The establishment featured in the early vision for the College. In April 1933, A E Giles (1864-1936) was elected as the first Honorary Librarian and a Library Committee was formed. Giles became Resident Librarian in 1937. After the Second World War this post was discontinued, and in 1946 W J Bishop (1903- 1961) became part-time librarian (later Consultant Librarian). Hitherto the collection had been primarily historical, but when the College moved to new purpose-built premises in 1960, the Library was an important element in the design of the new building and it extended its activities to cover current literature in the specialty. Grant funding from the Wellcome Trust enabled major developments in the 1960s and in 1970 the Library premises were further extended. Meanwhile, the rare book collections continued to grow. Notable donors included Roy Samuel Dobbin (1873-1939), Sir Eardley Holland (1879-1967), and Miles Phillips (1875-1965). In 2000, the Library Committee changed its name to become the Information Services Committee in order to reflect the developing activities of the Library in this area. In 2001 it assumed additional responsibilities with regard to Information Technology and the College website from the previous Information Technology Committee and Website Working Group. In the same year, the Library became the major constituent, along with the College Archives, of a new department, the Information Services Department. The Information Services Committee met for the last time in March 2003. The Information Services Department continued to function, reporting to Services Board, and in 2005 acquired responsibility for the College web-site.
The first meeting of the Standing Advisory Committee on Obstetric Anaesthesia and Analgesia was held on 16 February 1982. The Committee was comprised of three representatives of the Royal College of Gynaecologists and three representatives of the Faculty of Anaesthetists, to 'consider and make recommendations on matters of common interest to its parent bodies' (minutes, ref: C20/5). It agreed on the following areas of common interest in teaching: anaesthesia for operative deliveries, pain relief in labour, obstetric intensive care and resuscitation of the newborn. In 1987 a Working Party on Resuscitation of the Newborn was formed by the Committee and included representatives from the Royal Colleges of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, Anaesthetists, and Midwives, and from the British Paediatric Association. Its aim was to produce two instruction manuals covering basic resuscitation of the newborn and the special skills needed for advanced resuscitation. From 1995 the Standing Advisory Committee became known as the Standing Joint Committee of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the Royal College of Anaesthetists, following a review of the functions the committee performed. Its new terms of reference became: to discuss and advise on matters of mutual interest and concern in both obstetric and gynaecological anaesthesia, and to report routinely on discussions by submission of minutes to Councils. The Chair reported to the Finance and Executive Committee, then later to the Standards Board; traditionally the committee met twice a year.
A joint working party on gynaecological pathology was set up on the recommendation of the RCOG's Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) under the chairmanship of Mr S C Simmons. The working party was not given precise terms of reference but invited to report on all aspects of gynaecological histopathology exclusive of cytology. It reported in July 1988. In November 1986, a joint working party on fetal and perinatal pathology was established under the chairmanship of Professor G M Stirrat. Its remit was to consider earlier recommendations on the same subject made by a SAC sub-committee on fetal and perinatal pathology which had been disbanded in March 1986. The working party produced its final report in November 1988. In 1998 a working party was formed to review and update the 1988 fetal and perinatal pathology report. The party also included a co-opted member to represent the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. Its first meeting took place on 11 December 1998, with a final report published in June 2001. The working party addressed several topics, including: subspecialisation and regionalisation; minimal standards for perinatal autopsy; neural investigation; DNA imaging; the role of IT; training; ultrasound; consent; transportation of babies over long distances; funding; HIV testing; stillbirth; storage of tissue.
Following on from two previous reports 'Towards Safer Childbirth' between the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the Royal College of Midwives in 1994 and 1999, this third working party incorporated membership from the Royal Colleges of Anaesthetists, and Paediatrics and Child Health. The group reviewed the topic following changes in the National Health Service and concern over staffing levels and multiprofessional working.
This working party was established by the Councils of the two Colleges in July 1980 'to consider training in obstetrics and gynaecology for general practice, having regard to undergraduate education and training'. It met 14 times and published a report in November 1981 recommending realistic and satisfactory education for general practitioners so there can be a closer integration in maternal care between the general the doctor and the hospital maternity units.
By the early 1980s improvements in the management of very small babies meant that many were surviving below the 28 week gestation period on which abortion legislation was based. A joint committee representing the RCOG, British Paediatric Association, Royal College of General Practitioners, Royal College of Midwives and the British Medical Assocociation was formed to consider the subject and formulate a joint statement on the issue. The Department of Health and Social Security sent observers. The statement was issued in 1985.
The Ad Hoc Committee to Advise on Obstetric Analgesia and Anaesthesia including all Methods of Relief of Pain in Labour was established on 28 November 1970. It was formed on the recommendation of the Council of the RCOG, with representatives from the College, Central Midwives Board, Royal College of Midwives, Faculty of Anaesthetists, Association of Obstetric Anaesthetists and British Paediatric Association. It was chaired by Dame Josephine Barnes. The Committee made several reports on its investigations, including submissions to the Department of Health. It was disbanded in 1975.
In July 1968, RCOG Council produced a report on Hospital Obstetrics and the General Practitioner, following changes in the NHS. The report commented on General Practitioner Maternity Units and was drafted in discussion with the RCGP and the Univeristy of Liverpool. In 1972 a Joint Working Party between the RCOG and Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) was convened to discuss the training requirements in obstetrics for the General Practitioner. At its first meeting on 13th July 1972, the party discussed an initial working paper produced by Sir Norman Jeffcoate (RCOG) and Dr P O'Brien (RCGP). The party met on six occasions and produced a report in March 1974 (a copy is in C7/1/2). In September 1980 a Joint Working Party on Training in Obstetrics and Gynaecology for General Practitioners was formed, following circulation of the two aforementioned reports. R M Feroze (FRCOG) acted as Chairman. The Working Party was to consider training in obstetrics and gynaecology for general practice, having regard to undergraduate education and training, and to make recommendations. The party met 14 times and produced a report in November 1981 (two copies are enclosed in C7/4/5). Ten years later in 1990, a second joint College working group was convened to review the recommendations of the 1980 working party and to determine the progress made in their implementation. They reported in February 1992, making 'Recommendations for Arrangements for General Practitioner Vocational Training in Obstetrics and Gynaecology. In 1975 a Joint Research Committee of the RCOG and RCGP was established to undertake a 'Study into the Attitudes to Pregnancy'. It's main objectives were to compare the subsequent experience of women who require an induced abortion with that of other pregnant women, with special reference to reproductive efficiency, mental health and morbidity. The study was originally entitled 'Study of Sequelae of Induced and Spontaneous Abortion', but was renamed because of the need to include women as controls in the study who were not having abortions. The study arose because of a request from the Department of Health and Social Security in 1972 about the after effects of termination of pregnancy. The study was piloted three times, but was eventually postposed in 1978.
The first meeting of the Joint RCOG/Royal College of Radiologists Ultrasound Group was held on 27 February 1986. Its brief was to 'draw up a training programme for obstetric ultrasound for medical practitioners' (minutes, ref. C9/M/1). At its second meeting the group proposed that a Standing Joint Committee be established between the two Colleges. The Ultrasound Group produced a final report on its recommendations for a training programme and was dissolved on 10 November 1986 after four meetings. The Standing Joint Committee of the RCOG/RCR convened on 18 May 1987, having been established in response to the recommendations of the report of the Ultrasound Group. Its remit was 'to oversee the training in obstetric ultrasound in accordance with the Group's report' (minutes, ref. C9/M/1). The Committee was to promote and maintain standards in obstetric ultrasound generally, and to regulate and monitor training arrangements. It was also responsible for assessing and recommending approval of practical training centres, theoretical courses and trainees' log books. By 2008, the remit and objectives of the Committee remained the same; it reported to the Education Board of the RCOG and the RCR Council. The function of the Committee was to organise and supervise basic ultrasound training in obstetric ultrasound (MRCOG Logbook) and the Joint College Diploma. This included: recommending training standards; accrediting and monitoring practical training centres; organising the theoretical course; supervising other means of assessment such as logbooks and OSCE; responding with advice on issues raised by either College Council relating to Obstetric Ultrasound; raising with either College Council issues in obstetric ultrasound which the Committee felt should be considered more broadly.
