The Governance of the Richard III Society: how it is run or who does what

The Society is an unincorporated body bound by a constitution and managed by an Executive Committee elected annually at the AGM, which takes place each October. Also elected annually at the AGM are the Society’s President and Vice Presidents. The holders of these offices are members of the Society who have given exceptional service to the Society over many years and although these rôles do not attract specific responsibilities some of the holders still provide invaluable service to the Society. The Society is also very proud to have royal patronage, which was granted over a quarter of a century ago and it is particularly poignant that the Patron bears the same Christian name and ducal title as Richard III – HRH Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester.

The Society has members all over the world, and certain geographical areas, such as North America and Australasia, are semi-autonomous. However, the whole is in the charge of the Executive Committee which is based in the UK. Reporting to this Committee (hereinafter called the Executive) are a number of standing committees and occasional working parties. Linked to all of these are the Branches and Groups which provide activities for members at a more ‘grass roots’ level, and which also report to the Executive. The Executive Committee is the principal governing body of the Society, and according to the Constitution, it may have 15 elected members and a further six co-opted as required.

At the head of the Executive is the Chairman.

As well as chairing meetings, he also plays an active role in many ways, especially as a member of several standing committees. Alongside him, there are a Secretary and a Treasurer. The former acts as a central point of liaison between the Society, the Executive, the membership and the outside world, whilst the rôle of the Treasurer is that which might be found in any similar society - he advises on fiscal matters and keeps the books.

In no particular order, the other members of the Executive, which include formal and less formal roles, are:- ·

• The Deputy Chairman who covers for the Chairman if he is unable to attend meetings or events.
• The Editor of The Ricardian who is responsible for the learned journal of the Society, published once a year and, on which the Society’s academic record is founded.
• The Library Committee Liaison Officer represents the Barton Library Team on the Committee.
• The Research Officer whose purpose is to liaise with the academic community, oversee the various projects of a research nature, administer the Society’s bursaries, organize conferences, etc, and who facilitates members’ own research.
• The Public Relations Officer is the external communication arm of the Executive, and who provides a link with the media, while advising on, amongst other things, how the Society can make a bigger impact on the public
• ·The Webmaster, as the name suggests, is the member responsible for looking after the day to day management of the Society’s website.
• There is a member responsible for Strategy, advising on what the Society must do to remain vibrant, inclusive and outgoing.
• The Visits Officer is chairman of the committee responsible for organizing the visits programme. This can include anything from a day trip to a Ricardian site, to a commemorative event held at Bosworth or Fotheringhay or a week in France.

Another officer maintains an archive of press cuttings and as a freelance photographer and illustrator he is able to provide a unique service to the Society.

Finally, the sale of books, especially those published through the Society, as well as occasional items of memorabilia, is a service provided for members, and, whilst the Sales Liaison Officer is not on the Executive, a close link is maintained through another officer.

Other activities undertaken by members of the Executive include liaison with the village of Fotheringhay and its church, with its very strong Ricardian connections; trustees of the Richard III & Yorkist History Trust, the charity arm of the society and of the Ricardian Churches Restoration Fund, which raises money to assist the five churches known to have been connected with Richard III.

The standing committees and working parties that report to the Executive include:

• The Research Committee is a group of academics and other interested parties who meet under the chairmanship of the Research Officer and whose rôle is to encourage research in Richard III and the later Middle Ages, to encourage the development of research groups within the Society and to develop the research programme of the Society.
• The Visits Committee is a group which took over the work of the late Joyce Melhuish, who for over twenty years organized all the Society’s official visits. The Committee’s remit has now been extended to cover the annual commemorative events of Bosworth, Fotheringhay and a Requiem Mass.
• The Website Committee develops the Society’s website. The Executive appreciates that in today’s technological age this is now the primary external face of the Society and the brief for this standing committee is to provide a substantial resource for the study of Richard III, the Wars of the Roses and the fifteenth century as well as to keep members updated about the Society’s activities on-line.
• The Public Relations, Publicity and the Media Committee under the chairmanship of the Reputation Management Officer ensures that the Society presents an effective and professional image in its external relationships and activities.
• The Bulletin Committee produces the Bulletin, the quarterly magazine of the Society. This publication is the key tool for communicating with the membership and, as well as updating them on all Society activities, provides a forum for discussion, news of related medieval topics and is a publication to which less experienced historians can contribute articles.
• The Annual Report Committee consists of a small team who produce the Society’s annual report. · The Constitution and Procedures Committee keeps the Society’s constitution under review and is currently preparing a procedures manual to provide a resource on how things are done within the Society.
• The Education Working Party serves to provide links with schools with a view to encouraging the promotion of an enlightened view of Richard III. Links with universities tends to be maintained through the Research Officer and the Editor of The Ricardian.

