Botanical Society of the British Isles

Botanical Society of the British Isles

Founding of the Society

Year Authority / Notes

1832 According to its website, the Botanical Society of the British Isles traces its origins to the founding in 1836 of the Botanical Society of London.
According to Allen (1986), p.11, the founding of the Botanical Society of London was accomplished through a series of inaugural meetings beginning on 1836, July 27. The name chosen at the July 27 meeting was Practical Botanists' Society of London, but this was rejected at the next inaugural meeting in favour of the name Botanical Society of London. According to Allen (1986), pp.58-60, the Botanical Society of London was dissolved on 1856, November 24 because of serious financial problems; the hope was that a new Society would be begun to carry on the various functions of the the Botanical Society of London.
According to Allen (1986), p.69, John George Baker, one of the most active of the botanical exchange distributors in the former Society, took steps to keep the exchange service available until such time as the awaited new Society might be set up. He had recently set up a small natural history society at Thirsk (the Thirsk Natural History Society). Allen (1986), p.71 indicates that in 1857, November, the Thirsk Natural History Society set up a sub-society known as the Thirsk Botanical Exchange Club to carry on this service. This Club attracted many of the best exchangers in the country, most of them ex-members of the Botanical Society of London. The Club was eventually given the records of the latter Society, so, to some extent, it may be considered the legitimate successor to it. According to Allen (1986), pp.74-76, unfortunately, on the night of 1864, May 9, a fire consumed almost all of Baker's possessions; Baker remained in the Sussex area until he was offered a position at the Kew Herbarium eighteen months later. Since Baker had to leave the area, he indicated in 1866, January to Hewett Cottrell Watson, the guiding light of the former Botanical Society of London, that the Thirsk Club would have to be dissolved until the London botanists could find some way of continuing it themselves. Watson counselled him to seek help.
According to Allen (1986), pp.76-77, in the end, Baker was joined by Henry Trimen in establishing the new club, known as the London Botanical Exchange Club in 1866 (and at that point, the Thirsk Natural History Society ceased); the following year (1867) the London designation was dropped, so that the name was now simply the Botanical Exchange Club. In 1884, December, the Watson Botanical Exchange Club, an alternative club catering to beginners to the field of botany was founded (Allen (1986), pp.83-84). In the beginning there was only a small overlap in membership between the two clubs, but the degree of overlap was to increase over the years.
The record for the Report of the Watson Botanical Exchange Club in the Oxford Univ. cat. indicates that in 1935 the Watson Botanical Exchange Club merged with the Botanical Exchange Club to form the Botanical Society and Exchange Club of the British Isles. Allen (1986), pp.128-129, however, indicates that in 1934, although three-quarters of the members of the Watson Botanical Exchange Club by that time also belonged to the London-based Botanical Exchange Club and the former Club had fallen on hard times, the membership of the former Society voted to dissolve their Society rather than to merge with the London-based Botanical Exchange Club.
According to Allen (1986), p.138, in October 1947 the Society voted to change its name to Botanical Society of the British Isles.

Seat of the Society

City Authority / Notes

London,
Thirsk,
London
England This location is supported by the names of the Society, and also by its website.

Name of the Society

Dates Name Authority

1836 - 1856 Botanical Society of London Allen (1986), p.11 gives the founding year; Allen (1986), p.58 gives the date of dissolution.

1857 - 1866 Botanical Exchange Club / Thirsk Natural History Society Allen (1986), p.71 gives the start date; Allen (1986), pp.76-77 gives the cessation date of both bodies.

1866 - 1867 London Botanical Exchange Club Allen (1986), pp.76-77 gives the start date and end date for this name.

1867 - 1879 Botanical Exchange Club Allen (1986), pp.76-77 gives the start date for this name; a record in the Oxford Univ. cat. gives this end date.

1879 - 1907 Botanical Exchange Club of the British Isles A record in the Nat. Lib. Scotland cat. gives the start and end dates for this name.

1884 - 1934 Watson Botanical Exchange Club Allen (1986), pp.83-84 gives the start date; Allen (1986), pp.128-129 gives the end date.