FIGO 'the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics' was established in 1954 to bring together professional societies of obstetricians and gynecologists on a global basis. It is incorporated under the Swiss Civil Code but has a Secretariat based in London. Since its foundation, every three years FIGO has organised a World Congress of Gynecology and Obstetrics.
RCOG press releases are concise written statements distributed to the media to announce newsworthy events in relation to the College or obstetrics and gynaecology.
Since the opening of the Royal College of Music (RCM) building in 1894, the College has undergone a series of extensions and additions. Of particular note are the extension block, constructed 1963-1964, and officially opened in November 1965, and the new Dining Room, Library, and Britten Opera Theatre designed by the Casson Condor Partnership, 1982-1986. The bulk of the plans held by the RCM pertain to this latter scheme, but also represented are drawings by Norman and Dawbarn of the Concert Hall, existing floor plans and plans of extensions to the RCM, squash court [proposed but never built], vault practice rooms and Parry Opera Theatre, opera school and students' recreation room, 1960-1973; a new Opera School staircase by Building Design Workshop North West, 1979; the refurbishment of the RCM Concert Hall by the Essex Goodman Design Company, 1990.
The first Registrar of the Royal College of Music (RCM), George Watson, was appointed in 1882, to manage student admission, administration and awards. The post has since been held as follows: Frank Pownall, 1896-1913; Claude L C Aveling, 1914-1935; Basil C Allchin, 1935-1939; Hugo V Anson, 1939-1958; John R Stainer, 1959-1975; Michael Gough Matthews, 1976-1984; Jasper L Thorogood, 1984-1988. The registers of students of the RCM form the chief source of information on students for the period prior to 1977, giving details of student's background and academic progress and accomplishments. The registers of Scholarship applications give details of name, address, age, subject, and results of those who competed for open scholarships of the RCM. The registers of student applications give details of those who applied for admission as students of the RCM, and give addresses, subject of examinations taken and application fees.
The Junior Department of the RCM was begun in 1897 with 16 pupils, following an aborted scheme of 1895 which had proposed to divide the College into 'Upper' and 'Lower' divisions, though admittedly based on musical experience and ability rather than age. In 1926 a new Junior Department was established on the advice of Angela Bull (the Director's Appointment's Secretary and subsequently General Supervisor of the Junior Department) and Percy Buck, then a Professor at the RCM, which consisted of 36 Junior Exhibitioners from London County Council schools who were taught at the RCM by 36 members of the Teachers' Training Class. By 1966 the Junior Department had grown to 345 pupils of whom 226 were exhibitioners, and a teaching staff of over 100.
The position of Vice Director of the RCM was established in 1978, and was frequently used alongside the offices of Registrar and/or Director of Studies. The post is presently called Deputy Director.
The Associated Board (AB) of the Royal Academy of Music (RAM) and the Royal College of Music (RCM) was established in 1889 following a proposal by Alexander McKenzie, the Principal of the RAM, to establish a joint body to conduct examinations in practical and theoretical musical subjects and publish music and pedagogical materials. In addition to the Principal of the RAM and the Director of the RCM, each institution appointed five other members under the chairmanship of Lord Charles Bruce. The Hon Secretary of the RCM became its Honorary Treasurer, and the Registrar of the RCM became Secretary of the AB. The Board became the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music followed the accession of the Royal Northern College of Music and the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama to the Board. The degree of Graduate of the Royal Schools of Music (GRSM) was introduced in 1930.
A meeting convened by the Prince of Wales at Marlborough House in 1878 had proposed to amalgamate the Royal Academy of Music and the National Training School for Music into a new national music conservatoire, and a charter was drafted. Following the failure of the RAM to enter the scheme, a new charter was drafted in 1880, which proposed particularly that the new Royal College of Music should raise funds to provide for the maintenance as well as the education of certain of its students. The Prince of Wales accepted the presidency of the College's Council, and George Grove became a member of the Council and Executive Committee in July 1881. The draft charter for the proposed Royal College of Music of 1880 had provided for a Council to be the governing body of the College, constituted of three ex-officio members (the President, Principal and Vice-Principal) and thirty other ordinary members. However from 1883 until 1970, the Director sat 'in attendance' with the Council and was not an ex-officio member. Thereafter the Director and other staff were eligible to be appointed Council members, and this was extended in 1975 to include three additional members of staff appointed by the Board of Professors. The President of the Council (normally a royal personage) was also Chairman of the Council between 1882-1965. Thereafter the Chair has been held as follows: Rt Hon Lord Redcliffe Maud, 1965-1972; Col the Hon Sir Gordon Palmer, 1973-1987; Leopold de Rothschild, 1987-1999; Sir Anthony Cleaver, 1999-. The Presidency of the Council has been held as follows: Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, 1882-1901; George, Prince of Wales, 1901-1910; Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein, 1910-1918; Edward, Prince of Wales, 1918-1936; George, Duke of Kent, 1936-1942; Princess Elizabeth, 1943-1952; Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, 1952-1992; Charles, Prince of Wales, 1993-.
The Executive and Finance Committees were originally separate entities from creation in 1883, but merged in May 1884. A Finance Committee met separately from the Executive Committee, Mar 1923-Feb 1939, having been instructed by the Council to 'to consider the present system of College finance with a view to the production of a duly audited balance sheet, and to a clearer presentment of the money...for ordinary expenditure'. The Executive and Finance Committee last met in 1991 and it was thereafter reconstituted as the Executive Committee.
The RCM Ladies and Visiting Committee was formed to liaise between the Executive Committee and the Superintendent of the Pupils' board houses on the one hand, and the students living in private houses.
The Building Committee's main business from 1981 was to oversee the construction of the Britten Opera Theatre, alterations to the Library, the Dining Room and Students' Recreation Room.
Ernest Palmer (later 1st Baron Palmer of Reading) endowed the 'Royal College of Music Patron's Fund' with £20,000 in 1903 for 'the encouragement of native composers by the performance of their works'. The first use of the funds was to give public concerts of new chamber and orchestral works from 1904. In 1925, he supplemented his Patron's Fund with a Fund for Opera Study, as well as contributions to the fabric of the building.
George Grove became a member of the Council and Executive Committee of the proposed Royal College of Music (RCM) in July 1881, and became its first Director in 1882, rather through his abilities in organizing the many fund raising and administrative meetings required prior to the College's opening than by an official appointment. Through Grove, the Director's role gained wide-ranging powers of policy and administration subject to the College's Council. Grove retired in 1894. He was succeeded by Sir Hubert Parry (1895-1918), Sir Hugh Allen (1919-1937), Sir George Dyson (1938-1952), Sir Ernest Bullock (1953-1959), Sir Keith Falkner (1960-1974), Sir David Willcocks (1974-1984), Michael Gough Mathews (1985-1983) and Dr Janet Ritterman (1993-).
The Board of Professors was established from the outset of the College in 1883, in continuance of a similar system previously operating in the National Training School for Music, to assist in general educational matters and policy within the College. The first Board consisted of 10 professors, supported by a larger panel of 30 other teachers. In 1975 the Council decided that three additional members of staff appointed by the Board of Professors were to be eligible to be members of the Council.
Financial administration at the Royal College of Music (RCM) was the responsibility of the Finance Office, under the management of the Bursar.
Tom Haigh was a student at the Royal College of Music in organ and piano, 1894-1898.
