ROYAL SOCIETY, THE, the oldest scientific society in Great Britain, and one of the oldest in Europe. The Royal Society (more fully, The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge) is usually considered to have been founded in the year 166o, but a nucleus had in fact been in existence for some years before that date. As early as the year 1645 weekly meetings were held in London of "divers worthy persons, in quisitive into natural philosophy and other parts of human learn ing, and particularly of what bath been called the New Philosophy or Experimental Philosophy," and there can be little doubt that this gathering of philosophers is identical with the "Invisible College" of which Boyle speaks in sundry letters written in 1646 and Some of these "Philosophers," resident in Oxford about 1648, formed an association there under the title of the Philosophical Society of Oxford, and used to meet, most usually in the rooms of Dr. Wilkins, warden of Wadham College. A close intercom munication was maintained between the Oxford and London Philo sophers; but ultimately the activity of the society was concen trated in the London meetings, which were held principally at Gresham College.
On Nov. 28, 1660, the first journal book of the society was opened with a "memorandum," from which the following is an extract: "Memorandum that Novemb. 28, 166o, These persons following, according to the usuall custom of most of them, mett together at Gresham Colledge to heare Mr. Wren's lecture, viz., The Lord Brouncker, Mr. Boyle, Mr. Bruce, Sir Robert Moray, Sir Paul Neile, Dr. Wilkins, Dr. Goddard, Dr. Petty, Mr. Ball, Mr. Rooke, Mr. Wren, Mr. Hill. And after the lecture was ended, they did, according to the usuall manner, withdrawe for mutuall converse. Where amongst other matters that were discoursed of, something was offered about a designe of founding a Colledge for the promoting of Physico-Mathematicall Experimentall Learn ing." It was agreed at this meeting that the company should con tinue to assemble on Wednesdays at three o'clock; an admission fee of ten schillings with a subscription of one schilling a week was instituted; Dr. Wilkins was appointed chairman; and a list
of forty-one persons judged likely and fit to join the design was drawn up. On the following Wednesday Sir Robert Moray brought word that the king (Charles II.) approved the design of the meet ings; a form of obligation was framed, and was signed by all the persons enumerated in the memorandum of Nov. 28 and by seventy-three others. On December 12, another meeting was held at which fifty-five was fixed as the number of the society—per sons of the degree of baron, Fellows of the College of Physicians, and public professors of mathematics, physics and natural phil osophy of both universities being supernumeraries.
Gresham College was now appointed to be the regular meeting place of the society. Sir Robert Moray (or Murray) was chosen president (March 6, 1660, and continued from time to time to occupy the chair until the incorporation of the society, when Lord Brouncker was appointed the first president under the charter. In Oct. 1661 the king offered to be entered one of the society, and next year the society was incorporated under its present title. The name "Royal Society" appears to have been first applied to the Philosophers by John Evelyn, in the dedication of his trans lation of a book by Gabriel Naude, published in 1661.
The charter of incorporation passed the Great Seal on July 15, 1662, to be modified, however, by a second charter in the follow ing year, repeating the incorporating clauses of the first charter, but conferring further privileges on the society. The second charter passed the Great Seal on April 22, 1663, and was followed in 1669 by a third, confirming the powers granted by the second charter, with some modifications of detail, and granting certain lands in Chelsea to the society. The council of the Royal Society met for the first time on May 13, 1663.