FOUNDED 21 MARCH 1770 tcdhist.com #Hist250 The Greatest of all Schools of Oratory: Highlights from the Hist archive The Library of Trinity College Dublin Introduction The College Historical Society - also known as the Hist - Laws of the Historical Society of Trinity College founded in 1770, is the world’s oldest student debating TCD MUN SOC HIST 57 Cover Image: society. Inspired by the debating club founded by Journals of the Historical philosopher and statesman Edmund Burke when he was an Society, 1770-73 TCD MUN SOC HIST 1 undergraduate at Trinity College Dublin, the Hist has over its two hundred and fifty year history, facilitated public discourse through debate, esteemed guest speakers, and lively student engagement in the salient issues of the day. Since 1770, the Hist has evolved and expanded, but has remained true to its core purpose of creating a forum for debate and free thought on campus, allowing students to mix and engage with those from other disciplines and with different views and perspectives. The Hist is now one of the largest student societies on campus with 10,000 current members. It continues to add greatly to the richness of student life, bringing together students from all schools and disciplines to share and debate ideas from different points of view, and creating a space for students to learn from each other. Open to all students, the Hist runs weekly Chamber debates, welcomes guest speakers, and sends teams to competitive debating competitions all over the world while remaining at the heart of campus life in Trinity College. The Society’s records – the earliest of which dates back to 1747, some years before its official foundation – are held in the Library of Trinity College Dublin. This collection includes meeting minute books, debate attendance registers, lists of members, medals, accounts, photographs and correspondence. These documents record the activities of the Society and its members over the centuries. The Library continues to receive regular transfers of archival material from the Hist, thus ensuring a lasting recorded legacy. Curator of the Hist Exhibition, Ursula Quill 1 Trinity College Dublin Photograph of the Graduates Memorial Building TCD MUN MC 155/32 Historical Club Minutes The first meeting of the College Historical Society took place TCD MUN SOC HIST 81 on Wednesday, 21 March 1770. The Society took into its care the minute book of Burke’s Club, founded 1747, from which the Hist has since drawn inspiration. The ‘Historical Club Minutes’ contain ‘The Proceedings of the Club’. Also known as the ‘Burke Minute Book’, this was the record of the proceedings of the Club founded by Edmund Burke as an undergraduate. This minute book was presented by Dr Michael Kearney SFTCD, to the Board and with the support of the Revd John Forsayeth, in March 1770, with the proposal that a debating society be established in College. The Board was also persuaded by a young student and Scholar Henry Duquery that the new Society should be allowed to meet on the grounds of the College. 5 Trinity College Dublin Declaration of Members This volume entitled ‘Declaration of Members …’ contains an TCD MUN SOC HIST 57 original version of the Laws of the Society. These Laws describe how meetings are to be held and the role of officers of the Society. It also contains the signatures of members during the period 1770- 1794, including that of Theobald Wolfe Tone, an early Auditor of the Hist. The Laws today follow a similar structure, but have been amended over time. Hist250 8 Attendance Book, 1869-79 The 1870s witnessed a flurry of activity within the Society and the The Hist250 week / Edmund Burke From the archives of the involvement of members such as Bram Stoker, Edward Carson, College Historical Society Oscar Wilde, and later Douglas Hyde. Carson was a Librarian on committee, and as such had responsibility for keeping the attendance book at meetings. The attendance book is not only notable for its lists of attendees, but even more so for the topics being debated each week, covering a diverse range of questions such as the role of women in society, and the relationship between Church and State. In February 1872 the following motion was debated: ‘That the social and political disabilities of women should be abolished’. ‘A. Stoker’ was in attendance and spoke against the motion. Signature of Oscar Wilde in Attendance Book 1874-84 9 Trinity College Dublin Hist250 10 Address to the Historical Society by The Auditor of the Hist delivers an address at the opening or Photograph of officers of Photographs of each Hist committee are generally taken towards Abraham Stoker (inaugural address) Inaugural Meeting of the Society each year. This event is often the 1872-73 Session the end of the year at the Annual General Meeting, following a TCD MS 11076/4/6 a highlight of the College calendar with guest speakers asked to From the archives of the similar format to that shown here. This photograph was taken of the respond to the address given by the Auditor. The subject of Abraham College Historical Society officers of the Committee of the 103rd Session. Abraham Stoker, (‘Bram’) Stoker’s address on 13 February 1872 in the College Dining author of Dracula, as he was then known, was Auditor of the Hist Hall was ‘The Necessity for Political Honesty’. that year. A very engaged student at Trinity, he is the only student to have ever been elected both Auditor of the Hist and also President of the University Philosophical Society, a paper-reading society, founded in 1843. 