History
The Society was established in 1780, and is the oldest antiquarian society in Scotland, and the second-oldest in Britain after the Society of Antiquaries of London. Founded by David Steuart Erskine, 11th Earl of Buchan on 18 December 1780, John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute, the former prime minister, was elected the first President. It was incorporated by Royal Charter in 1783, on the same day as the Royal Society of Edinburgh, and initially both societies shared accommodation on George Street and in the Royal Institution building on The Mound. In 1891 the antiquaries moved into the purpose-built Scottish National Portrait Gallery and National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland, located on Queen Street. The society moved to the National Museum of Scotland in 1954.
Alexander Rhind left a bequest to the Society to fund a lecture series, the Rhind Lectures are still hosted by the Society; an online recording of these prestigious lectures has been made available to the public since 2009.
Read more about this topic: Society Of Antiquaries Of Scotland
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