Royal Society of Tasmania

The Royal Society of Tasmania (RST) is a learned society dedicated to advancing and sharing historical, scientific and technological knowledge relating to Tasmania. Founded in Hobart on 14 October 1843, it began as the Botanical and Horticultural Society of Van Diemen’s Land at a meeting convened by Sir John Eardley-Wilmot, then Lieutenant Governor. Its early remit focused on documenting the island’s physical character, natural history and productive resources. The society is regarded as the oldest continuously operating royal society outside the United Kingdom. The organisation received royal patronage from Queen Victoria in 1844, after which its name became the Royal Society of Van Diemen’s Land for Horticulture, Botany and the Advancement of Science. Under legislation passed by the Tasmanian Parliament in 1911, the name was shortened to the Royal Society of Tasmania. The society operates under its own Act and is empowered to establish by-laws. During the nineteenth century, the RST played an important role in the development of Tasmania’s scientific and cultural institutions. It contributed substantially to the establishment of the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens and assembled collections of natural-history specimens and works of art. In 1885, these collections were transferred to the Tasmanian Government and became foundational holdings of the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery. The society also developed a major library; a new library opened in 1930 with more than 20,000 books and pamphlets. The society’s activities now include public lectures, panel discussions, symposia, excursions, publications, a library and programmes that recognise academic and scholarly achievement. Its annual peer-reviewed journal, Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania, is a central vehicle for disseminating research on Tasmania and the broader Southern Hemisphere region. The organisation also provides awards and bursaries and seeks to encourage participation in evidence-based inquiry. The RST is governed by a council consisting of elected and ex-officio members, and membership is open to the public. Its activities are centred in Hobart, with a Northern Chapter based in Launceston at the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery. The society’s library collection is housed at the University of Tasmania’s Morris Miller Library on the Sandy Bay campus. In 2017, membership was reported at approximately 350 people from Tasmania and elsewhere. The society’s historical legacy is mixed. Its collections and publications helped preserve and circulate important knowledge about Tasmania, but its nineteenth-century scientific practices also intersected with colonial attitudes toward Aboriginal Tasmanians. The exhumation and later display of Truganini’s remains by members of the society, despite her expressed wishes, is now regarded as a grave violation and a significant part of the organisation’s historical record. The RST’s present-day mission emphasises public engagement, academic excellence, recognition of scholarship and objective policy advice on Tasmanian issues. Its patron is the Governor of Tasmania, and the society remains an independent civic and scholarly institution rather than a commercial brand.

The Royal Society of Tasmania traces its institutional history to 14 October 1843, when Lieutenant Governor Sir John Eardley-Wilmot convened a meeting in Hobart to establish the Botanical and Horticultural Society of Van Diemen’s Land. The new body was intended to investigate and describe the island’s physical character, natural history and productions. It emerged in a colonial environment where scientific societies were important vehicles for collecting specimens, exchanging observations and promoting agricultural and horticultural improvement. The organisation received royal patronage from Queen Victoria in 1844 and consequently adopted the title Royal Society of Van Diemen’s Land for Horticulture, Botany and the Advancement of Science. A separate Tasmanian Society of Natural History had been established in 1837 by Sir John Franklin with the assistance of Ronald Campbell Gunn, but the Royal Society became the enduring learned institution associated with the island’s scientific and cultural life. A Tasmanian parliamentary Act passed in 1911 established the legal basis for the society’s current name, Royal Society of Tasmania, and allowed it to create its own by-laws. In its formative decades, the society contributed to the creation and development of the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens. It also assembled substantial holdings of art and natural-history material. These collections were transferred to the Tasmanian Government in 1885 and became part of the institutional foundations of the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery. This transfer illustrates the society’s historical role as an incubator of public scientific and cultural infrastructure rather than merely a meeting organisation. A Launceston branch was created in 1853. Although it later lapsed, it was reconstituted in 1921 and continued as the society’s Northern Chapter. The RST also developed an extensive library. A new library opened in September 1930 with more than 20,000 books and pamphlets, and the society received a carved wooden coat of arms by local artist Nellie Payne during the same period. In 1934, ornithologist Jane Ada Fletcher became the first woman to lecture before the society’s members, marking an important moment in the gradual broadening of participation in its formal intellectual activities. The society has published and sponsored research on Tasmania’s history, geography, biology, geology, anthropology and technology. Its principal continuing publication is Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania, a peer-reviewed annual journal. It has also convened lectures, discussions, excursions and symposia, while recognising scholars through awards and bursaries. The society’s 150th anniversary in 1993 was marked by publication of Walk to the West, presenting James Backhouse Walker’s account of an 1887 journey together with paintings by William Piguenit. The RST’s history also includes a deeply troubling episode involving Truganini, a Palawa woman who had asked colonial authorities that her remains be treated respectfully and that her ashes be scattered in the D’Entrecasteaux Channel. Within two years of her death, members of the Royal Society of Tasmania exhumed her skeleton, which was later displayed. The episode occurred within a broader nineteenth-century practice of collecting and anatomising Aboriginal remains, including the treatment of William Lenne’s body. It is now understood as a profound breach of Indigenous dignity and consent and remains an essential part of any complete account of the society. In its modern form, the Royal Society of Tasmania is an open membership organisation governed by a council of elected and ex-officio members. It is based at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery in Hobart, while its library is held at the University of Tasmania’s Morris Miller Library. Its Northern Chapter operates from the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery in Launceston. The society’s stated purposes include promoting Tasmanian historical, scientific and technological knowledge; encouraging public participation in objective inquiry; recognising academic excellence; supporting Tasmanian scholarship; and offering objective advice on policy issues affecting Tasmania. It remains a civic and scholarly institution with activities aimed at both specialist researchers and the wider public.