11 Trinity College Dublin Hist250 12 Public Business Meetings of The Graduates Memorial Building has been the home of the the College Historical Society Hist since 1904, and the motions debated in the Chamber every Wednesday evening trace the course of Anglo-Irish relations, social issues such as the role of women in society, the legalisation of abortion, and many other prescient issues of the day. Whether a Member of Parliament ought to pursue his own sentiments 1771 of those of his constituents in Parliament 1779 Whether an Union with Great Britain would be of advantage to Ireland That the emigration from Ireland affords serious grounds for 1864 apprehension for the further prosperity of the country. Negative. That the system of land tenure in Ireland 1876 needs reformation. Affirmative. 1897 That the extension of the franchise to women is desirable. Affirmative. 1914 That this House views with approval the modern feminist movement. 1923 That this Society desires the immediate political reunion of Ireland 1961 That this House condemns Apartheid. Affirmative. 1977 That Gay Rights are Human Rights 1975 That this House would encourage Britain to leave the EEC Photograph of participants in abortion debate at 208th Session (1977-78?) Maureen Colquhoun MP, Peter Charleton, Senator Gemma Hussey, Prof Bonner TCD MUN SOC HIST 86/124 Conor Cruise O’Brien, 1939 From the archives of the College Historical Society 13 Trinity College Dublin Pamphlet from the 200th session (1969-1970) Photograph of Miss Rosaleen Mills, the first woman to address the Society, speaking for the motion “That This House Reveres The Memory of Mrs Pankhurst”, January 15th, 1969 From the archives of the College Historical Society ‘Historical Society Petition Following periods of time spent off campus as an external Society to the Board 1874 in the early 19th century, the Hist went through a very active period TCD MUN SOC HIST 42 of engagement with College as it entered its second century. This petition to the Board of Trinity College Dublin related to the use of College Rooms, notably the Dining Hall, for the Opening Meeting of the Hist. The meetings of the Society originally took place in the Senior Common Room. However, until the Graduates Memorial Building was built in 1904, the Society had no permanent home. This petition received notable support, including from Professor of History W.E.H. Lecky and distinguished alumni, such as former Auditor of the Hist, and founder of the Irish Parliamentary Party, Isaac Butt. Hist250 18 Photograph of Committee Meetings of the General Committee of the Society are held every of 1917-18 Session Wednesday, and consist of Private Members Business and Public including man in uniform & Members Business. The minute books of these meetings record TC Kingsmill Moore their proceedings. This volume covers a periods of huge political TCD MUN SOC HIST 86/125 upheaval both in Ireland and internationally. This book contains minutes of a meeting held on 13 November 1918, at which the decision was made to hold an Open Meeting (to which women were to be admitted) ‘as soon as possible after the declaration of Peace’. This committee photo is notable for showing the involvement of students in the First World War. A great many Hist members were active during the war years. The photo also shows Auditor T.C. Kingsmill Moore (1893-1979), who was later a Senator and then a Judge of the High Court and Supreme Court. When he was Auditor of the Hist, W. B. Yeats spoke at his Inaugural Meeting. College Historical Society Minute Book of General Committee 1913 From the archives of the College Historical Society 19 Trinity College Dublin Silver Medal, History, 1783 The Society traditionally awarded a Gold or Silver Medal to William C. Plunkett those excelling in Oratory, History, and Composition. In the TCD MUN SOC HIST/89/4 first generation of the Society, the winning compositions were handwritten into a journal – called the Composition Book – for record. Medallists would be given an individually engraved medal as seen in these two examples; an ‘Observer Mace’ medal awarded to David McConnell in [ ], and a gold medal for [excellence in] History awarded to Hugh Woodhouse in the 1934-35 Session.