British Mycological Society

British Mycological Society
Formation	1896
Type	Biology Society
Registration no.	276503
Legal status	Charity
Purpose	Mycological Study; Research;
Headquarters	Manchester, United Kingdom
Region served	United Kingdom
Official language	English
Activities	Research; Publications; Lectures; Events;
Collections	Archives
Publications	Fungal Biology; Fungal Biology Reviews; Fungal Ecology; Field Mycology; Symposium Series;
President	S. V. Avery
Website	www.britmycolsoc.org.uk

The British Mycological Society is a learned society established in 1896 to promote the study of fungi.[1]

Formation

The Society was formed based on the efforts of two local societies: the Woolhope Naturalists' Field Club of Hereford and the Yorkshire Naturalists’ Union. The Curator of the Hereford Club, Dr. H. G. Bull, convinced the members in 1867 to undertake the particular study of mushrooms. While the mycological efforts of the Club diminished somewhat after Dr. Bull's death, the Union of Yorkshire founded its Mycological Committee in 1892. This Committee attracted the involvement of many eminent mycologists including Mordecai Cubitt Cooke (1825–1914), Carleton Rea (1861–1946), George Edward Massee (1850–1917), Charles Bagge Plowright (1849–1910), and others.[1]

The need for a national organization and the need for a journal to publish their observations led Cooke, Rea, Massee, and other mycologists (including Charles Crossland) to found the Society in 1896. The Society's founding officers were Rea (Secretary), Crossland (Treasurer), and Massee (President). The choice of the latter as President was based on his international reputation (with more than 250 mycological publications) and role as the mycologist at the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew (where he replaced Cooke as mycologist in 1893). In 1897, Rea assumed the additional role of Treasurer, also continuing as Secretary (until 1918), and was also Editor (until 1930).[1]

Membership

By 1903, the Society's Members numbered over a hundred, which had increased to over four hundred (by shortly after World War II), and had reached over two thousand by 2006.[1]

Before World War II, Honorary Membership was awarded to:[1]

1905 Émile Boudier (1828–1920)
1916 Pier Andrea Saccardo (1845–1920)
1920 Carleton Rea (1861–1946)
1920 Narcisse Théophile Patouillard (1854–1926)
1924 Gulielma Lister (1860-1949)[2]

Publications

From 1896, the Society began publishing its annual journal, Transactions of the British Mycological Society (1896–1989), which became Mycological Research (1989–2010) and was renamed Fungal Biology (2010).

In 1967, the Society began publishing the Bulletin of the British Mycological Society (1967–87), which was renamed The Mycologist (1987–2007) and later became Fungal Biology Reviews (2007) and launched a new journal Fungal Ecology.

In 2000, the Society began publishing the quarterly journal, Field Mycology (2000) for the study and identification of wild fungi.

Periodically, the Society also publishes symposia in the British Mycological Society Symposium Series on a particular theme. The first was Genetics and Physiology of Aspergillus, edited by John E. Smith and John A. Pateman (1977), and there have been twenty-four symposia published as of 2006.[1]

The Society also publishes many other items, from fine art prints to illustrated pocket identification guides, as well as a range of curriculum resources for teachers.[1]

Activities

The Society's Mission Statement is to 'promote Fungal Science Internationally' with the objectives to:

(1) Encourage those interested in fungi and related organisms to join the Society and to take part in our events, whether in a professional or amateur capacity.

(2) Promote the recognition of fungal science in the UK and internationally.

(3) Support and grow the key areas of Society activities to promote further understanding of fungal science and to inspire future generations of mycologists.

(4) Support the Society's academic publications and other resources on fungal biology for the international community.

(5) Organise conferences, workshops and other activities supporting mycology.

(6) Promote networking across the fungal science community and maintain strong links with other relevant national and international learned societies and organisations.

(7) Ensure the Society's resources are utilised effectively to further fungal science.

