‘The history of the Society is extremely important to establish at almost every point in time’
Lord Asa Briggs, Honorary Patron, WSG

Founded 2004 in commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the first meeting of the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce. In 2009 it was granted the status of The RSA Fellows William Shipley Group Network.

The William Shipley Group is an independent body formed :

• To extend knowledge about the history of the RSA in an atmosphere of collegiality and scholarship
• To facilitate exchange of information and social interaction between those interested in the RSA's history
• To raise awareness of the connections between the RSA and other institutions and to foster links between them, in particular through holding meetings in locations connected with the history of the RSA
• To support the work of the Archivist of the RSA, its archival collection, and historical activities.
• To provide a resource for the RSA regarding information about its own history
• To raise awareness of the RSA's record of achievements
• The group seeks to build on the foundation laid by the Society's History Study Group formed in 1960 and seeks to promote a scholarly appreciation of the Society's history, and to establish networks of institutions and scholars interested in the subject.