1908 - 1912 Botanical Exchange Club and Society of the British Isles Allen (1986), pp.94-95 gives the start date of this name; Allen (1986) p.98 gives the start date of the next name.

1912 - 1947 Botanical Society and Exchange Club of the British Isles Allen (1986) p.98 gives the start date of this name; Allen (1986), p.138 gives the end date of this name.

1947 - Botanical Society of the British Isles Allen (1986), p.138 gives the start date of this name.

Botanical Society of the British Isles Website = http://www.bsbi.org.uk/

Journals of the Society

Years Full Journal Title Abbrev. Indexed
1836/1838
[i.e. pub. 1839]
(1.)

A Proceedings of the Botanical Society of London
[Zeitschriftendatenbank (ZDB)]

1862 - 1865

B Curators' Report. Botanical Exchange Club / Thirsk Natural History Society
Continued by C.
[Oxford Univ. cat.]

1866 - 1868

C Report of the Curators. London Botanical Exchange Club
Continues B. Continued by D.
[Oxford Univ. cat.]

1869 - 1879

D Report of the Curator. Botanical Exchange Club
Continues C. Continued by E.
[Oxford Univ. cat.]

1879 - 1934
(v.1 - v. 10)

E Report. Botanical Exchange Club of the British Isles
The record in the Oxford Univ. cat. gives the title for the entire 1879 - 1934 run as Report. Botanical Exchange Club of the British Isles.
The record in the Nat. Lib. Scotland cat., however, gives the title as Report for ... / Botanical Exchange Club of the British Isles only for the run from 1879 -1907 (pub. 1880-1908, and corresponding to Vol.1 and part of Vol.2), but indicates that the title for the 1908 - 1913 portion of this run (pub. in 1909 - 1914, and corresponding to part of Vol. 2 and all of Vol.3) was Report for ... / Botanical Exchange Club and Society of the British Isles.
The record in the Nat. Lib. Scotland cat., also indicates that the title from 1914 - 1946/1947 (pub. 1915 - 1948, and corresponding to Vol. 4, pt.1 - v.13, pt.4) was Report of the Botanical Society and Exchange Club of the British Isles for ....
According to Allen (1986) pp.94-95 the addition of and Society occurred with the 1908 Report. Allen (1986) p.98 indicates that the shift to Society and occurred from the 1912 Report onward.
Continues D. Merged with F to form G.
[Oxford Univ. cat.; Nat. Lib. Scotland cat.] Bot. Exch. Club Rep.
[J. Ecology, Vol. 6, No. 1 (Mar., 1918), p.74 cites 1914.]
Bot. Exch. Club Report
[J. Ecology, Vol. 41, No. 2 (Aug., 1953), p.288 cites 1922.]
Bot. Soc. Exch. Club Rep.
[J. Ecology, Vol. 33, No. 2 (Jul., 1946), p.213 cites 10 (1932).]
Rep. B.E.C.
[J. Ecology, Vol. 31, No. 1 (May 17, 1943), p.57 cites 1903, 1910, 1913, 1914, 1916, 1917, 1920, 1921, 1924, 1925, 1927, 1928, 1929, and 1931.]
Rep. Bot. Exch. Cl.
[J. Ecology, Vol. 39, No. 2 (Dec., 1951), p.406 cites 10 (1932).]
Rep. Bot. Exch. Club
[J. Ecology, Vol. 13, No. 1 (Jan., 1925), p.90 cites 37, 1880-1.]
Rep. Bot. Exchange Club
[J. Ecology, Vol. 18, No. 2 (Aug., 1930), p.379 cites 7, 1924.]
Rep. Bot. (Soc.) Exch. Cl.
[Phil. Trans., B Vol. 234, No. 615 (Aug. 23, 1950), p.466 cites 2, 1908.]
Rep. bot. Soc. Exch. Club Br. Isl.
[J. Ecology, Vol. 60, No. 1 (Mar., 1972), p.268 cites 8 (1927).]
Rep. Botl Exch. Club Br. Isl.
[J. Ecology, Vol. 65, No. 2 (Jul., 1977), p.715 cites 2 (1909) and 5 (1918).]
Rep. botl Soc. Exch. Club Br. Isl.
[J. Ecology, Vol. 53, No. 3 (Nov., 1965), p.812 cites 1905.]