Presidents

1896–98 George Edward Massee (1850–1917)
1899–1900 Charles Bagge Plowright (1849–1910)
1900–01 Harry Marshall Ward (1854–1906)
1902–03 James William Helenus Trail
1903–04 Rev. W. L. W. Eyre
1904–05 Worthington G. Smith (1866–1928)
1905–06 Sir Rowland Henry Biffen
1906–07 Arthur Lister (1830–1908)
1907–08 Annie Lorrain Smith (1854–1937)
1908–09 Carleton Rea (1861–1946)
1909–10 Michael Cressé Potter (1859–1948)
1910–11 Harold Wager (1876–1951)
1911–12 Ernest Stanley Salmon (1871–1959)
1912–13 Gulielma Lister (1860–1949).
1913–14 Arthur Disbrowe Cotton (1879–1962).
1914–15 Arthur Henry Reginald Buller
1915–16 Emma Amy Rea (1865–1927)
1916–17 Ernest William Swanton (1870–1958)
1917–18 Annie Lorrain Smith (1854–1937)
1918–19 Rev. D. Paul
1919–20 Harold Wager (1876–1951)
1920–21 Thomas Petch (1870–1948)
1921–22 Carleton Rea (1861–1946)
1922–23 Frederick Thomas Brooks (1882–1952)
1923–24 Otto Vernon Darbishire (1870–1934)
1924–25 John Ramsbottom (1885–1974)
1925–26 W.N. Cheeseman.
1926–27 George Herbert Pethybridge
1927–28 Edwin John Butler (1874–1943)
1928–29 Helen Gwynne-Vaughan
1929–30 Elsie Maud Wakefield (1886–1972)
1930–31 Sir Rowland Henry Biffen
1931–32 Arthur Anselm Pearson (1874–1954)
1932–33 Gulielma Lister (1860–1949)
1933–34 W. Brown
1934–35 B. Barnes
1935–36 Malcolm Wilson (1882–1960)
1936–37 F. G. Gould
1937–38 K. St G. Cartwright
1938–39 K. Sampson
1939–40 E. W. Mason
1940–41 H. Wormald
1941–42 W. C. Moore
1942–43 E. M. Blackwell
1943–44 S. P. Wiltshire
1944–45 R. W. Marsh
1945–46 G. Smith
1946–47 J. Ramsbottom
1947–48 C. G. C. Chesters
1948–49 A. E. Muskett
1949–50 W. P. K. Findlay
1950–51 G. C. Ainsworth
1951–52 P. H. Gregory
1952–53 A. A. Pearson
1953–54 C. T. Ingold
1954–55 S. D. Garrett
1955–56 L. E. Hawker
1956–57 W. D. Graddon
1957–58 C. J. Hickman
1958–59 F. B. Hora
1959–60 P. W. Brian
1960–61 E. C. Large
1961–62 G. M. Waterhouse
1962–63 N. A. Burges
1963–64 J. Colhoun
1964–65 N. F. Robertson
1965–66 P. W. Brian
1966–67 H. E. Croxall
1967–68 J. L. Harley
1968–69 J. G. Manners
1969–70 J. Webster
1970–71 S. A. Hutchinson
1971–72 C. T. Ingold
1972–73 J. M. Hirst
1973–74 M. B. Ellis
1974–75 R. C. F. Macer
1975–76 D. M. Henderson
1976–77 R. L. Lucas
1977–78 C. Booth
1978–79 Joan Moore
1979–80 G. J. F. Pugh
1980–81 Sir D. C. Smith
1981–82 R. J. W. Byrde
1982–83 J. H. Burnett
1983–84 M. F. Madelin
1984–85 G. F. Pegg
1985–86 B. C. Sutton
1986–87 D. H. Jennings
1987–88 R. Watling
1988–89 J. F. Peberdy
1989–90 D. H. Lewis
1990–91 D. L. Hawksworth
1991–92 A. P. J. Trinci
1992–93 E. B. G. Jones
1993–94 G. W. Gooday
1994–95 A. J. S. Whalley
1995–96 Juliet Frankland
1996–97 J. Webster
1997–98 D. M. Moore
1998–99 A. D. M. Rayner
1999–2000 S. Buczacki
2001–02 S. J. Moss
2003–04 N. A. R. Gow
2004–07 G. M. Gadd
2007–08 N. Clipson
2009–10 L. Boddy
2011–12 N. Magan
2013–14 G. D. Robson
2015–16 N. Read
2017–18 P. van West
2019–present S.V. Avery

References

Webster, John (1997). "Presidential Address 1996 : The British Mycological Society, 1896–1996". Mycological Research. 101 (10): 1153–1178. doi:10.1017/S0953756297004553.
Ogilvie, Marilyn Bailey; Harvey, Joy Dorothy (2000). The Biographical Dictionary of Women in Science: L-Z. London: Taylor & Francis. p. 795. ISBN 9780415920407.