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Guidance on the Operation of the Society

  1. The Society shall be called the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society
  2. The objects of the Society shall be to promote the study of history, archaeology, antiquities, and architecture of the counties of Leicestershire and Rutland; and to furnish suggestions for the preservation of all past remains considered by the Committee to be of value and importance.
  3. Membership of the Society shall be open to persons who are interested in furthering the objects of the Society.
  4. The society shall be composed of Trustees, a President, Vice-Presidents, Secretaries, Librarian, Editors, Treasurer, Auditor, Honorary, Ordinary, and Associate Members, and Associated Societies.
  5. The President and Vice-Presidents shall be elected at an Annual General Meeting of the Society.
  6. The President and Vice-Presidents and the Honorary Members (who shall be persons who have rendered signal service to the Society, or are specially learned in the subjects the study of which it is formed to encourage) shall be nominated by the Committee at one of their Meetings, and proposed for election only at the Annual General Meeting of the Members. 
  7. The Society's year shall run from 1st May in one year to the 30th April in the next year, and subscriptions for that year shall be due on 1st May in each year. If any subscribing member is found to be more than one year in arrears or is found to be in breach of the aims of the Society as determined by the Committee, he or she shall be warned that his or her name will be removed from the list of members of the Society at the end of one month from the date of such warning. The Member shall have the right to make representations to the Committee either in writing or in person as to why his or her name should not be removed but the Committee's decision shall, after such representations have been duly considered, be final.
  8. Each Ordinary member shall pay an annual subscription, a sum determined by a General or Special Meeting of the Society as the current subscription, to be payable on the fifteenth day of May at the commencement of the Society's year. Each Ordinary Member shall receive a copy of the published volumes of the Society's Transactions, Leicestershire Historian and Newsletter in a publication format of their choice and shall be entitled to use the Library on terms to be laid down from time to time by the Committee, and attend all the Society's Meetings and Excursions. The subscription paid by Ordinary members will reflect the format of publications chosen. 
  9. Associate Members shall pay an annual subscription, a sum determined by a General or Special Meeting of the Society as the current subscription, to be payable on the fifteenth day of May at the commencement of the Society's year. Associate Members shall be entitled to use the Library on terms to be laid down from time to time by the Committee, and attend all the Society's Meetings and Excursions. Associate Members shall not receive a copy of Transactions or Leicestershire Historian. 
  10. Persons who are full-time students shall be eligible to become Student Members at the discretion of the Committee or Membership Secretary. They shall be eligible to all the privileges of an Associate Member. However, students under the age of eighteen years may not vote at Meetings of the Society nor may they serve on any Committee of the Society.
  11. Any Society formed for the encouragement of historical or archaeological research, and any educational institution, may at the discretion of the Committee, be appointed to the Affiliated Membership class. Affiliated members shall pay an annual subscription, a sum determined by a General or Special Meeting of the Society as the current subscription, to be payable on the fifteenth day of May at the commencement of the Society's year. Affiliated members shall be entitled to received one copy of each published volume of Transactions and all other printed literature of the Society.
  12. Honorary, Ordinary and Associate Members and Affiliated Societies shall each be entitled to one vote when present at any meeting of the Society. For this purpose, Member-Societies and Institutions (whether Ordinary Members or Affiliated Societies) shall each be entitled to appoint a representative to act as their proxy at any meeting. In the event of an equality of votes, the Chairman of the meeting shall have a second or casting vote.
  13. Under delegated powers from the Trustees, the affairs of the Society shall be conducted by a Committee composed of the Secretaries, Librarian, Editors, Treasurer, and up to twenty Ordinary, Associate or Student members, all of whom shall be elected annually; five members of the Committee to form a quorum.