The post of Bursar of the Royal College of Music was created in 1923, with responsibility, under the Council, for the financial administration, property and buildings of the College. Its first incumbent was Mr E J N Polkinghorne, previously Head of the office staff at the RCM, who held the office until 1946, to be followed by Ernest Stammers (1946-1956), Capt John T Shrimpton RN (1957-1971); Maj D A Imlay (1972-1984); Aidan P Miller (1984-1987) and Col W M Morgan (1987-1999). Following reorganisation the post was reconstituted as Head of Resources, with responsibility for the Secretariat, Finance Department, Personnel, Information Services, the Britten Theatre and Estates.
The Royal College of General Practitioners was founded on 28 February 1952. It was decided early on to have regional faculties to relieve the College council of local responsibilies connected with activities of the College. These activities would largely deal with undergraduate education, postgraduate education and research, working in close liaison with local medical schools and universities. The faculties are a resource which generate social and professional contact with peers, and facilitates contact between GPs and those who work in local primary health care. Many faculties are seen as local providers of general practice education. In addition, many produce newsletters designed to keep members informed on local initiatives and provide a medium for members to exchange information and ideas. Faculties mirror the organisation of central Council, the governing body of the College. Each is run by a Faculty board and has a chairman, honorary secretary, treasurer and a number of elected members. At least one representative from each Faculty sits on the College Council.
The first faculty North East England was formed on 4th April 1953. On 28th March and 2 May 1953 statements were published in the BMJ and Lancet on proposed regional faculties in London, Home Counties (South); Home Counties (North); Thames Valley (Oxford); East Anglia (Cambridge); South-West (Bristol); Midland (Birmingham); North Midland (Sheffield); East and West Riding (Leeds); North-West Regional (Manchester); Merseyside (Liverpool); North-East Regionanl (Newcastle); Welsh (Cardiff); South-East Scottish (Edinburgh); West Scottish (Glasgow); East Scottish (Dundee); North-East Scottish (Aberdeen); North Scottish (Inverness) and Northern Ireland (Belfast).
By 1969 the number of faculties had grown to twenty in Great Britain and fifteen overseas and currently [2001] there are 31 faculties in Great Britain.
The College of General Practitioners was founded in October 1952 in an atmosphere of wanting to improve standards of general practice. It was felt that the creation of lectureships and awards for outstanding achievement would help towards building up an academic base of a speciality with few academic traditions and no university departments. The College currently [2002] has over twenty awards, some open to competition and some by nomination.
Most of awards are administered by the Awards Committee, chaired by the President. This Committee was founded in 1955, in 1966 it merged with the Ethics Committee to be the Awards and Ethics Committee but in 1985 it reverted to its original title.
One of the Awards Committee's first acts in 1955 was to agree that some of money donated by founder members to establish the College be used for a Foundation Council Award, to be given occasionally for "work of the highest merit in the realm of general practice or for service of the greatest distinction to the cause of general practice". The same year, 1955 they awarded the first Butterworth Gold medal [an essay competition] as well as creating Honorary Fellowship [for non members of the College] and a strictly limited grade of membership - Fellowship "To be awarded to members of at least five years standing who had rendered special service to general practice and/or the College."
The first lectureship was named after Sir James Mackenzie(1853-1925) and was delivered at the second AGM in 1954 by William Pickles (1885-1969) the first President of the College. Sir Denis Pereira Gray [Forty Years On. RCGP. 1992 page 81] described this decision "[A named lecture] has the effect both of keeping the memory of the person alive ... whilst honouring someone of a new generation at the same time. It can also provide a valuable focus for an event and help to hold the members of an organisation together by uniting them around a set of shared values ... it publicly valued research, reminding the whole membership that as far back as the 1890's, Mackenzie, a British general practitioner was publishing world class research". This major lectureship given at every AGM, concentrates on clinical themes and is always published originally in The Practitioner and laterly in the College's own journal BJGP.
The second major lectureship of the College is the William Pickles lectureship, which was founded in 1968, is usually given during the annual provincial Spring symposium of the College and has an educational theme.
A third lectureship was established in 1992 to commemorate the College's fortieth anniversary. It is named after John Hunt (1905-1987)and is given by someone who is not medically qualified. The inaugural lecturer was HRH The Prince of Wales.
The College is made up of many regional faculties, many of which have developed their own lectures and awards. The first of these was the Gale memorial lecture of the South West Faculty [now the Severn Faculty] in 1957. Many new lectureships have been founded by faculties since the 1980's after the deaths of many distinguished early members of the College e.g. George Swift (Wessex Faculty 1982) and Robin Pinsent (Midland Faculty 1992) lectures.
Other awards include the Upjohn Travelling Fellowship (from 1957); Undergraduate Essay competition (from 1957); James Mackenzie prize for clinical research (from 1961); Astra Awards for trainees (from 1977); George Abercrombie award for outstanding contributions to the literature of general practice (from 1970); Fraser Rose gold medal for highest marks in membership examination(from 1972); Sir Harry Jephcott Visiting Professorship to a British University (from 1972); John Hunt Fellowship to be College Education Dean (1974); Patient Participation award(from 1996); John Fry award for research by a young member (from 1995); Kuenssberg award for an important advance in the provision of medical care in general practice (from 1984) and The President's Medal from 1998).
The Royal College of General Practitioners was founded in November 1952 to provide an ?academic headquarters for general practice [and] to raise the standards and status of general practice?. The founders of the college wanted it to encourage, guide and co-ordinate research into the problems of general practice. They recognised that general practitioners were in a unique position, they could follow diseases of their patients through all their stages, they had a registered list of patients in which to collect morbidity information and were already keeping standard information in patient records.
One of the first things the new College did in Janaury 1953 was to form a Research Committee, convened by Robin Pinsent (1917-1988). It?s first meeting was held in Bath and although a Council Committee it was for many years administered in Birmingham where Pinsent was based. Advertisements were placed in the British Medical Journal and The Lancet on 31st January 1953 asking for those who were interested in research to place their name on the College?s research register. By the end of 1954 there were over three hundred members on the register. The idea of the register was to bring together people of similar interests so that they could collaborate and get to know what ground had already been covered. A panel was formed to co-ordinate research and give advice and guidance. Doctors with an interest in a particular disease could select co-workers from the register.
A research newsletter was started in September 1953, this initially just went to members of the register but the growth interest led to the register being sent to all members and associates of the College and in January 1958 it was renamed the Journal of the College of General Practitioners [now the British Journal of General Practice]. There was still a need for a clearing house of ideas between members of the register and so the Research Committee started publishing Between Ourselves (1956-1968).
The Research committee published A Guide to Research In General Practice in 1962 to train aspiring general practitioners in research methodology. The second edition published in 1969 was entitled A Handbook of General Practice Research.
The regional faculties of the College were encouraged to set up their own Research Committees and the Council Research Committee maintained a register of all research carried out by College members and associates.
It became clear that it became clear that various different strands of research were being carried out including single practice research such as by John Fry (1922-1995) and multi practice research. The Research Committee organised multi-practice research often through ad hoc working parties. This enabled research such as national morbidity studies to be carried out on a much larger scale than could be undertaken by a small group of workers or by a faculty.
Other activities of the Research Committee were setting up study groups for long term investigations e.g. respiratory diseases; the Research Foundation board (1960-1976, at which point it amalgamated with the Education Foundation to form the Scientific Foundation Board) which awarded grants for research and the Records Unit (1959-1965 later Records and Statistical Unit). This unit was a statistical advisory service and grew out of the experience gained in the first National Morbidity Study of 1955-1956 which had to devise and perfect its own methods of working. The unit devised a classification system for disease known as the ?E Book? after Dr T S Eimerl. The E books developed into a diagnostic index. Other tools developed were the ?Age-Sex Register? by Arthur Watts which was designed so that the contents could be used as punch-cards for computers and the records summary or ?S Card? by James Scott.