1884 - 1934

F Report of the Watson Botanical Exchange Club
The record in the Oxford Univ. cat. indicates that in 1935 the Watson Botanical Exchange Club merged with the Botanical Exchange Club to form the Botanical Society and Exchange Club of the British Isles.
Merged with E to form G.
[Oxford Univ. cat.] Rep. Wats. B.E.C.
[J. Ecology, Vol. 31, No. 1 (May 17, 1943), p.57 cites 1929.]

1935 - 1947
(Vol. 11 - v. 13)

G Report of the Botanical Society and Exchange Club of the British Isles
Formed by the merger of E and F. Continued by H.
[Oxford Univ. cat.] Bot. Exch. Club Rep.
[J. Ecology, Vol. 52, No. 3 (Nov., 1964), p.765 cites 12 (1939) and 12 (1944).]
Rep. B.E.C.
[J. Ecology, Vol. 31, No. 1 (May 17, 1943), p.57 cites 1937.]
Rep. Bot. (Soc.) Exch. Cl.
[J. Ecology, Vol. 31, No. 1 (May 17, 1943), p.59 cites 1936.]
Rep. botl Soc. Exch. Club Br. Isl.
[J. Ecology, Vol. 54, No. 2 (Jul., 1966), p.382 cites 12 (1939) and 12 (1944).]

1949, Jan. -
(Vol. 1, no. 1 - )

H Watsonia
The record in the Oxford Univ. cat. indicates the following note in the journal: "Journal and Proceedings of the Botanical Society of the British Isles."
The record in the Oxford Univ. cat. also indicates that Vol. 8 (1970) - includes Proceedings of the Society, which were issued as a separate series, from 1954-1969, i.e. I.
Continues G.
[Oxford Univ. cat.]

1954/1955 - 1967/1969
(v.1 - v.7)

I Proceedings of the Botanical Society of the British Isles
[Oxford Univ. cat.]

