Register Book Original of the Royal Society
Item
Country
GB
Name of institution (official language of the state)
Language of name of institution
eng
Contact information: postal address
6-9 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5AG
Contact information: phone number
0044 2074512500
Contact information: web address
Contact information: email
library@royalsociety.org
Reference number
RBO
Type of reference number
Archival reference number
Title (official language of the state)
Register Book Original of the Royal Society
Language of title
eng
Creator / accumulator
The Royal Society
Date(s)
1661/1739
Language(s)
eng
lat
Extent
21 volumes and 2 index volumes
Type of material
Textual Material
Scope and content
The register books contain copies of scientific papers submitted to the Royal Society. The original documents may be found in the Classified Papers. Many of these papers were published in the scientific journal Philosophical Transactions. Some of them were written or communicated by Sephardic Jews who were Fellows of the Royal Society, namely Isaac de Sequeira Samuda and Jacob de Castro Sarmento. Some examples are the following:
RBO/11/75: "Description of a large fish" by Isaac de Sequeira Samuda, including a translation from the Gazeta de Lisboa (Gazette of Lisbon) and read to the Royal Society on February 14, 1722.
RBO/12/4: Observations of the comet from Francis Bianchini at Albany in October 1723, sent by Priest Giovanni Battista Carbone, communicated by Isaac de Sequeira Samuda, and read to the Royal Society on May 21, 1724.
RBO/12/36: Anatomical observations from Antonio Monrava communicated by Isaac de Sequeira Samuda, read to the Royal Society on May 21, 1724.
RBO/12/23: Paper concerning the differences in the meridian of Paris, London, and Lisbon sent by Giovanni Battista Carbone to Isaac de Sequeira Samuda and read to the Royal Society on April 15, 1725.
RBO/13/35: Astronomical observations of a solar eclipse witnessed at Lisbon by Giovanni Battista Carbone and transmitted by Isaac de Sequeira Samuda. 1728.
RBO/14/118: "An account of an uncommon Phaenomenon of the Verbascum in flower being part of a Letter from Jos Israel Carrillo Physician to the King of Tunis to Isaac de Sequeira Samuda". Carillo's original letter (August 25, 1728) and English translation: EL/C2/83 and EL/C2/84
RBO/15/58: Astronomical observations between 1728 and 1729, witnessed at Peking and communicated by Joannes Baptista Carbone to Jacob de Castro Sarmento, read to the Royal Society on February 18, 1730.
RBO/15/8: "History of the Royal Academy of Lusitana by Jacob de Castro Sarmento", read to the Royal Society on June 18, 1730.
RBO/16/3: "An account of the Gold Mines in Brazil belonging to the King of Portugal communicated in a letter to Cromwell Mortimer by Jacob de Castro Sarmento", read to the Royal Society on July 1, 1731.
RBO/11/75: "Description of a large fish" by Isaac de Sequeira Samuda, including a translation from the Gazeta de Lisboa (Gazette of Lisbon) and read to the Royal Society on February 14, 1722.
RBO/12/4: Observations of the comet from Francis Bianchini at Albany in October 1723, sent by Priest Giovanni Battista Carbone, communicated by Isaac de Sequeira Samuda, and read to the Royal Society on May 21, 1724.
RBO/12/36: Anatomical observations from Antonio Monrava communicated by Isaac de Sequeira Samuda, read to the Royal Society on May 21, 1724.
RBO/12/23: Paper concerning the differences in the meridian of Paris, London, and Lisbon sent by Giovanni Battista Carbone to Isaac de Sequeira Samuda and read to the Royal Society on April 15, 1725.
RBO/13/35: Astronomical observations of a solar eclipse witnessed at Lisbon by Giovanni Battista Carbone and transmitted by Isaac de Sequeira Samuda. 1728.
RBO/14/118: "An account of an uncommon Phaenomenon of the Verbascum in flower being part of a Letter from Jos Israel Carrillo Physician to the King of Tunis to Isaac de Sequeira Samuda". Carillo's original letter (August 25, 1728) and English translation: EL/C2/83 and EL/C2/84
RBO/15/58: Astronomical observations between 1728 and 1729, witnessed at Peking and communicated by Joannes Baptista Carbone to Jacob de Castro Sarmento, read to the Royal Society on February 18, 1730.
RBO/15/8: "History of the Royal Academy of Lusitana by Jacob de Castro Sarmento", read to the Royal Society on June 18, 1730.
