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The Society of Antiquaries, 1707–18: meeting places and origin stories

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 August 2009

Dai Morgan Evans
Dai Morgan Evans*
Affiliation:
Dai Morgan Evans, 24 Avenue South, Surbiton KT5 8PJ, UK. E-mail: daimorganevans@blueyonder.co.uk
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Abstract

The genesis of this paper lay in the 2007 Tercentenary celebrations of the Society of Antiquaries and the challenge of compiling a tour of the premises used by the Society for its meetings prior to the Society’s move into a permanent home at Somerset House in 1780. The first part of the paper deals with the competing claims of the Bear in the Strand and the Young Devil taverns as the location for the foundation meeting of the Society of Antiquaries in 1707. The second part examines the evidence for the precise locations of these two taverns, a subject curiously neglected by antiquaries, together with an attempt to determine the character of the taverns. The paper then considers the demise of the 1707 Society and examines the evidence for the claim that 1707 marks the foundation year of the present Society of Antiquaries. Reference is also made to the other known meeting places of the Society up to 1718.

Résumé

La genèse de cette communication remonte aux fêtes du tricentenaire de la Société des Antiquaires et à la gageure que représentait la compilation d’un tour des bâtiments utilisés par la Société avant le déménagement de la Société vers sa résidence permanente à Somerset House en 1780. La première partie de la communication traite des prétentions rivales des tavernes ‘Bear in the Strand [L’ours du Strand] et ‘Young Devil’ [Le jeune diable] à avoir été le lieu de la réunion de fondation de la Société des Antiquaires en 1707. La deuxième partie examine les indices portant sur l’emplacement précis de ces deux tavernes, un sujet négligé, chose curieuse, par les antiquaires, et essaie aussi de déterminer le caractère des dites tavernes. Ensuite, la communication prend en considération la fin la Société de 1707 et examine les indices concernant la revendication selon laquelle 1707 marquerait l’année de la fondation de la Société des Antiquaires actuelle. On fait également référence aux autres lieux de réunion connus de la Société jusqu’à 1718.

Zusammenfassung

Das ursprüngliche Konzept dieser Abhandlung wurde während der dreihundertjährigen Jubiläumsfeier im Jahr 2007 der Society of Antiquaries erdacht, bei der Herausforderung einen Rundgang der Räumlichkeiten zusammenzustellen, die von der Society genutzt wurden, bevor sie in ihren festen Sitz in Somerset House 1780 einnahm. Der erste Teil dieser Abhandlung setzt sich mit den konkurrierenden Behauptungen auseinander, daß die Gasthäuser ‘Bear in the Strand’ und ‘Young Devil’ der Schauplatz der Gründungstreffen der Society of Antiquaries im Jahr 1707 waren. Der zweite Teil untersucht die Hinweise für den genauen Ort dieser beiden Gasthäuser, ein Thema, daß seltsamerweise von den Altertumsforschern vernachlässigt wird, und es wird versucht den Charakter der Gasthäuser zu bestimmen. Es wird der Verfall der Society im Jahr 1707 besprochen und es werden die Andeutungen untersucht, daß das Jahr 1707 das Gründungsjahr der heutigen Society of Antiquaries signiert. Andere bekannte Begegnungsstätten bis ins Jahr 1718 werden ebenfalls erwähnt.

Type
Original Article
Information
The Antiquaries Journal , Volume 89 , September 2009 , pp. 323 - 335
Copyright
Copyright © The Society of Antiquaries of London 2009

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