplines", and to serve the Welsh nation. The Learned Society of Wales is Wales's first and only all-embracing national scholarly academy. A registered charity, it was established and launched on 25 May 2010 at the National Museum of Wales and was granted a Royal Charter in 2015. The society is based in

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

. It is an independent, self-governing, pan-disciplinary, bilingual organisation operating throughout Wales.

Purpose

The Society describes its mission as to: * Celebrate, recognise, preserve, protect, and encourage excellence in all scholarly disciplines, and in the professions, industry and commerce, the arts and public service. * Promote the advancement of learning, scholarship, and the dissemination and application of the results of academic enquiry and research. * Act as an independent source of expert scholarly advice and comment on matters affecting the research, scholarship and well-being of Wales and its people, and to advance public discussion and interaction on matters of national and international importance.

History

The Learned Society of Wales was established in 2010 (more than 225 years after the establishment of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, for example, and nearly 350 years after the establishment of the

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

in London). The creation of a national academy of learning was a subject of interest and discussion in Wales for some years before then but the idea was taken forward practically only in 2008, when a group of some twenty independent scholars representing the major academic disciplines came together to address the lack of a learned academy in Wales. They formed themselves into a Shadow Council for what they decided should become the Learned Society of Wales and identified further eminent scholars (almost all of them Fellows of the Royal Society or of the

British Academy The British Academy is the United Kingdom's national academy for the humanities and the social sciences. It was established in 1902 and received its royal charter in the same year. It is now a fellowship of more than 1,000 leading scholars spa ...

) who, along with the original group, became the society's sixty Founding Fellows. In February 2010, Sir John Cadogan was elected to serve as the Society's Inaugural President and Chair of Council and, on 18 May 2010, having operated in shadow form for some months before then, the Learned Society of Wales was incorporated as a company limited by guarantee. One week later, on 25 May 2010, the Society was formally launched during ceremony held at the National Museum in Cardiff. The

University of Wales , latin_name = , image = , caption = Coat of Arms , motto = cy, Goreu Awen Gwirionedd , mottoeng = The Best Inspiration is Truth , established = , , type = Confederal, non-member ...

played a pivotal role in founding the Learned Society of Wales, generously providing a grant, office space and other significant infrastructure facilities at the outset, and its support since then has been instrumental in ensuring the Society's success and growth. Other Welsh universities soon joined the University of Wales in supporting the society and, since 2015/17, all of the country's universities have been providing financial support. Their grants are treated as contributions towards the core costs of the society and as part of its unrestricted funds, thereby ensuring the Society remains fully independent. In 2015/16, grants from the universities comprised nearly three-quarters (£217,000) of the Society's income.

Fellowship

The Learned Society of Wales has over 500 Fellows, distinguished men and women from all branches of learning. Election to fellowship is a public recognition of academic excellence. The Society harnesses the expertise of the Fellowship to help promote awareness of how the sciences and the arts, humanities and social sciences benefit society. Fellows assist the Society in its work by serving on its various committees and working groups and by representing us nationally and internationally. Fellowship of the Society is open to Welsh residents, those born in Wales or with a particular connection to Wales, who have a "demonstrable record of excellence and achievement" in academia, or who have made a distinguished contribution to knowledge in their professional field. Fellows of the Learned Society of Wales are entitled to refer to themselves as such and use the initials FLSW after their name. Fellows are elected following a rigorous process of peer review . Nominations are proposed, and seconded, by existing Fellows of the Society. The nomination papers of each candidate are then considered by the relevant Scrutiny Committee, prior to further consideration by the Council and submission to the Fellowship as a whole for confirmation and formal election. Scrutiny Committees, made up of Fellows, operate in the following areas: * Medicine and Medical Sciences * Cellular, Molecular, Evolutionary, Organismal and Ecosystem Sciences * Chemistry, Physics, Astronomy and Earth Sciences * Computing, Mathematics and Statistics * Engineering * Language, Literature and the history and theory of the Creative and Performing Arts * History, Philosophy and Theology * Economic and Social Sciences, Education and Law * General Elections have been held each year since the Inaugural Election of Fellows in 2011, when 119 new Fellows joined the Society's ranks, and, as of 2019, the Society has more than 500 Fellows . The Fellows are all prominent figures who represent a high level of international expertise and knowledge within their respective academic disciplines and professions. The Fellowship includes some of Wales's leading scholars, many of whom are also Fellows of other UK learned societies, including the

, the

Academy of Medical Sciences The Academy of Medical Sciences is an organisation established in the UK in 1998. It is one of the four UK National Academies, the others being the British Academy, the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Royal Society. Its mission is to adv ...