In 1966 a Research Department was formed ?The maintenance of high standards of research recording in general practice has never been so difficult. There are now fewer doctors in practice and their capacity to meet the needs of their patients is severely strained. Research work must never be undertaken at the expense of patient care and is an addition to the practitioner?s heavy load. If standards are to be maintained every possible step must be taken to lighten the extra commitments that so many general practitioners now voluntarily assume [annual report 1966].? It was renamed the research division in 1976 which was chaired by Clifford Kay and aimed to advise on research policy, co-ordinate the work of the College research units [See ARE Records of Research Units], encourage primary care research in Britain and abroad. Between 1979 and 1994 Research Intelligence was published by the division giving information on primary care research. The College was restructured in 1988 and the Research Division became the Clinical and Research Division.
The Royal College of General Practitioners was founded in 1952 to provide an `academic headquarters for general practice [and] to raise the standards and status of general practice'.
Although various attempts were made in the nineteenth century to found a college to represent general practitioners it was not until the founding of the National Health Service in 1948 that the need became urgent. General practice became responsible for all personal medical care and the gateway for individuals to access hospital, specialist care and sickness benefit. However, general practitioners were not able to cope with such a massively expanded service without a reciprocal rise in physical, financial and administrative support. J S Collings, an Australian visitor to England in 1950 reported that he had observed exhausted and demoralised doctors, hurried work and low standards.
A small group of general practitioners decided to do something to improve matters. They wanted to provide leadership, raise standards of education, practice and research through the establishment of a dedicated college for general practitioners. In 1951 a meeting was held and by February 1952 a steering committee was formed. The committee included seven general practitioners and five sympathetic consultants and was chaired by a former Minister of Health, Sir Henry Willink. Other members included Drs. Fraser Rose, Geoffrey Barber, Talbot Rogers and John Hunt. After only eight meetings the new College of General Practitioners was legally constituted in Nov 1952.
Unlike the other medical colleges the Royal College of General Practitioners has a federal structure with regional faculties and Scottish [1953] and Welsh [1968] councils as well as the College council. The College council meets five times a year and is made up of representatives from the 33 faculties as well as 18 elected members. There are five Honorary officers elected by Council: Chair, two Vice-Chairs, an Honorary Secretary and Honorary Treasurer. The President is elected by membership in a national ballot and like the Honorary officers holds office for three years.
The College of General Practitioners received the prefix `Royal' in 1967 and was presented with its Royal Charter in 1972. In 1972 HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh was appointed an Honorary Fellow and became President of the College - since relinquishing the post he has been the College's patron. In 1992, the College's fortieth year HRH The Prince of Wales accepted the Presidency.
The College purchased its London Princes Gate headquarters, the former residence of the American ambassador, in 1962.
Membership was opened in January 1953 and within six weeks 1655 doctors had joined. By the time of the first AGM in November 1953 committees had been established to consider education for under and post graduates and for general practice research.
An examination committee was formed in November 1954 "to give full and detailed study to an examination as a possible method of entry to Membership of the College..." but the first examination for membership [MRCGP] of the RCGP was not held until in 1965 and three years later the examination became the sole method of entry to the College. A new higher class of membership "Fellowship" was formed in 1967, this was traditionally awarded to College members who had made a contribution to the development of general practice and/or to the College. A second route to Fellowship started in 1989 with Fellowship By Assessment [FBA]. An examination board was established in 1987. In November 1995 a working group MAP [Membership by Assessment of Performance] was set up to look into alternate ways of membership than examination with the proviso that such alternative assessment must be of equivalent status and rigour to the MRCGP examination.
Other major activities of the College have included successfully campaigning for compulsory vocational training through its submission to the Todd report [1966]; establishing of university departments in general practice; research including national mortality surveys and oral contraception studies; quality initiatives "What Sort of Doctor" [1985] and clinical practice evaluation CPEP [1998]; patients liaison [1983]; Commission on Primary Care [1991]; work on clinical research and medical ethics; international relations (including helping to form equivalent colleges in other countries) and publications including the British Journal of General Practice. The Royal College of General Practitioners has worked together with other Colleges, medical institutions and government departments on an ongoing basis and on an ad hoc basis to produce specific reports and policy statements.
In 1981 the College was restructured with the creation of four divisions: communications, education, membership and research these were reduced to three in 1987 with "services to members and faculties", "clinical and research" and education. In 1993 the division structure was replaced by four co-ordinating networks covering education, research, quality and services. Each network is supported by committees and task forces concentrating on a specific subject. E.g. prescribing, nutrition, AIDS, inner city, rural, maternity care, substance abuse, women in general practice.
Central records are created by the College Council, Committees, working parties and task forces and those departments based in the College's headquarters in London, including corporate affairs which administers the Council and Committee system which the formulates college policy; administration of the College, examinations, membership, courses, publications, press and PR, finance, information, development and sales.
The Royal College of General Practitioners was founded in November 1952 to provide an `academic headquarters for general practice [and] to raise the standards and status of general practice'.
The founders of the college wanted it to encourage, guide and co-ordinate research into the problems of general practice. A Research Committee was formed in January 1953 [See Central Records ACE G]. The college was to be a centre for family doctors to pool knowledge and experience. Advertisements were placed in the BMJ and The Lancet asking for those who were interested in research to place their name on the college's research register. A panel was formed to co-ordinate research and give advice and guidance.
Through the research register and publications in the college's research newsletter (1953-1959) it became clear that various different strands of research were being carried out including single practice research such as by John Fry (1922-1995) and multi practice research such as College organised studies' in morbidity [1958-1995] and into the effect of antibiotics on measles (1953). The college was pleased with the success of the multi-practice research and wanted to develop the research programme, there was, in the 1950's and early 1960's no university doing general practice research and so the solution was to encourage leading enthusiasts to develop units in and around their practices and their homes. These units provided practical tools and links to those interested in research across the country.
Ian Watson founded the Epidemic Observation Unit in 1953 to collate, analyse and lead groups of general practitioners who reported syndromes and shared information, mainly about infectious diseases. It was based at Peaslake, Surrey. After Watson's death in 1979 the unit was for a while linked with the University of Surrey and led by Professor Paul Grob.[See Records of RCGP Central Departments ACE G15].
The Birmingham Research Unit, directed by Dr. D. Crombie and assisted by Dr. R. Pinsent (College Research Adviser). The Unit was founded at Crombie's suburban practice in 1962 soon after the first National Morbidity Survey. The results of its study of diabetes, published in the British Medical Journal in 1962, brought the quality of its research to the attention of the medical world for the first time. The unit played a major part in disseminating the use of the age-sex and disagnostic registers thoughout general practice. Dr. D. Fleming took over as Director of the Unit upon the retirement of Dr. Crombie.
Scottish General Practitioner Research Support Unit: The Scottish General Practitioner Research Support Unit, directed by Professor Knox of the University of Dundee. The Unit was set up jointly by the Scottish Council of the Royal College of General Practitioners and the Scottish Home and Health Department in 1971. Funding from the Scottish Home and Health Department ceased in October 1980. In March 1985 the Unit became independent of the College and its activities were absorbed by the University of Dundee's Department of General Practice.
Manchester Research Unit: The Manchester Research Unit was founded in 1968 and became the Centre for Primary Care Research and Epidemiology on its relocation in 1997, to the Department of General Practice and Primary Care at the University of Aberdeen. Since 1968, the Centre has been principally involved in large-scale national longitudinal studies. Its recorder was Clifford Kay. It is perhaps best known for the continuing Oral Contraception Study which has investigated the health effects of the contraceptive pill and which is now over thirty years old. Findings from the study continue to influence clinical practice around the world. The size and comprehensiveness of the database has enabled the study to examine other issues related to women's health, such as the use of hormone replacement therapy and risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Other large scale studies have been the joint RCGP/RCOG Attitudes to Pregnancy Study, and Myocardial Infarction Study
Papers relating to the Swansea Research Unit led W O Williams are in the W O Williams papers BWO.
