Constitution

The Society shall be known as ‘The Scottish History Society’.

The objects of the Society are to promote interest in, and further knowledge of, the history of Scotland and, for this purpose:

(a) to discover, edit, print, and issue to members unpublished documents illustrative of that history;

(b) to produce reprints or new editions of published works of a similar nature which are out of print;

(c) exceptionally, to commission and issue to members works of a general nature relating to Scottish history.

(1) The Council (mentioned in Rule 8 below) shall from time to time determine rates of subscription qualifying for membership of the Society and may determine different rates for different categories of membership.

(2) Any person or institution may become a member of the Society on paying the appropriate subscription.

(3) A member shall cease to be a member:

(a) on resignation;

(b) on failure to pay any subscription due by them.

(1) There shall be General Meetings of the members for ordinary purposes (‘ordinary General Meetings’) at approximately yearly intervals (usually in March) on dates to be fixed by the Council.

(2) A General Meeting of the members for special purposes (‘special General Meetings’) shall be convened:
(a) in accordance with any direction of the Council;
(b) on a requisition made in writing to the Secretary by not less than 10 members of the Society and stating the motion or motions which the said members desire to move at the meeting.

(3) Every General Meeting shall be convened by the Secretary (whom failing by any other member of the Council) by notice in writing addressed to each member of the Society and dispatched not less than 10 days before the date of the meeting.

(4) For any General Meeting a quorum shall be 10 members.

(5) At any General Meeting the Chair shall be occupied by the President of the Society if they are present; whom failing by the Convenor or any other member of the Council; whom failing by such member of the Society as may be appointed by the members present.

Procedure at any General Meeting shall be regulated in such manner as the President or other member occupying the Chair may determine. The person occupying the Chair may refuse to accept any motion unless notice of the motion has been given in writing by the proposer to the Secretary at least 21 days before the date of the Meeting.

There shall be a President of the Society nominated by the Council and elected by a General Meeting. A President shall normally serve for four years and preside at the General Meetings of the Society held during their term of office. They shall deliver an address to one or more of these Meetings.

The Office-bearers of the Society shall be a Convenor, a Secretary, a General Editor, a Membership Secretary and a Treasurer, all of whom shall be elected by the Council for such periods as it may determine.

(1) Subject to any directions given by the Society in General Meeting, the affairs of the Society shall be managed by the Office-bearers and 12 other members of the Society elected by the Society in General Meeting.

(2) Apart from the Office-bearers, the members of the Council shall hold office for a term of four years and shall not be eligible for re-election until after the lapse of one year.

(3) Meetings of the Council shall be convened by the Secretary twice each year and more often if the Convenor so determines. A meeting of the Council shall also be convened by the Secretary at the request of three members of the Council.

(4) For any meeting of the Council the quorum shall be six members or office-bearers.

(5) The election of members of the Council shall be made from members of the Society nominated by two other members of the Society. Each nomination shall be delivered to the Secretary not less than seven days before the meeting at which such election is to be held.

(6) Casual vacancies occurring among the Office-bearers or other members of the Council may be filled by a member of the Society appointed by the Council.

(7) The Council shall have power to determine:
(a) the number of copies of the Society’s works to be presented to editors and owners of manuscripts;
(b) the conditions of sale to non-members of the Society’s works.

(1) Proper accounts of the Society’s funds and financial affairs shall be kept by the Treasurer, shall be audited annually by a person appointed by the Council and shall be submitted to the Society annually at a General Meeting. Copies of the accounts shall be circulated to all members with the notice calling a meeting.

(2) The financial year for the Society’s financial affairs, including the annual subscription, shall run from 1 October to 30 September.

Every member of the Society who has duly paid the subscription appropriate to them in respect of any financial year shall be entitled to receive, free of charge, one copy of such of the Society’s works as are issued in that year.