Royal Bath and West of England Society
Professional services
UnclaimedA British charitable society that promotes agriculture, rural enterprise, veterinary science, education, and related activities across the West of England.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
The Royal Bath and West of England Society is a British charitable organization with roots in the agricultural improvement movement of the eighteenth century. Established in 1777, it was created to encourage better farming, planting, manufacturing, commerce, and the arts across the West Country. Its founding reflected a period when agricultural societies were used to circulate practical knowledge, test new methods, reward innovation, and connect landowners, farmers, artisans, and researchers. The society was initiated by Edmund Rack, a draper who moved from Norfolk to Bath in 1775. Concerned by what he regarded as the relatively poor standard of agricultural practice in the region, Rack published letters calling for collective action. A public notice in the Bath Chronicle in August 1777 invited the nobility and gentry of Somerset, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Dorset, Bath, and Bristol to support a new organization. At a meeting on 8 September 1777, the Bath and West of England Society for the Encouragement of Agriculture, Arts, Manufactures and Commerce was formally established, with Rack serving as secretary. From its early years, the society combined education, experimentation, publication, and prize-giving. Its activities addressed animal husbandry, farm machinery, rural crafts, and other subjects connected with productivity and economic development. In 1780 it established an experimental farm at Weston in Bath. Although that site operated for only about a decade, it represented the society's practical approach: agricultural knowledge was intended to be tested and applied rather than treated solely as an academic subject. The society also became a publisher and information network. Its Letters and Papers began appearing in 1780 and circulated advice, observations, and scientific opinion on agriculture and related matters. Fifteen volumes were issued through 1829, after which publication was later revived in journal form. The organization expanded its regional reach during the nineteenth century. In 1859 it moved its annual meetings away from Bath and held them in different towns across its area, while associated agricultural shows became increasingly important public events. A series of name changes during the nineteenth century reflected the widening geographical scope of its work. The society's best-known public expression is the Royal Bath and West Show, an agricultural and countryside event that developed from this tradition of annual meetings and exhibitions. It also supports or hosts other public and professional activities, including flower-related events, seminars, advice services, scholarships, and programs associated with agriculture and veterinary science. Its showground near Shepton Mallet is used throughout the year for a range of events beyond the society's own agricultural programming. The administration moved from Bath to a permanent site at Shepton Mallet in 1974, ending nearly two centuries in which the society's headquarters had been located in Bath properties. The organization adopted its present name after earlier changes and was registered as a charity in England and Wales in 1994 under charity number 1039397. Today it operates as a regional charitable society rather than a conventional consumer brand. Its activities center on knowledge exchange, rural and agricultural communities, public events, countryside products, professional development, and the preservation of a long-standing West Country agricultural institution.
History
The society originated in the intellectual and practical reform culture of eighteenth-century Britain. Edmund Rack, a Norfolk-born draper who settled in Bath in 1775, believed that farming in the West Country could be improved through cooperation, experimentation, and the dissemination of useful knowledge. He expressed these views in letters to the Farmer's Magazine and the Bath Chronicle. On 28 August 1777, the Bath Chronicle carried a notice sponsored by Rack proposing a society that would encourage agriculture, planting, manufactures, commerce, and the fine arts across the region. A meeting on 8 September 1777 formally created the Bath and West of England Society for the Encouragement of Agriculture, Arts, Manufactures and Commerce. Rack became its secretary, and the organization's early rules established a program based on education, trials, prizes, and the sharing of information. Its remit included animal breeding and husbandry, farm implements, rural crafts, and other activities that could strengthen productivity and local economies. In 1780 the society acquired a site at Weston in Bath for use as an experimental farm. The farm closed after roughly ten years, but the society continued to combine practical demonstration with publication. Its first major publication, Letters and Papers, appeared in 1780. The series disseminated agricultural advice and scientific observations and eventually reached fifteen volumes, the last appearing in 1829. Publication was subsequently revived in journal form, maintaining the society's role as an information exchange. For much of its early and middle history, the society was based in Bath. In 1859 it began moving its annual meetings beyond the city, convening in different towns throughout its regional territory. These meetings were accompanied by agricultural shows, which grew into major public gatherings and became a continuing feature of the institution. The society's regional ambitions were reflected in several changes of name. In 1869 it adopted a longer title referring to the Southern Counties Association, and further changes in the 1890s led to the name Bath and West and Southern Counties Society. The society eventually adopted the name Royal Bath and West of England Society. Its administrative base moved from Bath to a new permanent home at Shepton Mallet in 1974. The Royal Bath and West Showground subsequently became a venue for the society's own exhibitions as well as other public and professional events. The site has also been associated with the wider cultural history of the region; in 1970, a concert at the Bath and West Showground helped inspire Michael Eavis to organize the first festival at Worthy Farm, the event that developed into Glastonbury Festival. The organization was registered as a full charity in England and Wales in 1994 and carries charity number 1039397. Its modern activities extend beyond traditional agricultural improvement. They include public and professional events, seminars, advice, agricultural and veterinary science services, scholarships, and a marketplace for countryside products. The Royal Bath and West Show remains the most prominent expression of its historic mission, linking agricultural competition and education with public participation. The society continues to operate from Somerset as a charitable regional body serving farming, rural communities, countryside businesses, and interested members of the public.