The Royal College of Chemistry was established in 1845 in Hanover Square, London, with the first Professor August von Hofmann, and 26 students, the result of a private enterprise to found a college to aid industry. The College transferred to Oxford Street in 1848. In 1853 the College was incorporated with the Government School of Mines and of Science Applied to the Arts, effectively becoming its department of chemistry. Chemistry was one of the departments to be transferred to South Kensington in 1872.
The Royal College of Science was formed in 1881 by merging some courses of the Royal School of Mines with the teaching of other science subjects at South Kensington. In 1907 the Royal School of Mines and the Royal College of Science were incorporated in the Royal Charter of Imperial College of Science and Technology.
The Royal College of Art was founded in 1837 as the Government School of Design. In 1853 the School moved to South Kensington where it became the much enlarged National Art Training School, part of the development of the area by the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851. The title Royal College of Art was conferred in 1896 with the emphasis on art and design practice. In the mid-20th century the College began the teaching of product design and the provision of specialised professional instruction including graphic and industrial design. The 1960s were a time of physical expansion and a Royal Charter in 1967 gave the College independent university status with the ability to award its own degrees.
Student activity at the Royal College of Art is reflected in the development of projects within individual departments, culminating in the exhibition of work in the annual graduate shows. Since the mid 20th century, when teaching of product, graphical and technical design began, a comprehensive pictorial record has been kept of student work. Work from the annual degree shows has been photographed as comprehensively as possible since the 1960s; in 1979 this effort was centralised with the RCA's slide library assuming responsibility for photography and cataloguing. Images are stored as prints and slides covering the years up to and including 2002, after which a move to born-digital photography, cataloguing and delivery was effected.
Student records began to be maintained two years after the College received its royal charter in 1896 but records for each individual student begin in 1910.
The Royal Choral Society began its life as the Royal Albert Hall Choral Society, and was formed towards the end of 1871 with money provided for the purpose by Her Majesty's Commissioners for the 1851 exhibition. Charles Gounod conducted the society's first concerts, which began in May 1872, but was soon succeeded by Sir Joseph Barnby, who remained in office until 1896.
In 1888 Queen Victoria became patron of the society, allowing it to change its name to the Royal Choral Society. Successive conductors have included Sir Frederick Bridge, who directed the society for 25 years; Sir Malcolm Sargent, who remained in office until his death in 1967; Wyn Morris, who left amidst some controversy in 1970 and Meredith Davies, 1971-1985, followed by Laszlo Heltay and Richard Cooke. During the 1920's and 1930's the Royal Choral Society became famous for its performances of Coleridge-Taylor's 'Hiawatha', which was performed in the Royal Albert Hall with full costumes and often up to 1000 performers. The society is also well known for its Good Friday performances of Handel's Messiah and its extremely popular carol concerts. Highlights of the society's career include the British premier of Verdi's Requiem, which was conducted by the composer. It was the first choral society to make a gramophone recording and, under the baton of Sir Malcolm Sargent, became one of the first choirs to present choral works at the annual promenade concerts.
The Royal Choral Society is closely associated with the Malcolm Sargent Cancer Fund for Children, which was launched in 1968 as a memorial to its most famous conductor. Charity concerts in aid of the fund began in the autumn of 1968 with a performance of Verdi's Requiem, conducted by Sir George Solti. A special Music Fund was formed during the choir's 1972/1973 season, to commission or help finance new choral works for the society, and to make financial contributions to the performances of other contemporary choral works.
For further information see http://www.royalchoralsociety.co.uk/.
The Royal Chest Hospital was founded in 1814 as the Infirmary for Asthma, Consumption and other Diseases of the Lungs by Dr Isaac Buxton of the London Hospital, with the support of the Duke of Kent and the Duke of Sussex. It opened in a house, no. 36 Union Street (now Brushfield Street), in Spitalfields, later the Prince Albert Public House. In 1833 the hospital moved to 10 Artillery Street, Spitalfields. The affairs of the hospital reached a low ebb with the resignation of its physician, Dr Francis Ramadge, and lack of money prevented it from admitting in-patients. In 1848 Queen Victoria's patronage was secured whereupon the hospital became known as the Royal Infirmary for Asthma, Consumption and other Diseases of the Lungs. After two or three years in temporary accommodation at 4 Dean Street, Finsbury Square, it moved to City Road in 1850, where it reopened to in-patients under the name of the Royal Infirmary for Asthma, Consumption and other Diseases of the Chest. Its name was shortened in 1859 to the Royal Infirmary for Diseases of the Chest.;In 1863 the hospital acquired its first purpose built premises in City Road. These were extended by the addition of a new outpatients department in 1863, a new ward block in 1886, and a nurses' home in 1900. In 1867 the hospital adopted a new constitution and changed its name again to become the Royal Hospital for Diseases of the Chest. The Department for the Prevention of Consumption was established in 1912. The hospital entered into agreements with the Metropolitan Boroughs of Finsbury, Islington and Shoreditch, whereby a tuberculosis dispensary at the Royal Chest Hospital treated patients from Finsbury, Shoreditch and the southern part of Islington.
The hospital adopted yet another name in 1919 becoming the Royal Chest Hospital. At the same time, constrained by lack of space for expansion and financial difficulties, the governors entered into negotiations with the Great Northern Central Hospital, Holloway Road, leading to the amalgamation of the two hospitals in 1921. The work of the Royal Chest Hospital continued as before in City Road, but the hospital was now administered from the Great Chest (renamed the Royal Northern) Hospital. The intention of moving the Royal Chest Hospital to a separate block of the rebuilt Royal Northern Hospital remained unfulfilled on the outbreak of war in 1939. In 1941 the Royal Chest Hospital was badly damaged by combing. Although outpatient work at the hospital continued, it was no longer able to admit in-patients. In 1948 it became part of the National Health Service as one of the Northern Group of hospitals under the authority of the North West Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board. The hospital closed in 1954.
In 1808 the Highland Society of London launched an appeal to raise subscriptions to open an Asylum to support Scottish children orphaned in the Napoleonic wars. The school opened, by Act of Parliament, on 14 June 1815. With the end of the war in that same year (1815) the remit of the school was changed to 'the support and education of the children of soldiers, sailors and marines, natives of Scotland, who have died or been disabled in the service of their country; and also the children of indigent and deserving Scotch parents resident in London, upon whom poverty has fallen or by worse death they have been left unbefriended and helpless orphans'.
The first school opened in Cross Street, Hatton Garden in 1819 and admitted 12 boys, Numbers quickly increased to 40 and the premises became too small and inadequate to accommodate these number. In 1826 land was purchased in Copenhagen Fields, Islington and a purpose built asylum was founded. The Asylum survived for 77 years at the site and gave its name to the 'Caledonian Road'.
In 1852 Queen Victoria became the patron of the Asylum and it was renamed the Royal Caledonian School. The attendees until 1844 were all boys but by 1844 the building was altered to allow provision for girls. At first the area where the school was situated was open fields, however as the area around Caledonian Road grew and became more populated, and with its proximity to Pentonville Prison, it was felt to be ‘undesirable’, the Directors of the school decided to find a new more spacious site. They opted to move to Bushey in Hertfordshire and in 1897 started to raise the estimated £37,000 for the building of a new school.
By 1902 the new residential school was completed and opened by Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrice. Until 1947 pupils boarded and were educated on site at Bushey school, but in 1948 although children still boarded at the school, they were educated at local state schools.
