Leeds Philosophical and Literary Society 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 ...

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popul ...

West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...

, England. It was founded in 1819, and its museum collection forms the basis of

Leeds City Museum Leeds City Museum, originally established in 1819, reopened in 2008 in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is housed in the former Mechanics' Institute built by Cuthbert Brodrick, in Cookridge Street (now Millennium Square). It is one of nine ...

, which reopened in September 2008. The printed works and papers of the society are held by

Leeds University , mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased , established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds , t ...

Library. The Society is 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 ...

under English law. Blue plaque, HSBC, Park Row, Leeds (25th August 2017)

Among the early members of the society were

John Marshall John Marshall (September 24, 1755July 6, 1835) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the fourth Chief Justice of the United States from 1801 until his death in 1835. He remains the longest-serving chief justice and fourth-longes ...

(President, 1820–26),

Benjamin Gott Benjamin Gott (24 June 1762 – 14 February 1840) was one of the leading figures in the industrial revolution, in the field of textiles. His factory at Armley Mills, Armley, Leeds, was once the largest factory in the world and is now home to the ...

, William Hey (President, 1831–33), and Edward Baines and his son, Sir Edward Baines. Richard Reynolds was an honorary secretary. More recent Presidents include John Le Patourel (1966–68).

Foundation

Robert Dennis Chantrell Robert Dennis Chantrell ( Newington, Surrey 14 January 1793 – Norwood, 4 January 1872) was an English church architect, best-known today for designing Leeds Parish Church, now Leeds Minster. Early life Chantrell was born in Newington, So ...

won the competition to build the new Hall for the Society in May 1819 in Classical style. The Hall was sited on the corner of Park Row and Bond Street in the Georgian west end of Leeds. The foundation stone was laid by

on 9 July 1819 and the Hall was opened on 6 April 1821. The Hall had a lecture theatre, library, laboratory and museum. Charles Turner Thackrah gave the opening address, pointing out that the Hall would provide a place for "the conversational diffusion of knowledge". Before the creation of any college or university in Leeds, the Society provided an important opportunity for civic education.

Later history

The Hall was refaced and extended in 1861-62 by Dobson & Chorley. A new entrance was built on Park Row. In 1876, the inaugural meeting of the Leeds Architectural Association was held in the Hall. The Hall was badly damaged in an air raid in 1941 when many museum exhibits were lost, but the building was given a new concrete façade and remained as a museum until 1965. The Hall was demolished in 1966.

William Gott Lieutenant-General William Henry Ewart Gott, (13 August 1897 – 7 August 1942), nicknamed "Strafer", was a senior British Army officer who fought during both the First and the Second World Wars, reaching the rank of lieutenant-general while ...

was a benefactor to the museum, and one of the Society's vice presidents in later life. In 1925, the Society began publishing two journals: ''Proceedings of the Leeds Philosophical and Literary Society. Scientific section'' (which ran from 1925 to 1998, producing twelve volumes) and ''Proceedings of the Leeds Philosophical and Literary Society. Literary and Historical Section'' (which ran from 1925 to 1999, producing twenty-five volumes).https://leeds.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/44LEE_INST/13rlbcs/alma991014516409705181

List of presidents

The following have been presidents of the society: *1820–26:

*1826–28: Rev. W. H. Bathurst, M.A. *1828–31:

Michael Thomas Sadler Michael Thomas Sadler (3 January 1780 – 29 July 1835) was a British Tory Member of Parliament (MP) whose Evangelical Anglicanism and prior experience as a Poor Law administrator in Leeds led him to oppose Malthusian theories of population and ...