- 2005
Royal Bath and West Show attendance
[1]The Royal Bath and West Show was reported to have attracted approximately 150,000 visitors.
- 1994
Registered as a charity
[1]The society was registered as a charity in England and Wales under charity number 1039397.
- 1974
Administration moves to Shepton Mallet
[1]After nearly two centuries based in Bath, the society moved its administration to a permanent site near Shepton Mallet in Somerset.
- 1970
Bath and West Showground hosts a major concert
[1]A concert at the showground, headlined by Led Zeppelin, was witnessed by Michael Eavis and contributed to his decision to organize the first festival at Worthy Farm.
- 1869
Regional name expanded
[1]The organization adopted a longer name, the Bath and West of England Society and Southern Counties Association, reflecting its broader regional influence.
- 1859
Annual meetings expand across the region
[1]The society decided to hold annual meetings outside Bath in different towns across its wider area, alongside increasingly popular agricultural shows.
- 1829
Fifteenth volume of Letters and Papers
[1]The society's original publication series reached its fifteenth volume, continuing its role in distributing agricultural and scientific knowledge.
- 1780
Experimental farm and first publication
[1]The society began using an experimental farm at Weston in Bath and published the first volume of its Letters and Papers.
- 1777
Society founded
[1]Following Rack's public appeal in the Bath Chronicle, the Bath and West of England Society was established on 8 September to promote agriculture, arts, manufactures, commerce, and related improvement.
- 1775
Edmund Rack moves to Bath
[1]Edmund Rack settled in Bath and began advocating concerted action to improve agricultural practice in the West Country.
Products and positioning
A regional charitable institution focused on agricultural improvement, rural enterprise, practical knowledge, public engagement, and the development of countryside communities in the West of England.
Agricultural and rural exhibition
Royal Bath and West Show
The society's principal public event and the continuation of its long-running tradition of agricultural meetings and shows. It brings together farming, livestock, rural crafts, countryside businesses, competitions, demonstrations, and public entertainment, linking the society's historic improvement mission with contemporary rural life.
Event venue and agricultural showground · 1974
Royal Bath and West Showground
The society's permanent Somerset site near Shepton Mallet. It provides space for the Royal Bath and West Show and other events throughout the year, including public gatherings, professional activities, conferences, and countryside-related programming.
Professional education and advice
Agricultural and veterinary services
A modern group of services centered on agriculture and veterinary science. The society supports knowledge exchange through seminars, advice, professional events, and educational activity for people working in or connected with farming and the rural economy.
Education and rural development
Scholarships and awards
The society provides scholarships and uses prizes and recognition as part of its historic role in encouraging agricultural improvement, practical innovation, education, and the development of rural skills.
Marketplace service
Countryside products marketplace
A marketplace connected with countryside products and rural producers. It extends the society's original interest in agricultural and regional economic development into a contemporary platform for products associated with the countryside.
Sources4 sources
- 1Royal Bath and West of England Societyen.wikipedia.org
- 2Royal Bath and West of England Society official websitebathandwestsociety.com
- 3The Story of the Bath & West: Innovation and Applicationbathandwestsociety.com
- 4Royal Bath and West of England Society, registered charity no. 1039397register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk
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