In 1995 the Directors decided the objectives of the charity could be better met as a grant giving body. The Bushey school site was closed and sold and the proceeds invested to produce an income to enable the Trust to provide educational grants to both individuals and organisations.
The charity was renamed the Royal Caledonian Education Trust in 2012 as a reflection of the work they do now. They continue to 'support the educational needs of the children of Scots who are serving or who have served in the Armed forces' and in 2015 celebrated the 200th Anniversary of their incorporation.
The hospital was founded in 1841, primarily through the efforts of Mr. (afterwards Sir Philip) Rose (1816 - 1883), a solicitor. At the age of 25, reputedly after one of the clerks at his law firm, who was suffering from consumption, now known as pulmonary tuberculosis, was refused admittance to several hospitals, Rose determined to establish a hospital for sufferers of tuberculosis without the financial means to pay for treatment. Rose was Honorary Secretary of the Hospital for Consumption and Diseases of the Chest, Brompton from its inception until his death. The charity's objects were to provide an asylum for in-patients for patients with pulmonary tuberculosis and a hospital for patients with other chest diseases and a dispensary to provide advice and medicine for less urgent cases to be treated on an out-patient basis.
The charity began work by converting Chelsea Manor House into a hospital for in-patients and opening an out-patient branch at 20, Great Marlborough Street. A purpose built hospital was opened on the Fulham Road in 1844. Ten years later a western wing was added giving a total in-patient accommodation of 200 beds. The hospital, which attracted Royal patronage from the time of its inception, was regulated by The Consumption Hospital Act of 1849 and became incorporated in 1850. The hospital continued to expand, supported by figures such as Charles Dickens, Benjamin Disraeli, and the famous singer Jenny Lind, who performed an in concert to raise £1,606 for the Building Fund (equivalent to over £90,000 in today’s money). A sizeable donation came from Cordelia Read, who left her personal estate to the hospital, including valuable paintings by John Opie, to the surprise of her family. After a long dispute, the hospital received £100,000 which was used to build a new extension in 1882, bringing the total number of beds to 368. It was again enlarged in 1900.
Although primarily associated with tuberculosis, Brompton Hospital had a number of departments which dealt with other diseases of the chest. A throat department was started in 1889, and expanded in 1922, and a radiological department was instituted in 1900, and expanded in 1925. The hospital provided post-graduate educational facilities in the form of lectures and clinical demonstrations by the medical staff. In 1905, the hospital established a sanatorium and convalescent home at Frimley, Surrey, with accommodation for 150 patients. The regime centred on a programme of 'graded exercise', which progressed from total bed rest to taking part in carefully defined physical labour. The advent of surgical procedures for treating tuberculosis in the twentieth century led to further improvement of radiograph and surgical departments. A cardiac department opened in 1919, and in 1934 a physiotherapy department opened, initially as a "breathing exercises" department; by 1948, the department had expanded to include six full-time and one part-time 'instructresses', due to the success of these techniques in patients with chest conditions.
The hospital became part of the National Health Service in 1948 and its management was put on a joint basis with the London Chest Hospital, Bethnal Green as the Hospitals for Diseases of the Chest. From the 1960s, as sanatoria became less important for the treatment of tuberculosis patients, Frimley Sanatorium transitioned into a convalescent home, looking after post-operative cardiac and respiratory patients from Brompton Hospital, London Chest, and National Heart Hospital, and other London teaching hospitals, until its eventual closure in the 1980s.
In 1988, Queen Elizabeth II awarded a 'Royal' title to the Brompton and its associated hospitals and the hospital was henceforth known as the Royal Brompton Hospital. In 1994 The Royal Brompton became an NHS Trust (at the same time the London Chest Hospital joined St. Bartholomew's and The Royal London Hospital to form The Royal Hospitals NHS Trust, afterwards known as Barts and The London NHS Trust). In 1998, the Royal Brompton merged with Harefield Hospital NHS Trust to form The Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Trust.
The Royal British Nurses Association (RBNA)was founded (as the British Nurses' Association) in December 1887, by Dr Bedford Fenwick, and his wife, Ethel Gordon Fenwick, former Matron of St Bartholomew's Hospital, London, with HRH Princess Christian, daughter of Queen Victoria, as its first President. There was considerable opposition to the Association, particularly from Florence Nightingale, who felt that it would destroy the `vocational spirit' of nursing. The Association was renamed the RBNA in 1891 and received its Royal Charter in 1893. Dr and Mrs Fenwick took over the Nursing Record (started in 1888), in 1893 and renamed it the British Journal of Nursing in 1902. Mrs Fenwick and Isla Stewart (Matron of St Bartholomew's Hospital) founded the Matrons' Council of Great Britain and Ireland in 1894. The Society for the State Registration of Nurses was formed in 1902, with Ethel Fenwick as Secretary and Treasurer. The National Council of Trained Nurses of Great Britain and Ireland was established 1904, with Ethel Fenwick as President. Between 1906 and 1909 the RBNA drafted three Parliamentary bills on nurse registration. The Central Committee for the State Registration of Nurses was formed 1909 with Ethel Fenwick as joint honorary secretary. From 1910-1914 the Central Committee introduced annual Parliamentary bills on nurse registration. The College of Nursing (later Royal College of Nursing) was established 1916, and in 1917 there were inconclusive discussions on the possibility of a merger between the RBNA and the College. The Nurses' Registration Acts were passed in 1919. The General Nursing Council, chaired by Mrs Fenwick was established 1920. The British College of Nurses (BCN) was founded by Mrs Fenwick, 1926, with herself as President, and Dr Fenwick as Treasurer. In 1927 the College of Nursing applied for its Royal Charter, the application, opposed by the RBNA, was granted in 1928 and it was renamed the Royal College of Nursing in 1939. Bedford Fenwick died 1939 and Ethel Fenwick, 1947. The British College of Nurses closed in 1956.
The Red Lion Brewery in Brentford was founded in the 18th Century. By 1830 it was owned by Felix Booth who had the name changed to the "Royal Brewery" in consequence of a visit by King William IV and Booth's baronetcy.
The brewery was owned by Carrington and Whitehead in 1850 to 1875; and Gibbon and Croxford to 1880 (or 1890). It was subsequently bought by Montague Ballard and became a limited liability company in 1890. Royal Brewery Brentford Limited, was based at 23 High Street, Brentford, Middlesex.
A controlling interest in the brewery was acquired by Kent brewers Style and Winch Limited in 1922 and they jointly acquired the Dartford Brewery Company Limited in 1924. The company ceased to brew. Style and Winch Limited was acquired by Barclay Perkins and Company Limited in 1929. The brewery went into voluntary liquidation in 1970.
The Royal Association for Deaf People (RAD) (formerly known as the Royal Association in aid of the Deaf and Dumb (RADD), was established in 1841. It is the earliest of the major charitable bodies concerned with the welfare of the deaf now operating in England, promoting the social, spiritual and general welfare of Deaf people in South Eastern England including Greater London, Essex, Kent and Surrey. Originally established in London from a desire by parents to promote the welfare of deaf children, the Association also has had a strong religious ethos which has been continued through an Anglican chaplaincy.
RAD began with a group of young Deaf activists, ex-pupils of the London Asylum for the Education of the Deaf and Dumb Children of the Poor (later the Royal School for Deaf Children), who met socially in Aldersgate Street in the City of London. The group was reinforced by a number of London businessmen led by George Crouch, bookseller and bookbinder and father of five deaf children. In January 1841 the first recorded committee meeting was held at Crouch's premises at 5 Tudor Street near Blackfriars Bridge, and it was decided that a 'society' would be set up and entitled The Refuge for the Deaf and Dumb, whose purpose would be to tackle the lack of employment for Deaf men. The organisation was also known as the Institution of Employment, Relief and Religious Instruction for the Adult Deaf and Dumb. Religious services were initially held in Fetter Lane and Red Lion Square.
