Royal Bath and West of England Society

Last updated

Crest of the Royal Bath and West of England Society RBWESLogo.gif
Crest of the Royal Bath and West of England Society

The Royal Bath and West of England Society is a charitable society founded in 1777 to promote and improve agriculture and related activities around the West Country of England. Based at the Royal Bath and West of England Society Showground near Shepton Mallet in Somerset, the society is a registered charity in England and Wales (no. 1039397). [1]

Contents

Nowadays the society offers a variety of services relating to agriculture and veterinary science including public and professional events, seminars and advice, scholarships, and a marketplace for countryside products.

Foundation

In 1775 Edmund Rack, a draper and the son of a labouring weaver, moved from his native Norfolk to the city of Bath. Despite his modest upbringing, Rack had developed interests both in literature and agriculture, and especially the application of modern methods to farming. He was struck on his arrival by the poor standard of agricultural practise in the West Country, and in a series of letters to the Farmer's Magazine and the Bath Chronicle argued that it was in the interest of all involved to make a concerted effort to improve productivity. [2]

Thus on the 28 August 1777 the Bath Chronicle printed a notice addressed to "The Nobility and Gentry in the counties of Somerset, Gloucester, Wiltshire and Dorset in general, and the Cities of Bath and Bristol in particular". This notice, paid for by Rack, proposed the formation of a "Society in this City, for the encouragement of Agriculture, Planting, Manufactures, Commerce, and the Fine Arts...".

A number of philanthropists responded, and at a meeting on 8 September inaugurated the Bath and West of England Society for the Encouragement of Agriculture, Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, [3] nominating Rack as the society's secretary. The same year, the Aims, Rules and Orders of the Society were published, which set out the activities of the society for the years to come. These involved the improvement of areas such as animal husbandry, farm implements and country crafts through education, experimentation and prize-giving.

In 1780 a site at Weston, Bath was taken over for use by the society as an experimental farm. Although this particular venture ended around a decade later, for the next 196 years the society's headquarters were located in properties within the city of Bath, until in 1974 its administration moved to a new permanent home in Shepton Mallet.

18th and 19th centuries

The year 1780 saw the first major publication of the society when Volume I of the Letters and Papers appeared. These disseminated advice and scientific opinion on agriculture and other subjects of interest, and were printed irregularly until finishing with Volume XV in 1829. Later in its history the society resumed publishing with a full journal.

In 1859 the decision was made to move the annual meetings of the society out of the city of Bath, and each year convene in a different town in the society's area. These were combined with annual agricultural shows which proved enormously popular, and continue to the present day.

The society was then renamed in 1869 as the 'Bath and West of England Society and Southern Counties Association for the Encouragement of Agriculture, Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce' to reflect its influence in areas outside the vicinity of the city, and further name changes occurring in the 1890s finished with the 'Bath and West and Southern Counties Society'.

Since the 20th Century

A final change of name created the present 'Royal Bath and West of England Society', and in 1994 the society was registered as a full charity under British law. The society continues to organise events around the west of England including a flower show and the Royal Bath and West Show, which in 2005 attracted 150,000 visitors. The current president of the society is HRH The Countess of Wessex. [4]

The Royal Bath and West Showground is the location for many events throughout the year, including the New Wine summer conferences.

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ "Extract from the Central Register of Charities maintained by the Charity Commission for England and Wales". Charity Commission . Retrieved 22 October 2007.
  2. ↑ Bryant, Philip; Bennett, Susan; Collins, Ted (2002). The story of the 'Bath and West' innovation and application: Bath Royal Literary & Scientific Institution Millennium Lecture, Monday, 9 October 2000 (PDF). Shepton Mallet, UK: Royal Bath and West of England Society. p. 3. ISBN   0954402308.
  3. ↑ The Bath and West of England Society for the Encouragement of Agriculture, Arts, Manufactures and Commerce is also referred to as Bath and West of England Agricultural Society( Carlyle 1899 , p. 291).
  4. ↑ "HRH, The Countess of Wessex to Introduce Speakers at Retail Seminars". Royal Bath & West Society. Retrieved 3 June 2011.

Related Research Articles

Somerset County in South West England

Somerset is a county in South West England which borders Gloucestershire and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east and Devon to the south-west. It is bounded to the north and west by the Severn Estuary and the Bristol Channel, its coastline facing southeastern Wales. Its traditional border with Gloucestershire is the River Avon. Somerset's county town is Taunton.

South West England Region of England

South West England is one of nine official regions of England. It consists of the counties of Bristol, Cornwall, Dorset, Devon, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire. Large cities and towns in the region include Bristol, Bournemouth, Cheltenham, Exeter, Gloucester, Plymouth and Swindon. It is geographically the largest of the nine regions of England covering 9,200 square miles (23,800 km2), but the third-least populous, with approximately five million residents.