In addition to the above there are many other members of the Society who generously donate their time to provide a full range of services to the wider membership and the Executive would like to take this opportunity of acknowledging their important contribution in the fields of branch and group liaison, sales, membership services, library services, administration of research projects and events, the organization and administration of visits and the technical editing of the Society’s publications.

This may seem like a lot of bureaucracy for a Society of this size, but has proved necessary. Its justification may be seen in what the Society has achieved, and what it is continuing to achieve under the Society’s stated aims of promoting awareness of the life and times of Richard III.

The elected officers for the current Society year (2nd October 20065 - 1st October 2007) are:

President: Peter Hammond Peter joined the Society in the 1960s and served on the Executive Committee from 1970 until 2001. He was research officer for the same period. Vice President: Isolde Wigram Isolde Wigram re-founded the Society in 1956 and acted as secretary in the early years

Vice President: Carolyn Hammond Carolyn has been a member of the Society since the 1960s and served on the Executive Committee from 1965 to 2001. She was Librarian from 1970 to 2001 Vice President: John Audsley John is a long-standing member of the Yorkshire Branch, where he served as chairman for many years

Vice President: Kitty Bristow Kitty has been chairperson of the London and Home Counties Branch and an energetic fund raiser for the Society

Vice President: Rob Smith Rob is chairman/secretary of the New Zealand Branch

Chairman: Phil Stone Phil was Chairman of the London and Home Counties Branch from 1981 until he relinquished the post on his appointment as chairman in 2002. He was elected to the Committee in 1995

Executive Committee: Howard Choppin Howard was elected to the Committee in 2004 and is now Branch Liaison Officer and he also reports to the Committee on Society sales

Executive Committee: Marian Mitchell Marian was elected to the Committee in October 2005 and chairs the Society’s Visits Committee

Executive Committee: Wendy Moorhen Wendy was elected to the Committee in 1994 and was elected Research Officer in 2001. She has now taken on the role of Membership Liaison Officer.

Executive Committee: Lynda Pidgeon Lynda was elected to the Committee in 2006 and is the technical editor of the Bulletin and secretary of the Richard III Yorkist History Trust

Executive Committee: John Saunders John was first elected to the Committee in 1988 and is responsible for the Society’s strategy

Executive Committee: Anne Sutton Anne has served on the Committee since the 1970s and was appointed editor of The Ricardian in 1979

Executive Committee: Jane Trump Jane was elected to the Committee in 2001 and was elected as Secretary to the Society in 2006. She is also the Library Committee Liaison Officer and secretary of the Research Committee

Executive Committee: Neil Trump Neil was elected to the Committee in 1998 and is the Society’s Webmaster

Executive Committee: Richard Van Allen Richard was elected to the Committee in 2004 and is the Public Relations Officer and Deputy Chairman of the Society for 2006/2007.

Executive Committee: Geoffrey Wheeler Geoffrey is the longest-serving member of the Committee and was elected in 1969. He is the Audio-Visual Librarian and maintains the Society’s archive of press material relating to Richard IIII

Executive Committee: Lesley Boatwright (formeryly Wynne-Davies) Lesley was elected to the Committee in 1996. She is currently a member of the Research Committee and Bulletin Editorial Team