The early work of the society included establishing printing and shoe-making workshops for Deaf men (which rescued some individuals from workhouses), daily education classes for young people and special classes for those with no previous schooling, and mandatory religious instruction. In 1845 the society also began to offer places for women apprentices to learn dressmaking and needlework.
In 1854 the society was reorganised and the Objects were changed following the discontinuation of attempts in providing an Industrial School as a home for the Deaf. The main emphasis of the reorganised work was the employment of qualified agents or 'missionaries' to impart religious and moral instructions to the Deaf in their homes, and the establishment of religious services for Deaf people throughout the metropolis. The Associations first chaplain and minister, Reverend Samuel Smith was ordained in 1861. Welfare work continued through the distribution of gifts of clothing and money and the arrangement of hospital admissions. The society's missionaries found the task challenging and reported that 'hospitals won't take the sick due to communication difficulties.'
In 1863 the Objects were: '1 To provide extended religious and secular instruction among the Deaf and Dumb throughout the Metropolis after they quit school, 2 Visit under the direction of clergymen sick and other Deaf and Dumb persons, 3 To assist those Deaf and Dumb persons with good character in obtaining employment, 4 To relieve, either by gifts or loans of money, destitute and necessitous Deaf and Dumb, 5 To encourage the early training of Deaf and Dumb children in order to prepare them for admission into Educational Institutions'.
In December 1859 a committee of seven Deaf men presented a demand for 'a church of their own' where services would be conducted in Sign Language. Their cause was supported by Reverend Samuel Smith. He promoted the acceptance of Sign Language, against much opposition, arguing that it was a language entitled to respect and dignity in its own right. He also produced booklets and travelled throughout England seeking support for the establishment of local societies in aid of Deaf people. In July 1870 the foundation stone of Saint Saviour's Church, Oxford Street, London was laid by the Prince of Wales, and three years later the first service was held.
In 1873, Queen Victoria granted Royal patronage to the society named the Royal Association in aid of the Deaf and Dumb (RADD). The building of Saint Saviour's became a milestone in promoting the cause of Deaf people's rights, for the right to worship stood for the rights to be educated, to have work, to participate and to socialise. Growing recognition of the organisation's work was underlined by the number of leading churchmen who became vice-presidents. They included the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, the Bishop and Dean of Lichfield, the Bishops of Carlisle, Ely, Lincoln, Oxford, and Winchester. The Bishop of London was succeeded as Patron by Queen Victoria in 1873 and he and his successors served as President until 1940. The Association also had a succession of leading figures including William Gladstone, Prime Minister (1880-1886) and (1892-1894) who served for 41 years and the Duke of Westminster who gave 55 years of service.
In 1880 the International Congress for Teachers of the Deaf, held in Milan, Italy, established oralism as the preferred method for teaching Deaf children: "The Congress, considering the incontestable superiority of speech over signs in restoring the deaf mute to society and in giving him a more perfect knowledge of language, declares that the oral method ought to be preferred to that of signs for the education and instruction of the deaf and dumb."
The Association expressed strong reservations about this resolution, pointing out that no Deaf or dumb people had been consulted and that, although the oral method may be suitable for some deaf children, it was not a suitable medium for the instruction of large classes. The effects of the oralist approach became evident as many school-leavers found themselves lacking fluency in any method of communication. While Sign Language has become a popular means of communication in the 21st century, RAD has continued to support the campaign for its recognition as Britain's fourth official language.
In the early 20th century, despite funding difficulties, the Association's services grew. RADD employed three or four chaplains and organised systematic visits to all aged, infirm and afflicted Deaf people in all the 29 workhouses, infirmaries and asylums in the East London district. In the 1920s RADD increased its scope of work to challenging the misdiagnosis of Deaf children as 'mentally subnormal'. As a direct result many Deaf children were removed from London's mental asylums and placed into special schools for Deaf children. In addition a maternity home for unmarried deaf mothers was opened at Dunbar Lodge, Clapham, visiting services aimed at Deaf people in mental handicap institutions began in 1923, and helpers were enrolled for the Deaf-blind.
The Welfare State legislation of the 1940s and a series of later post-war reforms created a changing role for RADD, with more emphasis on its pioneering 'social work' with Deaf people and in 1964 the Association began psychiatric work.
Following the appointment in 1968 of a new Director General, Reverend Ivor Scott-Oldfield it was decided that staff should be selected because they were considered the best qualified for work with Deaf people, irrespective of their religious beliefs. A golden rule impressed on all the Association's workers was 'Never do anything for deaf people that they could and should do for themselves. Teach them how, but never do it yourself instead'.
In 1986 the Royal Association in aid of the Deaf and Dumb changed its name to the Royal Association in aid of Deaf People and in 1998 a centralised Sign Language Interpreting Agency was launched.
Deaf people have continued to be involved with the management and direction of RAD, both as members of staff and as trustees and the Deaf community will continue to define the future role for RAD. The Association has had several deaf clergymen, notably Reverend Frank Goodridge, Reverend Benny Morgan, Reverend Leonard Kent, Reverend Ron Cade and later Reverend Vera Hunt, the first woman priest ordained in 1992.
In 2003 the Royal Association provided: 10 Centres for Deaf people in Essex, London and the South East, social clubs and self-help groups; Support for Deaf people with additional needs; Language and communication support through the RAD Sign Language Interpreting Service; Religious and cultural activities and pastoral care conducted in Sign Language; and Training and education in British Sign language and Deaf Awareness.
Main Churches: 1873 (opened) Saviours Oxford Street (given up 1922); 1923 (purchased) All Saints, Paddington (purchased) (sold 1961); 1925 (opened) Saint Saviours, Old Oak Road, Acton.
Head Offices: 1850 26 Red Lion Square; 1856 15 Bedford Row, Holborn; 1863 309 Regents Street; 1872 272 Oxford Street; 1913 419 Oxford Street; 1939 55 Norfolk Square, Paddington (moved in 1920s); 1967 7-11 Armstrong Road, Acton (moved 1961). The Head Office in Old Oak Road, Acton, London was moved to Colchester, Essex after 1998.
Patron (2003): Queen Elizabeth II.
The Royal Dockyard was established in 1512 by King Henry VIII for the construction of his flagship "Great Harry". The Royal Arsenal (also known as the Woolwich Arsenal) was also a Tudor foundation for the manufacture and testing of arms. The Dockyard was expanded and by the 1840s was constructing steam ships. However, in 1869 it was closed. The Royal Arsenal was a large employer during the Second World War but was subsequently reduced in size.
The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) is a specialist corps in the British Army which provides medical services to all British Army personnel and their families in war and in peace.
The Royal Architectural Museum (RAM) was established in 1851, under the name of the Architectural Museum, by a group of architectural professionals led by George Gilbert Scott (1811-1878). Its founding members included such notable figures as Sir Charles Barry (1795-1860) and George Godwin (1813-1888), with Thomas Philip de Grey, 2nd Earl de Grey (1781-1859) as President and Alexander J. B. Beresford-Hope (1820-1870) as a trustee. The museum was formed for the purpose of improving the education of architectural art-workers and was considered by its founders as constituting the nucleus of a national museum of architecture. Its collections were made up primarily of plaster casts of European gothic architectural ornament, together with original examples of decorative ironwork, tiles, woodcarving, sculptural stonework, stained glass and architectural models, plans and drawings. The museum's first home was in Canon Row, Westminster, London where, from 1852 until 1854, it incorporated a School for Art-workmen.