RBO/16/3: "An account of the Gold Mines in Brazil belonging to the King of Portugal communicated in a letter to Cromwell Mortimer by Jacob de Castro Sarmento", read to the Royal Society on July 1, 1731.
Archival history
The papers were transcribed in the Register Books in order to establish their precedence for a particular discovery or idea. Therefore not all communications to the Royal Society were registered in this manner, but only those judged to contain some significant material.
The Register Books exist in Original and Copy form. The Original set was copied in the 18th century, possibly for reasons of security, as were the Journal Books and the Council Minutes. It is known that one volume of the Register was lost (Volume 2) and then recovered, but not before a replacement had been made, leaving three versions. A further copy of Volumes 1 and 2 of the Register was made and returned to the Society in 1814, being presented to Sir Joseph Banks. Volume 10 of the series does not exist — this was left as a deliberate gap in the sequence, to be filled if original papers became available for copying.
The Register Books exist in Original and Copy form. The Original set was copied in the 18th century, possibly for reasons of security, as were the Journal Books and the Council Minutes. It is known that one volume of the Register was lost (Volume 2) and then recovered, but not before a replacement had been made, leaving three versions. A further copy of Volumes 1 and 2 of the Register was made and returned to the Society in 1814, being presented to Sir Joseph Banks. Volume 10 of the series does not exist — this was left as a deliberate gap in the sequence, to be filled if original papers became available for copying.
Administrative / Biographical history
The Royal Society is the oldest national scientific society in the world and the leading British organisation for the promotion of scientific research. It originated on November 28, 1660, when 12 men met after a lecture at Gresham College, London, by Christopher Wren (1632-1723), then professor of astronomy at the college, and resolved to set up a college for the promoting of "Physico-Mathematicall Experimentall Learning". Those present included the scientists Robert Boyle (1627-91) and Bishop John Wilkins (1614-72) and the courtiers Sir Robert Moray (1609-73) and William, 2nd Viscount Brouncker (1620-84).
This group's ambition to create a national society devoted to the promotion of science was put into effect over the next few years, particularly through a charter of incorporation granted by Charles II in 1662 and revised in 1663. The royal charter provided an institutional structure for the society, with a president, treasurer, secretaries, and council. Though it had royal patronage almost from the start, the society has always remained a voluntary organisation, independent of the British state.
A key development of the Royal Society was the establishment in 1665 of a periodical that acted as the society's mouthpiece, the Philosophical Transactions, which still flourishes today as the oldest scientific journal in continuous publication.
The presidency of Isaac Newton from 1703 to 1727 saw this great mathematician and physicist asserting the society's dominant role in science in Britain and farther afield. Endowments from the 18th century onward made possible prizes for various aspects of science that are still awarded today. In the 1830s, a reform program reinvigorated the society and restored it to a prominence that it has retained ever since.
Since 1967, the society has occupied premises in Carlton House Terrace, London, where meetings are held, and the society's extensive archival and other resources are housed.
This group's ambition to create a national society devoted to the promotion of science was put into effect over the next few years, particularly through a charter of incorporation granted by Charles II in 1662 and revised in 1663. The royal charter provided an institutional structure for the society, with a president, treasurer, secretaries, and council. Though it had royal patronage almost from the start, the society has always remained a voluntary organisation, independent of the British state.
A key development of the Royal Society was the establishment in 1665 of a periodical that acted as the society's mouthpiece, the Philosophical Transactions, which still flourishes today as the oldest scientific journal in continuous publication.
The presidency of Isaac Newton from 1703 to 1727 saw this great mathematician and physicist asserting the society's dominant role in science in Britain and farther afield. Endowments from the 18th century onward made possible prizes for various aspects of science that are still awarded today. In the 1830s, a reform program reinvigorated the society and restored it to a prominence that it has retained ever since.
Since 1967, the society has occupied premises in Carlton House Terrace, London, where meetings are held, and the society's extensive archival and other resources are housed.
Access points: locations
Access points: persons, families
Access points: subject terms
Access points: document types
System of arrangement
Records are arranged chronologically.
Access, restrictions
Open
Finding aids
Volumes 1-5 contain some subject indexing; volumes 7, 11-17 and 20 have indexes to authors.
Links to finding aids
Existence and location of originals
Classified Papers
Author of the description
Carla Vieira, 2022
Bibliography
Linked resources
Filter by property
| Title | Alternate label | Class |
|---|---|---|
| The Royal Society | Collections (official language of the state) |