, M.P. *1831–33: William Hey *1833–35: James Williamson, M.D. *1835–37: Rev. Joseph Holmes, M.A. *1837–40: Rev. Richard Winter Hamilton *1840–42: Adam Hunter, M.D. *1842–45: John Hope Shaw *1845–50: Rev. William Sinclair, M.A. *1850–51: William West, F.R.S. *1851–54: Rev. Charles Wicksteed, B.D. *1854–57: John Hope Shaw *1857–58: James Garth Marshall, F.G.S. *1858–59: Rev. W. F. Hook, D.D. *1859–61: Rev. Alfred Barry, M.A. *1861–63:

Thomas Pridgin Teale Thomas Pridgin Teale may refer to: *Thomas Pridgin Teale (died 1867) (1800–1867), British surgeon *Thomas Pridgin Teale (died 1923) Thomas Pridgin Teale Fellow of the Royal Society, FRS (28 June 1831 - 13 November 1923) was a British surgeon and ...

, F.R.S. *1863–66: Rev. Thomas Hincks, B.A. *1866–68: Charles Chadwick, M.D. *1868–72: John Deakin Heaton, M.D. *1872–74: Rev. Canon Woodford, D.D. *1874–76: J. I. Ikin, F.R.C.S. *1876–78: Rev. J. H. McCheane, M.A. *1878–81: T. Clifford Allbutt, M.D., F.R.S. *1881–83: Rev. John Gott, D.D. *1883–85: J. E. Eddison, M.D. *1885–86: Edward Atkinson, F.L.S. *1886–89: Thomas Marshall, M.A. *1889–92:

, M.A., F.R.S. *1892–94: Rev. J. H. D. Matthews, M.A. *1894–96: Rev. Charles Hargrove, M.A. *1896–98: Edmund Wilson, F.S.A. *1898–1900:

Nathan Bodington Sir Nathan Bodington (29 May 1848 – 12 May 1911) was the first Vice Chancellor of the University of Leeds having been Principal and Professor of Greek at the Yorkshire College since 1883.''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' accessed 25 J ...

, M.A., Litt.D. *1900–02: J. H. Wicksteed, President Inst.M.E. *1902–04:

Arthur Smithells Arthur Smithells, Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George, CMG Fellow of the Royal Society, FRS (24 May 1860 – 24 February 1939) was a British chemist. Early life and education Smithells was born in Bury, Lancashire on 24 May 1860. ...

, B.Sc., F.R.S. *1904–06: J. E. Eddison, M.D. *1906–09: E. Kitson Clark, M.A., F.S.A., M.Inst.C.E. *1909–11: Rev. J. R. Wynne-Edwards, M.A. *1911–12: C. T. Whitmell, M.A., B.Sc., F.R.A.S. *1912–14: P. F. Kendall, M.Sc., F.G.S. *1914–17: Rev. W. H. Draper, M.A. *1917–19: James E. Bedford, F.G.S. *1919–22: Sydney D. Kitson, M.A., F.S.A., F.R.I.B.A. *1922–24: Arthur J. Grant, M.A. *1924–26:

Walter Garstang Walter Garstang FLS FZS (9 February 1868 – 23 February 1949), a Fellow of Lincoln College, Oxford and Professor of Zoology at the University of Leeds, was one of the first to study the functional biology of marine invertebrate larvae. His ...

, M.A., D.Sc., F.Z.S. *1926–28: Edwin Hawkesworth *1928–30:

Frederick Woodward Branson Frederick Woodward Branson, FIC, FCS (6 March 1851 – 30 November 1933) was a British chemist, glassblower, instrument maker and X-ray pioneer. He worked with Jacob Bell & Co a chemist who reformed the profession, location Oxford Street London ...

