The Royal Historical Society seeks nominations for two Councillor positions to replace serving Council members in November 2026.
Closing date for nominations: Friday 7 August 2026.
The work of the Royal Historical Society (RHS) is governed by its Council, which comprises ‘Officers’ (Trustees with a specific remit, such as the Treasurer or Committee chair) and ‘Councillors’ (Trustees without portfolio). Trustees of the Society play a vital role in working on behalf of our Fellows, members and the historical community in establishing our mission, vision and strategy, as well as considering crucial governance matters that ensure the ongoing sustainability of our charitable work.
In accordance with By-Law 21, Fellows of the Royal Historical Society are invited to nominate current Fellows, willing to serve as Councillors for a term of four years that commences in December 2026.
Please see the Society’s website for the institutional affiliations and subject expertise of current Members of Council.
The Society desires that the membership of its Council be fully representative of the community of historians in the United Kingdom.
Nominations must be supported by one Proposer and one Seconder, who are current Ordinary, Retired or Emeritus Fellows of the Society. A current list of Fellows is available here.
Time commitment required of Councillors
The role of RHS Councillor is an active one, and comes with an expectation that Councillors will undertake a range of duties in addition to attendance at Council meetings. RHS Councillors commit to:
attend all or most of the five annual Council meetings which are held in-person and also hybrid;
serve on one or more committee focusing on specific areas of the Society’s activities (e.g. research policy, education, publishing, membership, research support, and finance; and,
assist the Society in other ways as needed: for example, to assess funding applications, participate in events, or judge the Society’s annual book and article prizes.
Council meetings are held on Fridays five times each year (in February, May, July, September and November) at the Society’s office at University College London, with the option to join online if necessary. From 2026, one Council meeting per year takes place outside London. Reasonable expenses for economy travel and accommodation for UK-based Councillors are reimbursed by the Society.
Committee meetings are held online and again take place on Fridays whenever possible.
The Councillors stepping down in November 2026 are: Dr Helen Paul and Professor Olwen Purdue. The Society seeks to replace them with the election of two new members.
More on the Society’s current priorities, and the work of Councillors, is available in this new blog post: ‘Elections to the Society’s Council, 2026: the role and activities of the Society’s Councillors’.
To submit a nomination for election
Nominations should be made via this application portal.
Fellows of the Society wishing to stand for election are required to submit a short statement (250 words max), and then to contact one Proposer/Nominator and one Seconder via the Application Portal. Proposers in turn submit their supporting statement (250 words max), and the Seconder their electronic signature, via the Portal. Completed nominations are then submitted by the Fellow who wishes to stand for election.
For clarity, all ‘Proposer’ statements and ‘Seconder’ signatures in support of an application must be submitted before the end of the application period.
Fellows wishing to discuss the role of an RHS Councillor prior to standing are very welcome to contact Professor Lucy Noakes, President of the Royal Historical Society, to discuss the role and work of the Society: president@royalhistsoc.org.
The closing date for nominations is: 11.59PM on Friday 7 August 2026.
The election period will begin soon after the closing date (expected in the week commencing 17 August), with further details circulated at that time. Results of the election are expected to be announced in October, ahead of the Society's Anniversary (AGM) Meeting (Friday 27 November 2026).
Elections to Council, 2026
The Royal Historical Society seeks nominations for two Councillor positions to replace serving Council members in November 2026.
Closing date for nominations: Friday 7 August 2026.
The work of the Royal Historical Society (RHS) is governed by its Council, which comprises ‘Officers’ (Trustees with a specific remit, such as the Treasurer or Committee chair) and ‘Councillors’ (Trustees without portfolio). Trustees of the Society play a vital role in working on behalf of our Fellows, members and the historical community in establishing our mission, vision and strategy, as well as considering crucial governance matters that ensure the ongoing sustainability of our charitable work.
In accordance with By-Law 21, Fellows of the Royal Historical Society are invited to nominate current Fellows, willing to serve as Councillors for a term of four years that commences in December 2026.
Please see the Society’s website for the institutional affiliations and subject expertise of current Members of Council.
The Society desires that the membership of its Council be fully representative of the community of historians in the United Kingdom.
Nominations must be supported by one Proposer and one Seconder, who are current Ordinary, Retired or Emeritus Fellows of the Society. A current list of Fellows is available here.
Time commitment required of Councillors
The role of RHS Councillor is an active one, and comes with an expectation that Councillors will undertake a range of duties in addition to attendance at Council meetings. RHS Councillors commit to:
attend all or most of the five annual Council meetings which are held in-person and also hybrid;
serve on one or more committee focusing on specific areas of the Society’s activities (e.g. research policy, education, publishing, membership, research support, and finance; and,
assist the Society in other ways as needed: for example, to assess funding applications, participate in events, or judge the Society’s annual book and article prizes.
Council meetings are held on Fridays five times each year (in February, May, July, September and November) at the Society’s office at University College London, with the option to join online if necessary. From 2026, one Council meeting per year takes place outside London. Reasonable expenses for economy travel and accommodation for UK-based Councillors are reimbursed by the Society.
Committee meetings are held online and again take place on Fridays whenever possible.
The Councillors stepping down in November 2026 are: Dr Helen Paul and Professor Olwen Purdue. The Society seeks to replace them with the election of two new members.
More on the Society’s current priorities, and the work of Councillors, is available in this new blog post: ‘Elections to the Society’s Council, 2026: the role and activities of the Society’s Councillors’.
To submit a nomination for election
Nominations should be made via this application portal.
Fellows of the Society wishing to stand for election are required to submit a short statement (250 words max), and then to contact one Proposer/Nominator and one Seconder via the Application Portal. Proposers in turn submit their supporting statement (250 words max), and the Seconder their electronic signature, via the Portal. Completed nominations are then submitted by the Fellow who wishes to stand for election.
For clarity, all ‘Proposer’ statements and ‘Seconder’ signatures in support of an application must be submitted before the end of the application period.
Fellows wishing to discuss the role of an RHS Councillor prior to standing are very welcome to contact Professor Lucy Noakes, President of the Royal Historical Society, to discuss the role and work of the Society: president@royalhistsoc.org.
The closing date for nominations is: 11.59PM on Friday 7 August 2026.
The election period will begin soon after the closing date (expected in the week commencing 17 August), with further details circulated at that time. Results of the election are expected to be announced in October, ahead of the Society's Anniversary (AGM) Meeting (Friday 27 November 2026).