• 1993

  Sesquicentenary publication

  [1]Royal Society of Tasmaniaen.wikipedia.org

  The society marked its 150th anniversary with publication of Walk to the West, based on James Backhouse Walker’s 1887 diary and incorporating William Piguenit’s paintings.

• 1934

  Jane Ada Fletcher becomes the first woman to lecture to members

  [1]Royal Society of Tasmaniaen.wikipedia.org

  The ornithologist Jane Ada Fletcher delivered the first recorded lecture by a woman before the society’s members.

• 1930

  New library opened

  [1]Royal Society of Tasmaniaen.wikipedia.org

  The society opened a library containing more than 20,000 books and pamphlets and received a carved wooden coat of arms by Nellie Payne.

• 1921

  Launceston branch reconstituted

  [1]Royal Society of Tasmaniaen.wikipedia.org

  The northern branch was revived and continued as an enduring part of the society’s Tasmanian programme.

• 1911

  Current legal name established

  [1]Royal Society of Tasmaniaen.wikipedia.org

  A Tasmanian parliamentary Act shortened the organisation’s name to the Royal Society of Tasmania and confirmed its capacity to make by-laws.

• 1885

  Collections transferred to the Tasmanian Government

  [1]Royal Society of Tasmaniaen.wikipedia.org

  The society donated its accumulated art and natural-history collections, which became part of the foundation of the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery.

• 1853

  Launceston branch formed

  [1]Royal Society of Tasmaniaen.wikipedia.org

  A northern branch was established in Launceston; it was later reconstituted in 1921 after a period of inactivity.

• 1844

  Royal patronage granted

  [1]Royal Society of Tasmaniaen.wikipedia.org

  Queen Victoria became patron, and the organisation adopted a name reflecting its royal status and expanded scientific remit.

• 1843

  Botanical and Horticultural Society of Van Diemen’s Land founded

  [1]Royal Society of Tasmaniaen.wikipedia.org

  The society was formed in Hobart on 14 October at a meeting convened by Lieutenant Governor Sir John Eardley-Wilmot.

• 1837

  Tasmanian Society of Natural History established

  [1]Royal Society of Tasmaniaen.wikipedia.org

  Sir John Franklin, assisted by Ronald Campbell Gunn, helped establish an earlier natural-history organisation that provided part of the intellectual background for later learned societies in Tasmania.

An open membership learned society connecting Tasmanian scholarship, public education, scientific communication and historical inquiry.

• Academic journal

  Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania

  The society’s annual peer-reviewed journal publishes research and scholarly contributions concerning Tasmania and its natural, cultural, historical and scientific environment. It is the principal formal publication associated with the RST and extends the society’s work beyond its meetings and public events.

• Educational programme

  Public lecture programme

  The RST organises lectures intended to communicate historical, scientific and technological knowledge to members and the broader public. The programme supports the society’s objective of encouraging public participation in evidence-based inquiry and provides a forum for researchers and subject specialists.

• Academic support

  Awards and bursaries

  The society recognises scholarly achievement and supports Tasmanian academic excellence through awards and bursaries. Specific award names, eligibility rules and current funding levels are not established in the supplied reference material.

• Research resource

  Library and archival collection

  The RST has maintained a substantial library and documentary collection. Its library is currently housed within the University of Tasmania’s Morris Miller Library at the Sandy Bay campus in Hobart, supporting research into Tasmanian science, history and culture.

• 1876

  Exhumation and display of Truganini’s remains

  After Truganini’s death, members of the Royal Society of Tasmania exhumed her skeleton despite her request that her remains be treated respectfully and her ashes scattered in the D’Entrecasteaux Channel. The skeleton was later displayed. The episode reflects nineteenth-century colonial scientific practices involving the collection and examination of Aboriginal remains and is now regarded as a serious violation of Indigenous dignity, consent and cultural rights.

  Source

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• 1911

  Adoption of the Royal Society of Tasmania nameStrategy

  Background

  The society had previously operated under names reflecting Van Diemen’s Land, horticulture and botany, while Tasmania’s legal and institutional identity had developed.

  Action taken

  A Tasmanian parliamentary Act shortened the name to the Royal Society of Tasmania and provided for the society’s own by-laws.

  Aftermath

  The organisation retained a concise name that it continues to use, while its remit remained focused on the advancement and communication of knowledge.

  Source

• 1885

  Transfer of collections to the Tasmanian GovernmentStrategy

  Background

  The society had accumulated significant art and natural-history holdings during its early decades, creating a resource with potential public and institutional value.

  Action taken

  It gave the collections to the Tasmanian Government, where they became part of the foundation of the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery.

  Aftermath

  The transfer reduced the society’s role as a custodian of major public collections while helping establish a permanent government museum institution in Tasmania.

  Source

1. 1Royal Society of Tasmaniaen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Royal Society of Tasmania official websiterst.org.au