, F.I.C. *1930–32: E. O. Dodgson *1932–34: A. Gilligan, D.Sc., F.G.S. *1934–36: Richard Whiddington, M.A., D.Sc., F.R.S. *1936–39: Hugh R. Lupton, M.C., M.A. *1939–46: W. M. Edwards, M.C., M.A. *1946–48: E. A. Spaul, D.Sc., Ph.D. *1948–50: W. L. Andrews *1950–52: J. N. Tetley, D.S.O., LL.D. *1952–54: Terry Thomas, M.A., LL.D., B.Sc., Ph.D. *1954–56: H. C. Versey, D.Sc., F.G.S., *1956–58: H. S. Vick, J.P. *1958–60: H. Orton, M.A., B.Litt. *1960–62: Sir George Martin, LL.D., J.P. *1962–64: E. J. Wood, M.A. *1964–66: Reginald Dawson Preston, D.Sc., F.R.S., F.Inst.P. *1966–68: John Le Patourel, M.A., D.Phil. *1968–70: G. P. Meredith, M.Sc., M.Ed., Ph.D. *1970–72: J. G. Wilson, M.A., Ph.D., F.Inst.P. *1972–74: J. Taylor, M.A. *1974–76: H. Henson, D.Sc., Ph.D., F.R.E.S. *1976–78: P. R. J. Burch, M.A., Ph.D. *1978–81: R. Reed, M.Sc., Ph.D *1981–83: Lord Marshall of Leeds, M.A., LL.B. *1983–85: B. R. Hartley, M.A., F.S.A. *1985–87: Dennis Cox, B.A., A.L.A. *1987–89: B. Colville, M.B., B.S., F.R.C.G.P. *1989–91: I. S. Moxon, M.A., B.A. *1991–93: R. F. M. Byrn, M.A., Ph.D. *1993–95: Mrs J. E. Mortimer, B.A. *1995–97: A. C. Chadwick, B.Sc., Ph.D., D.Sc., C.Biol., F.I.Biol., F.R.G.S. *1997–99: O. S. Pickering, B.A., B.Phil., Ph.D., Dip.Lib. *1999–2003: P. J. Evennett, B.Sc., Ph.D., Hon. F.R.M.S. *2004–06: M. R. D. Seaward, M.Sc., Ph.D., D.Sc., F.L.S. *2007–09: C. J. Hatton, B.Sc., Ph.D., C.Phys., F.Inst.P. *2010–13: A. C. T. North, B.Sc., Ph.D., C.Phys., F.Inst.P. *2014-16: J. M. Hill B.A., D.Phil., D.Univ., F.E.A., F.R.S.A. *2016–19 : C. J. Hatton, B.Sc., Ph.D., C.Phys., F.Inst.P. *2020–: G. E. Blair, B.Sc., Ph.D., F.R.S.B., F.L.S.

Former curators of the museum (1821–1921)

*John Atkinson * Henry Denny * Louis Compton Miall *Henry Crowther

Other notable figures connected to the society

* Etheldred Benett – donor * Alexander Crichton – donor *

Violet Crowther Violet Mary Crowther (14 February 188425 June 1969) was a British museum curator. She was the Assistant Curator at the Abbey House Museum for more than two decades. Biography Violet Mary Crowther was born on 14 February 1884Civil Registration D ...

- curator *

- benefactor and vice president *

James Kitson, 1st Baron Airedale James Kitson, 1st Baron Airedale (22 September 1835 16 March 1911), PC, DSc, was an industrialist, locomotive builder, Liberal Party politician and a Member of Parliament for the Holme Valley. He was known as Sir James Kitson from 1886, unti ...

and his father James Kitson,

Mayor of Leeds The Lord Mayor of Leeds (until 1897 known as the Mayor of Leeds) is a ceremonial post held by a member of Leeds City Council, elected annually by the council. By charter from King Charles I in 1626, the leader of the governing body of the bo ...

– new proprietary member and subscriber respectively in 1852–53 * Francis Lupton – proprietary member in 1852–53 * William Middleton and his son John William Middleton – subscriber and new ordinary member respectively in 1852–53 *

James Motley James Motley (2 May 1822 – 1 May 1859) was a Yorkshireman closely associated with South Wales and Borneo. Life Born in Leeds, the son of Thomas Motley (1781–1863) and Caroline Osburn (1795–1869), sister of noted Egyptologist William Osburn. ...

– donor * Washington Teasdale – member * John Joseph Willson – member

References

External links

* * Leeds Museums & Galleries
Three Women: a plesiosaurus, a mistaken identity, and a hat.
{{Authority control Organisations based in Leeds Regional and local learned societies of the United Kingdom 1819 establishments in England Organizations established in 1819 Leeds Blue Plaques Charities based in England