Botanical Society of the British Isles
Founding of the Society
Year	Authority / Notes
1832	According to its website, the Botanical Society of the British Isles traces its origins to the founding in 1836 of the Botanical Society of London. According to Allen (1986), p.11, the founding of the Botanical Society of London was accomplished through a series of inaugural meetings beginning on 1836, July 27. The name chosen at the July 27 meeting was Practical Botanists' Society of London, but this was rejected at the next inaugural meeting in favour of the name Botanical Society of London. According to Allen (1986), pp.58-60, the Botanical Society of London was dissolved on 1856, November 24 because of serious financial problems; the hope was that a new Society would be begun to carry on the various functions of the the Botanical Society of London. According to Allen (1986), p.69, John George Baker, one of the most active of the botanical exchange distributors in the former Society, took steps to keep the exchange service available until such time as the awaited new Society might be set up. He had recently set up a small natural history society at Thirsk (the Thirsk Natural History Society). Allen (1986), p.71 indicates that in 1857, November, the Thirsk Natural History Society set up a sub-society known as the Thirsk Botanical Exchange Club to carry on this service. This Club attracted many of the best exchangers in the country, most of them ex-members of the Botanical Society of London. The Club was eventually given the records of the latter Society, so, to some extent, it may be considered the legitimate successor to it. According to Allen (1986), pp.74-76, unfortunately, on the night of 1864, May 9, a fire consumed almost all of Baker's possessions; Baker remained in the Sussex area until he was offered a position at the Kew Herbarium eighteen months later. Since Baker had to leave the area, he indicated in 1866, January to Hewett Cottrell Watson, the guiding light of the former Botanical Society of London, that the Thirsk Club would have to be dissolved until the London botanists could find some way of continuing it themselves. Watson counselled him to seek help. According to Allen (1986), pp.76-77, in the end, Baker was joined by Henry Trimen in establishing the new club, known as the London Botanical Exchange Club in 1866 (and at that point, the Thirsk Natural History Society ceased); the following year (1867) the London designation was dropped, so that the name was now simply the Botanical Exchange Club. In 1884, December, the Watson Botanical Exchange Club, an alternative club catering to beginners to the field of botany was founded (Allen (1986), pp.83-84). In the beginning there was only a small overlap in membership between the two clubs, but the degree of overlap was to increase over the years. The record for the *Report of the Watson Botanical Exchange Club* in the Oxford Univ. cat. indicates that in 1935 the Watson Botanical Exchange Club merged with the Botanical Exchange Club to form the Botanical Society and Exchange Club of the British Isles. Allen (1986), pp.128-129, however, indicates that in 1934, although three-quarters of the members of the Watson Botanical Exchange Club by that time also belonged to the London-based Botanical Exchange Club and the former Club had fallen on hard times, the membership of the former Society voted to dissolve their Society rather than to merge with the London-based Botanical Exchange Club. According to Allen (1986), p.138, in October 1947 the Society voted to change its name to *Botanical Society of the British Isles*.
Seat of the Society
City	Authority / Notes
London, Thirsk, London England	This location is supported by the names of the Society, and also by its website.
Name of the Society
Dates	Name	Authority
1836 - 1856	*Botanical Society of London*	Allen (1986), p.11 gives the founding year; Allen (1986), p.58 gives the date of dissolution.
1857 - 1866	*Botanical Exchange Club / Thirsk Natural History Society*	Allen (1986), p.71 gives the start date; Allen (1986), pp.76-77 gives the cessation date of both bodies.
1866 - 1867	*London Botanical Exchange Club*	Allen (1986), pp.76-77 gives the start date and end date for this name.
1867 - 1879	*Botanical Exchange Club*	Allen (1986), pp.76-77 gives the start date for this name; a record in the Oxford Univ. cat. gives this end date.
1879 - 1907	*Botanical Exchange Club of the British Isles*	A record in the Nat. Lib. Scotland cat. gives the start and end dates for this name.
1884 - 1934	*Watson Botanical Exchange Club*	Allen (1986), pp.83-84 gives the start date; Allen (1986), pp.128-129 gives the end date.
1908 - 1912	*Botanical Exchange Club and Society of the British Isles*	Allen (1986), pp.94-95 gives the start date of this name; Allen (1986) p.98 gives the start date of the next name.
1912 - 1947	*Botanical Society and Exchange Club of the British Isles*	Allen (1986) p.98 gives the start date of this name; Allen (1986), p.138 gives the end date of this name.
1947 -	*Botanical Society of the British Isles*	Allen (1986), p.138 gives the start date of this name.
*Botanical Society of the British Isles* Website = http://www.bsbi.org.uk/