Under the patronage of Prince Albert (1819-1861) and with the backing of John Ruskin (1819-1900), the museum expanded rapidly and in 1857 moved to the new South Kensington Museum (now Victoria and Albert Museum), where it retained its independent status and name. Following disputes with the South Kensington Museum authorities, the Architectural Museum purchased the lease on numbers 18-20, Bowling Street, Westminster, London (re-named Tufton Street in 1870), where it erected a museum building designed by members Ewan Christian (1814-1895) and Joseph Clarke ([c. 1819]-1888). On the museum's re-opening in July 1869, patronage was renewed by Queen Victoria (1819-1901) and permission granted for the title 'Royal' to be appended to the museum name. The collections continued to grow rapidly and at the publication of a catalogue in 1876 holdings totalled in excess of 6000 items. On Scott's death in 1878, leadership of the Museum passed to the architect, John P. Seddon (1827-1906), who worked to establish closer links with contemporary firms of art workers. In 1870 a School of Architectural Art was opened within the Museum, administered jointly by the RAM, the Architectural Association (AA) and the Royal Institute of British Architects. By 1873 the RAM was the sole administrator of the school and by 1875 had managed to obtain Government funding - the name of the school being changed to the Westminster School of Art (WSA) by 1888. The RAM and WSA were subsequently jointly registered as an incorporated company on 27 December 1893. In 1904 the RAM was wound up and its premises and collections passed to the AA, who continued to operate the Museum's administrative, legal and curatorial functions under the RAM name. The AA's architecture school co-existed within the Museum buildings until 1915 when it was decided that conditions were too cramped. The premises were then sold to the National Lending Library for the Blind and the collections dispersed, primarily to the Victoria and Albert Museum, where a portion remain on display in the cast courts.
The Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland (RAI) is the world's longest-established scholarly association dedicated to the furtherance of anthropology (the study of humankind) in its broadest and most inclusive sense. The present Institute was formed when the Ethnological Society of London and the Anthropological Society of London merged in 1871 to form the Anthropological Institute. Royal status was granted in 1907.
The Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes was established in August 1822 at the Harp Tavern, Drury Lane, London by artist Joseph Lisle and comedian William Sinnett along with other stage hands and theatre technicians based at the Drury Lane Theatre.
It drew its original name of 'The Buffaloes' from a popular song of the time, 'We’ll chase the Buffalo'.
The 'lodge' description for branch organisation and headquarters was adopted in imitation of Freemasonry but the organisation prided itself on being open in its objectives, activities and rituals.
By 2014, the society desribed itself as a 'Philanthropic and Charitable body, Lodges and Provinces are at liberty to undertake whatever activity they consider appropriate for the needs of the community in which they work and
live.'
www.raob.org/ (Accessed 11 February 2014)
Following the 1851 Great Exhibition (May 1-Oct 15 1851), the Commissioners of the Exhibition spent the bulk of the profits together with money from the government to buy the Kensington Gore Estate, in South Kensington, which lay opposite the Exhibition's location in Hyde Park. Prince Albert, the Prince Consort, proposed that a permanent series of facilities be built on the site for the enlightenment of the public including a 'music hall' . Progress on the scheme was slow and sadly in 1861 Prince Albert died without having seen his ideas come to fruition. The following year, Sir Henry Cole was given H.M. Queen Victoria's blessing to build the music hall if built in conjunction with a memorial to Albert. Sir Henry Cole directed the project and Captain Francis Fowke's drew up the Hall's designs, but unfortunately died in December 1865 leaving the design work to Colonel Henry Scott R.E. In 1867 the Commissioners granted the lease of 999 years on the site of the Hall at an annual rental of one shilling. To fund the Hall's construction private investors could buy seats at 100 pounds each - two of the first buyers were Queen Victoria and the Prince of Wales. In April Queen Victoria signed the Royal Charter under which the Hall operates and Lucas Brothers began building the foundations of the Hall. In April Queen Victoria laid the Hall's foundation stone and declared the building would from then on be known as the Royal Albert Hall of Arts and Sciences. The Hall's official opening ceremony was on 29 March 1871, at which the Hall's aim was described as, to be the 'finest in Europe for seeing, hearing and convenience', which its still aims to be today.
The list of famous performers, sports people, and world figures who have appeared at the Royal Albert Hall since it opened in 1871 is unrivalled. Wagner, Verdi and Elgar conducted the first UK performance of their own works on its concert platform, Rachmaninov played his own compositions and nearly every major classical solo artist and leading orchestra has performed at the Hall. The list of popular music artists includes Frank Sinatra, Liza Minnelli, Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, Oscar Peterson, The Who, Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton, Sting and Elton John and from a younger generation Adele, Jay Z, Kaiser Chiefs and the Killers. Sports men and women from a wide array of disciplines including boxing legend Mohammed Ali, tennis player John McEnroe and Sumo grand champions have entertained the Hall's audiences. Among leading world figures who have spoken at the Hall are Her Majesty The Queen, Sir Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela, His Holiness The Dalai Lama and former President of the United States of America, Bill Clinton. The Hall hosts several annual events including Cirque du Soleil, Teenage Cancer Trust concerts, the Royal Bristish Legion Festival of Remembrance, English National Ballet and the Henry Wood Promenade concerts every summer.
The Squadron was founded in 1941 to train boys aged 16 to 18, working or studying in the City, as potential recruits to the Royal Air Force. The Lord Mayor was president of the committee which oversaw the recruitment and organisation of the Squadron.
The Royal African Company was founded in 1672 and held the English monopoly in slave trading until 1698, when all Englishmen received the right to trade in slaves. The Royal African Company continued slaving until 1731, when it abandoned slaving in favour of traffic in ivory and gold dust.
No information was available at the time of compilation.
Donald Roy was born in Appleton, Roebuck on 22 May 1881. He obtained first-class honours in the natural science tripos from Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge and went on to qualify at St George's Hospital, London in 1906. He started working in various London hospitals (the General Lying-in Hospital, the Royal Free, St George's and the Samaritan Hospital for Women) prior to World War One. He served first in the Navy then transferred to the Royal Army Medical Corp in 1917; by the end of the War he was working in Northampton War Hospital. He returned to London and was finally appointed to the consulting staff of St George's Hospital, where he remained for the rest of his professional life. A Foundation Fellow of the College, he also served as the College Librarian from 1 October 1937 to 25 January 1941 when he stepped down due to ill health (bibliography: Sir John Peel, Lives of the Fellows, pp 325-326).
William Roxburgh was born 1751 and died 1815. His `Flora Indica' or description of Indian plants was his most important work.
Born, 1751; educated University of Edinburgh; surgeon's mate on one of the East India Company's ships, 1766; assistant surgeon on the Company's Madras establishment; General Hospital at Madras; practised botany in his spare time; full surgeon, 1780; stationed at Samulcotta, 1781; naturalist in the Madras Presidency, 1790; Superintendent, Royal Botanic Garden in Calcutta, 1793-1813; returned to England, 1813; died, 1815.
Studied Mathematics at Royal Holloway College, University of London, 1895-1899; Assistant Lecturer, 1899-1902, Staff Lecturer, 1902-1907, and Senior Staff Lecturer, 1907-1939, in Mathematics, Royal Holloway College; writer of essays, stories and poems, mainly published in the Hibbert Journal and Philosophy; died 1951.
Publications: Time and Time again: essays on various subjects (Allen and Unwin, London, 1941).
The firm of Rowe and Pitman, stockbrokers, appears in the Stock Exchange annual List of Members from 1895/6, and traded under the same name from that date until it was taken over in 1986. During the period covered by this volume it traded from the following addresses: 1901/2: 117 Bishopsgate; 1902/3-1910/11: 14 Austin Friars; 1911/12-1926/7: Pinners Hall, Austin Friars; 1927/8-1958/9: 43 Bishopsgate; 1959/60: Bucklersbury House, 11 Walbrook. In 1986 the firm was taken over by the merchant bank SG Warburg.