Shepton Mallet Town in Somerset, England

Shepton Mallet is a market town and civil parish in the Mendip District of Somerset, England, about 16 miles (26 km) south-west of Bath, 18 miles (29 km) south of Bristol and 5 miles (8.0 km) east of Wells, with an estimated population of 10,810 in 2019. Mendip District Council is based there. The Mendip Hills lie to the north and the River Sheppey runs through the town, as does the route of the Fosse Way, the main Roman road into south-west England. There is evidence of Roman settlement. Its medieval parish church is among many listed buildings. Shepton Mallet Prison was England's oldest until it closed in March 2013. The medieval wool trade gave way to industries such as brewing in the 18th century. The town remains noted for cider production. Shepton Mallet is the closest town to the Glastonbury Festival. Also nearby is the Royal Bath and West of England Society showground.

Royal Society of Arts British organisation

The Royal Society for Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) is a London-based organisation committed to finding practical solutions to social challenges.

Sophie, Countess of Wessex Member of the British royal family and former public relations executive

Sophie, Countess of Wessex,, is a member of the British royal family. She is married to Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, the youngest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

History of Somerset Aspect of history

Somerset is a historic county in the south west of England. There is evidence of human occupation since prehistoric times with hand axes and flint points from the Palaeolithic and Mesolithic eras, and a range of burial mounds, hill forts and other artefacts dating from the Neolithic, Bronze and Iron Ages. The oldest dated human road work in Great Britain is the Sweet Track, constructed across the Somerset Levels with wooden planks in the 39th century BCE.

Soul Survivor is a global Christian movement based in Watford, Hertfordshire. It oversees several Christian summer festivals aimed at young people along with other events throughout the year. Soul Survivor hosted its final Summer festivals in 2019.

Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade

The Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade in the Canadian province of Ontario is responsible for programs to attract and retain business and economic development in the province. This is pursued through research and development funding, business advisory services, career exploration opportunities and business startup programs for youth, skills development and marketing Ontario to potential international business investors.

Castle Cary railway station Railway station in Somerset, England

Castle Cary railway station is 1 mile (1.6 km) north of the town of Castle Cary and 5 miles (8 km) south of Shepton Mallet in a largely rural area of Somerset, England.

Ashwick Human settlement in England

Ashwick is a village in the Mendip district of Somerset, England, about three miles north of Shepton Mallet and seven miles east from Wells. It has also been a civil parish since 1826. The parish had a population of 1,352 according to the 2011 census, and apart from Ashwick village also includes Gurney Slade and Oakhill.

The Albert Medal of the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) was instituted in 1864 as a memorial to Prince Albert, who had been President of the Society for 18 years. It was first awarded in 1864 for "distinguished merit in promoting Arts, Manufactures and Commerce". In presenting the Medal, the Society now looks to acknowledge individuals, organisation and groups that lead progress and create positive change within contemporary society in areas that are linked closely to the Society's broad agenda.

Downhead Human settlement in England

Downhead is a village and civil parish close to Leigh-on-Mendip and 5 miles (8 km) north east of Shepton Mallet, in the Mendip district of Somerset, England. The parish includes the medieval settlement of Tadhill.

Events from the year 1777 in Great Britain.

Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution Institution in Bath, Somerset, UK

The Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution is an educational charity based in Bath, England. It was founded in 1824 and provides a museum, an independent library, exhibition space, meeting rooms and a programme of public lectures, discussion groups and exhibitions related to science, the arts and current affairs.

Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts Award granted by the Royal Society of Arts

Fellowship of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (FRSA) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) judges to have made outstanding achievements to social progress and development.

Royal Bath and West Show

The Royal Bath and West is an agricultural show for the West of England. Held every year at its permanent show ground near Shepton Mallet, Somerset, it is one of a number of County shows in the United Kingdom and is a four-day show. In 2009 and 2010 it attracted over 155,000 people.

A showground is a places where events occur, including agricultural shows, and associated facilities. In Australia, New Zealand and the United States, showgrounds often house dirt track speedways.

Healthcare in Somerset, England is the responsibility of three clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) covering the ceremonial county of Somerset, which comprises the areas governed by Somerset County Council and the unitary authorities of North Somerset and Bath and North East Somerset.

Kilver Court

Kilver Court is an historic house and gardens in Shepton Mallet in the English county of Somerset. The River Sheppey powered textile mills and it later became a factory, the headquarters of the Showerings brewing business, and then the headquarters of a leather-goods manufacturer, Mulberry. It is now used as a shopping centre.

Edmund Rack, born in Norfolk, England, became well known in Bath, Somerset; he was a writer, particularly about agriculture, and founded notable societies.

References

Coordinates: 51°09′25″N2°31′35″W / 51.15694°N 2.52639°W / 51.15694; -2.52639

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.