Journals of the Society
Years	Full Journal Title	Abbrev.	Indexed
1836/1838 [i.e. pub. 1839] (1.) A	*Proceedings of the Botanical Society of London* [Zeitschriftendatenbank (ZDB)]
1862 - 1865 B	*Curators' Report. Botanical Exchange Club / Thirsk Natural History Society* Continued by C. [Oxford Univ. cat.]
1866 - 1868 C	*Report of the Curators. London Botanical Exchange Club* Continues B. Continued by D. [Oxford Univ. cat.]
1869 - 1879 D	*Report of the Curator. Botanical Exchange Club* Continues C. Continued by E. [Oxford Univ. cat.]
1879 - 1934 (v.1 - v. 10) E	*Report. Botanical Exchange Club of the British Isles* The record in the Oxford Univ. cat. gives the title for the entire 1879 - 1934 run as *Report. Botanical Exchange Club of the British Isles. The record in the Nat. Lib. Scotland cat., however, gives the title as Report for ... / Botanical Exchange Club of the British Isles* only for the run from 1879 -1907 (pub. 1880-1908, and corresponding to Vol.1 and part of Vol.2), but indicates that the title for the 1908 - 1913 portion of this run (pub. in 1909 - 1914, and corresponding to part of Vol. 2 and all of Vol.3) was *Report for ... / Botanical Exchange Club and Society of the British Isles. The record in the Nat. Lib. Scotland cat., also indicates that the title from 1914 - 1946/1947 (pub. 1915 - 1948, and corresponding to Vol. 4, pt.1 - v.13, pt.4) was Report of the Botanical Society and Exchange Club of the British Isles for .... According to Allen (1986) pp.94-95 the addition of and Society* occurred with the 1908 *Report. Allen (1986) p.98 indicates that the shift to Society and* occurred from the 1912 *Report* onward. Continues D. Merged with F to form G. [Oxford Univ. cat.; Nat. Lib. Scotland cat.]	*Bot. Exch. Club Rep.* [J. Ecology, Vol. 6, No. 1 (Mar., 1918), p.74 cites 1914.] *Bot. Exch. Club Report* [J. Ecology, Vol. 41, No. 2 (Aug., 1953), p.288 cites 1922.] *Bot. Soc. Exch. Club Rep.* [J. Ecology, Vol. 33, No. 2 (Jul., 1946), p.213 cites 10 (1932).] *Rep. B.E.C.* [J. Ecology, Vol. 31, No. 1 (May 17, 1943), p.57 cites 1903, 1910, 1913, 1914, 1916, 1917, 1920, 1921, 1924, 1925, 1927, 1928, 1929, and 1931.] *Rep. Bot. Exch. Cl.* [J. Ecology, Vol. 39, No. 2 (Dec., 1951), p.406 cites 10 (1932).] *Rep. Bot. Exch. Club* [J. Ecology, Vol. 13, No. 1 (Jan., 1925), p.90 cites 37, 1880-1.] *Rep. Bot. Exchange Club* [J. Ecology, Vol. 18, No. 2 (Aug., 1930), p.379 cites 7, 1924.] *Rep. Bot. (Soc.) Exch. Cl.* [Phil. Trans., B Vol. 234, No. 615 (Aug. 23, 1950), p.466 cites 2, 1908.] *Rep. bot. Soc. Exch. Club Br. Isl.* [J. Ecology, Vol. 60, No. 1 (Mar., 1972), p.268 cites 8 (1927).] *Rep. Botl Exch. Club Br. Isl.* [J. Ecology, Vol. 65, No. 2 (Jul., 1977), p.715 cites 2 (1909) and 5 (1918).] *Rep. botl Soc. Exch. Club Br. Isl.* [J. Ecology, Vol. 53, No. 3 (Nov., 1965), p.812 cites 1905.]
1884 - 1934 F	*Report of the Watson Botanical Exchange Club* The record in the Oxford Univ. cat. indicates that in 1935 the Watson Botanical Exchange Club merged with the Botanical Exchange Club to form the Botanical Society and Exchange Club of the British Isles. Merged with E to form G. [Oxford Univ. cat.]	*Rep. Wats. B.E.C.* [J. Ecology, Vol. 31, No. 1 (May 17, 1943), p.57 cites 1929.]
1935 - 1947 (Vol. 11 - v. 13) G	*Report of the Botanical Society and Exchange Club of the British Isles* Formed by the merger of E and F. Continued by H. [Oxford Univ. cat.]	*Bot. Exch. Club Rep.* [J. Ecology, Vol. 52, No. 3 (Nov., 1964), p.765 cites 12 (1939) and 12 (1944).] *Rep. B.E.C.* [J. Ecology, Vol. 31, No. 1 (May 17, 1943), p.57 cites 1937.] *Rep. Bot. (Soc.) Exch. Cl.* [J. Ecology, Vol. 31, No. 1 (May 17, 1943), p.59 cites 1936.] *Rep. botl Soc. Exch. Club Br. Isl.* [J. Ecology, Vol. 54, No. 2 (Jul., 1966), p.382 cites 12 (1939) and 12 (1944).]
1949, Jan. - (Vol. 1, no. 1 - ) H	*Watsonia* The record in the Oxford Univ. cat. indicates the following note in the journal: "Journal and Proceedings of the Botanical Society of the British Isles." The record in the Oxford Univ. cat. also indicates that Vol. 8 (1970) - includes Proceedings of the Society, which were issued as a separate series, from 1954-1969, i.e. I. Continues G. [Oxford Univ. cat.]
1954/1955 - 1967/1969 (v.1 - v.7) I	*Proceedings of the Botanical Society of the British Isles* [Oxford Univ. cat.]