Written in History: The Geological Society in the 19th century

In the autumn of 2022, the Society launched Written in History, a campaign to fund the conservation of twelve volumes of letters sent to the Assistant Secretary’s office between 1834 and 1880. Despite being one of the primary records of the Society’s history, the letter books had to be closed off due to their poor condition.

The good news is that thanks to the generosity of numerous donors, Written in History has now reached its fundraising target, which has allowed us to conserve all the volumes. For the first time, we can read letters that have not been looked at since they were originally bound into the volumes around 150 years ago.

The letters have filled many gaps in our history. To celebrate, this article provides a small glimpse into the everyday workings of the Society and its Fellows and staff in the 19th century.

Beware the Collector

Many of the letters in the volumes concern the payment of Fellows’ annual fees. However if you hadn’t paid your annual subscription promptly, you might receive an unwelcome visit from the Society’s ‘Collector’. The Collector’s role was to chase up outstanding fees and if you were particularly unlucky, he might turn up at your home, or even worse, at your place of work. He received 5% of the amount collected, so it was in his best interests to be as efficient as possible.

Written in History has now reached its fundraising target. For the first time, we can read letters that have not been looked at since they were originally bound into volumes around 150 years ago

Mr Hamond, the Society’s longstanding Collector, had been sacked in December 1842 after failing to chase up fees worth £252, which was around 9% of the total annual subscriptions across the membership. Not only that, but Hamond had suspiciously forgotten to record the payments of those who had given him money and didn’t bank the takings. Mr H J Woodfall was appointed Collector in January 1843, and he and his brother Francis had to sign a bond as security (that is, an agreement to underwrite any financial discrepancies).

Even notable Fellows fell foul of the Collector, as evidenced by an apologetic letter from John Ruskin [1819 – 1900], who had been a Fellow since 1840. Despite being a successful art critic and patron of the arts (notably to the Pre-Raphaelites), his annual fees were still being paid by his father! Woodfall paid a visit to Ruskin senior at his wine importing business but was refused payment because Ruskin’s father believed he had already paid.

Letter from John Ruskin about his overdue subscription, 2 Jan 1857. (© The Geological Society of London, GSL/L/R/14/37)

One of a number of letters from Woodfall assuring the Society that his brother Francis, who had agreed to act as security, is still alive. (© The Geological Society of London, GSL/L/R/9/177)

Resident or Non-resident?

Until 1862, there were two rates of membership fees. A ‘Resident’ lived within a 20-mile radius of London and subsequently paid the higher rate of three guineas per year – presumably as you were more likely to use the Society’s facilities. If you lived outside London or at least spent no more than 60 days in town, you were classed as a ‘Non-resident’. Depending on what date you joined, a Non-resident either paid no annual subscription or a much-reduced rate.

There are plentiful letters from Fellows moving or coming back from abroad informing the Society of their Resident or Non-resident status. As the difference in the fees was the equivalent to around £200 today, Fellows kept a keen eye on their status.

One tetchy letter came from Sir Edward Belcher [1799 – 1877] who had suddenly found himself a Resident after his naval career was cut short in 1854. He had just escaped court martial after prematurely abandoning the ships under his command during one of the expeditions to rescue the lost explorer Sir John Franklin.

In the letter Belcher complains that his breakfast had been rudely interrupted by the Collector looking for payment of Resident’s fees. Splitting hairs, Belcher stated that until 18th February, the date when Woodfall called, he had technically only resided in London for 48 days that year so was therefore not yet a Resident! Belcher would resign his membership the next month.

Note from Isaac Charlton [1855] claiming expenses for the payment of casual workers who did the more menial tasks around the Society, such as a woman who washed the stairs. (© The Geological Society of London, GSL/L/R/188A)

Letter from Charles Nichols seeking a pay rise, 5 April 1843. (© The Geological Society of London, GSL/L/R/8/12)

The Society’s staff

The day-to-day running of the Society was undertaken by a small team of dedicated staff. The House Porter, Isaac Charlton [c.1814 – 1892], lived onsite with his wife, who acted as housekeeper. So, while women were unable to become Fellows, they clearly did work for the Society but in servant-type roles. Generally the names of servants (both male and female) are absent from the record (one unusual letter names a potential maid, Louisa Groves, who would have been one of the lowest paid members of staff). Charlton’s wife is never mentioned by name, but according to the Census, the first Mrs Charlton was named Ann (Charlton seems to have later remarried someone called Emily).

Charlton held the post of House Porter for 50 years, finally retiring in 1891. In comparison, his successor, John Clarke, lasted three days. The Society’s clerk found Clarke so inebriated on the doormat that he had to be carried inside. He was quickly dismissed.

Another long-standing staff member was Charles Nichols, who started work for the Society in 1839. His job title of ‘clerk’ is deceptive as he essentially took on many of the duties that were supposed to be assigned to the Assistant Secretary, William Lonsdale [1794 – 1871]. The health of Lonsdale, who joined the Society in 1829, had broken down due to the heavy workload. Not only was Lonsdale required to run the entire administrative side of the Society, but he was also to act as Librarian, Curator and Editor of the journal too. Despite being relieved of curatorial duties in 1838, Lonsdale’s health never recovered and he had to finally retire in 1842.

That Nichols was effectively acting as Assistant Secretary is evidenced by a letter – a second request for a pay rise – dated 5th April 1843. The first request, in October 1840, saw his wages rise from £75 to £84 per annum.

In the letter he writes, “The salary I am at present receiving, is, I have found, insufficient to meet the respectability & credit due to the office I have the honor to hold; a position which exposes me to many little liabilities and disbursements: the numerous & arduous duties also, which press upon me, call for the devotion of most of my private hours, which before were otherwise directed.”

The ‘little liabilities and disbursements’ were the expectation that he would have to pay numerous bills out of his own pocket and claim the money back. More interesting is the hint of what he did in his private hours before taking up employment as the clerk. This could be his side career moonlighting as a society entertainer under the stage name ‘Charles Charles’.

Nichols’ request was successful and his wages rose to £100 per annum. On his retirement in 1861, the Society awarded him the equivalent of one year’s wages in recognition of his long service.

Letter of reference for Louisa Groves, maid. (© The Geological Society of London, GSL/L/R/10/87)

Letter from Edward Belcher complaining about the Collector, 18 Feb 1856. (© The Geological Society of London, GSL/L/R/13/262)

We’d like to thank our many generous donors for helping us reach our target.

Sponsor a rare book

If you’ve missed out and would like to support our Library collections, you can sponsor one of our rare books (geolsoc.org.uk/Library-and-Information-Services/sponsor-our-collections) or get in touch with us at library@geolsoc.org.uk for more information.

Author

Caroline Lam Archivist, the Geological Society of London, UK

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