  14. The Society shall arrange a programme of lectures, demonstrations, discussions and similar presentations to be held regularly at a time and place to be determined by the Committee. There shall also be an Annual General Meeting, at which the Annual Report and Statement of Accounts shall be presented and the Officers and Committee for the year shall be elected. At least twenty-one-days’ notice of the Annual General Meeting shall be given to members and twelve members of the Society shall form a quorum. Nominations for the Officers and Committee should be received by the Honorary Secretary at least fourteen days before the Annual Meeting. Any new rules or alterations to the rules may also be approved at the Annual General Meeting providing always that due notice of such new rules or alterations to the rules shall have been given by circular to each member of the Society in the notice calling the meeting and further provided that no alteration shall be made to these rules that would cause the Society to cease to be a Charity at law.
  15. The Committee shall have the power to fill vacancies in their number, and also vacancies among the Officers of the Society.
  16. Any Committee member who misses five consecutive Committee Meetings shall be deemed to have resigned.
  17. The Committee shall elect each year a Chairman and shall have power to appoint such Sub-Committees as appear to it to be advisable provided that such sub-committees report back fully and promptly their acts and proceedings to the Committee.
  18. The Committee shall meet at the times and places that they may themselves appoint. Not less than five meetings shall be held each year.
  19. The Committee shall be required, on the requisition of twenty Members of the Society, to call a Special General Meeting of the Society. Not less than fourteen-days’ notice shall be given to Members of such a Meeting and the notice shall specify the reason or purpose of the Meeting.
  20. The Committee shall be empowered to receive donations and to make purchases on behalf of the Society.
  21. The Society shall publish, for circulation among its Members, Transactions, Leicestershire Historian and a Newsletter which shall contain papers and other information connected with the objects of the Society. The Society may also undertake the publication of other works, on the recommendation of the Committee. The Editors shall be responsible for the publication of the Transactions, Leicestershire Historian, Newsletter and of such other works of scholarship as the Society may issue, subject to the approval of the Committee.
  22. The Committee shall have power at any of its Meetings to make grants to further the objects of the Society. The Committee shall make arrangements to open Bank accounts for custody of the Society's funds, such accounts to be in the custody of the Treasurer who, together with the Chairman and Officers, shall be authorised to sign cheques on the Society's behalf.
  23. The Committee shall appoint from among the Members of the Society, Trustees who shall hold in Trust the property of the Society. The number shall be not more than seven nor less than three who (apart from the initial trustees) serve for terms of three years. A trustee who has served for three consecutive terms may not be reappointed for a fourth consecutive term but may be reappointed after an interval of at least one year, followed by a second term of three years (if they so wish) before retiring.
  24. The Trustees shall meet at least once in each of the Society's financial years. The Committee shall have power to remove from office a Trustee who in their opinion has ceased to exercise his or her duties as Trustee or who has for any reason ceased to be able to exercise those duties and shall give not less than seven-days’ notice to the Trustee of their intention to remove him or her from office. However, the Trustee concerned shall be entitled to make representations to the Committee either in writing or in person giving reasons why he should not be removed from office. The Committee's decision shall, after due consideration of such representations be final.
  25. The Society may be dissolved by a resolution supported by not less than two thirds of those present and voting at an Annual General Meeting or Special General Meeting called for that purpose of which at least twenty-one-days’ notice shall have been given to all members. Such resolution may give instructions for the disposal of any assets held by, or in the name of, the Society, providing that if any property remains after the satisfaction of all debts and liabilities, such property shall not be paid to or distributed among the members, but shall be given or transferred to such other charitable institution or institutions whose objects are similar to those of the Society and whose rules preclude the distribution of income and assets among its members. Any such resolution shall not become effective unless and until it has been confirmed by a similar resolution supported by not less than two thirds of those present and voting at a Special General Meeting called for the purpose held within three months of the former meeting and of which at least twenty-one-days’ notice specifying the purpose of the meeting shall have been given to all members.
  26. The Committee's decisions on the interpretation of these Rules shall be final and binding on all Members of the Society

Rules revised when Society moved to CIO status. This page last updated M.G.Beamish 9/5/2022