, the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Academy of Social Sciences, the

Institute of Physics The Institute of Physics (IOP) is a UK-based learned society and professional body that works to advance physics education, research and application. It was founded in 1874 and has a worldwide membership of over 20,000. The IOP is the Physic ...

, the

Royal Society of Chemistry The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) is a learned society (professional association) in the United Kingdom with the goal of "advancing the chemical sciences". It was formed in 1980 from the amalgamation of the Chemical Society, the Royal Instit ...

, and the

Royal Historical Society The Royal Historical Society, founded in 1868, is a learned society of the United Kingdom which advances scholarly studies of history. Origins The society was founded and received its royal charter in 1868. Until 1872 it was known as the Histori ...

. Two of the Fellows are Nobel Laureates.

Presidents

* 2010–14 Sir John Cadogan * 2014–2020 Sir Emyr Jones Parry *2020-present Professor Hywel Thomas

Fellows

Past Fellows include: * John Davies * R. Geraint Gruffydd * Noel Lloyd, CBE *

Meic Stephens Meic Stephens (23 July 1938 – 2 July 2018) was a Welsh literary editor, journalist, translator, and poet. Birth and education Meic Stephens was born on 23 July 1938 in the village of Treforest, near Pontypridd, Glamorgan. He was educated ...

* Gwyn Thomas Current Fellows include: * Barbara Adam * Catherine Barnard * Deirdre Beddoe * Kirsti Bohata *

David Crystal David Crystal, (born 6 July 1941) is a British linguist, academic, and prolific author best known for his works on linguistics and the English language. Family Crystal was born in Lisburn, Northern Ireland, on 6 July 1941 after his mother had ...

* Menna Elfyn *

Ilora Finlay, Baroness Finlay of Llandaff Ilora Gillian Finlay, Baroness Finlay of Llandaff, FMedSci (born 23 February 1949) is a Welsh doctor, professor of palliative medicine, and a Crossbench member of the House of Lords. Born the only daughter of Professor Charles Beaumont Beno ...

* Andrew Green *

Mererid Hopwood Mererid Hopwood (born February 1964) is a Welsh people, Welsh poet. She became in 2001 the first woman to win the bardic chair at the National Eisteddfod of Wales. Teaching Originally from Cardiff, Hopwood graduated with first-class honours in ...

Medwin Hughes Medwin Hughes DL DPhil DPS FRSA FLSW is the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Wales Trinity Saint David and of the University of Wales. He was previously principal of Trinity University College, Carmarthen and Vice-Chancellor of the Univer ...

Ronald Hutton Ronald Edmund Hutton (born 19 December 1953) is an English historian who specialises in Early Modern Britain, British folklore, pre-Christian religion and Contemporary Paganism. He is a professor at the University of Bristol, has written 14 b ...

* Rhiannon Ifans * Sir Simon Jenkins * Ann John * Ruth King * Geraint F. Lewis *

Gwyneth Lewis Gwyneth Denver Davies (born 1959), known professionally as Gwyneth Lewis, is a Welsh poet, who was the inaugural National Poet of Wales in 2005. She wrote the text that appears over the Wales Millennium Centre. Biography Gwyneth Lewis was b ...

* David Lloyd Jones, Lord Lloyd-Jones * John Loughlin * Peredur Lynch *

Laura McAllister Professor Laura McAllister (born 10 December 1964) is a Welsh academic, former international footballer and senior sports administrator. As a Wales women's national football team player, McAllister won 24 caps and served as team captain. She i ...

Kenneth O. Morgan Kenneth Owen Morgan, Baron Morgan, (born 16 May 1934) is a Welsh historian and author, known especially for his writings on modern British history and politics and on Welsh history. He is a regular reviewer and broadcaster on radio and televisi ...

*Dame

Elan Closs Stephens Dame Elan Closs Stephens (' Roberts; born 16 June 1948) is a Welsh educator and Wales' representative on the BBC Board. She specialises in cultural and broadcasting policy. She also serves as a non-executive director of the Welsh Government's Boa ...

*Dame Helen Stokes-Lampard * Meena Upadhyaya * Alasdair Whittle *

Rowan Williams Rowan Douglas Williams, Baron Williams of Oystermouth, (born 14 June 1950) is a Welsh Anglican bishop, theologian and poet. He was the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury, a position he held from December 2002 to December 2012. Previously the Bish ...

, Baron Williams

References

External links

Learned Society of Wales website
{{authority control 2010 establishments in Wales * Organizations established in 2010 Organisations based in Cardiff Professional associations based in Wales