Bishopsgate Institute and the Humanist Library & Archives at Conway Hall have secured a £41,250 grant to make previously closed archives available for the first time.
With key thinkers including Bertrand Russell, A J Ayer and Charles Bradlaugh, organisations proposing non-religious approaches to ethics and morality have played a vital part in British cultural and social life, helping our understanding of social issues such as euthanasia, adoption and penal reform. Now Bishopsgate Institute and Conway Hall have successfully secured vital funding to catalogue and open up the archives of three key secular organisations whose records document a core strand of radical thought and action in the UK over the past two centuries.
Conway Hall Ethical Society (formerly South Place Ethical Society), the National Secular Society and the British Humanist Association will use the grant to allow online catalogues to be produced of their archives. A project archivist will be appointed for one and a half years to compile a detailed and accessible online resource from the records of these organisations. Once completed this resource will make the thinking behind these alternatives to religion more readily accessible to historians, educationalists and the general public through the wealth of records of all sorts – minutes, letters, documents and photographs – contained within. The work will also drive an ‘Alternatives to Religion’ website to be hosted by Conway Hall, a travelling exhibition and a study conference.
The grant has been awarded by the National Archive Cataloguing Grants Programme administered by The National Archives. Stefan Dickers, Chief Librarian at Bishopsgate Institute explained why this is so exciting.
‘This project will open up the archives of the three most important organisations representing freethought, secularism and humanism in the UK, revealing their rich history, their centrality to the development of ethics and philosophy, and their important campaigning activities which continue with great success to the present day. The increased access to and visibility of these archives, facilitated by this grant, will be of invaluable benefit to researchers and scholars for generations to come.’
Jim Walsh, Chief Executive Officer of Conway Hall also commented:
‘The Archives of the Conway Hall Ethical Society, the National Secular Society and the British Humanist Association together form a vital part of our cultural pedigree, telling the story of those who strove to demonstrate how we can live harmoniously through ethical “Alternatives to Religion”. Joining the portfolio of bodies funded by the National Archive Cataloguing Grants Programme is extremely important to Conway Hall. The Programme’s role in supporting and sustaining institutions at a time when funding opportunities are scarce is invaluable to our collective heritage. By forging a partnership with the Bishopsgate Institute we hoped to demonstrate an innovative approach to such scarcity, and I am delighted with our success.’
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For more information please contacts Stefan Dickers on 020 7392 9270 or email stefan.dickers@bishopsgate.org.uk or Jim Walsh on 0207 061 6745 or email jim@ethicalsoc.org.uk.
Bishopsgate Institute has, since 1895 been a home for ideas and debate, learning and enquiry; a place where culture, heritage and learning meet, and where independent thought is cherished. All of this takes place in our beautiful Grade II* listed Victorian building. We provide welcoming and inspiring spaces for people with a thirst for knowledge to learn and flourish. Through our library, historic collections, Courses for Adults, Cultural Events and Schools and Community programme we enrich, entertain, and stimulate independent thought in a vibrant city environment. To find out more about Bishopsgate Institute visit www.bishopsgate.org.uk
Conway Hall is owned by Conway Hall Ethical Society and was first opened in 1929. The name was chosen in honour of Moncure Daniel Conway (1832 – 1907), anti-slavery advocate, out-spoken supporter of free thought and biographer of Thomas Paine. The Hall now hosts a wide variety of lectures, classes, performances, community and social events. It is renowned as a hub for free speech and independent thought. Our Library holds the Ethical Society’s collection, which is the largest and most comprehensive Humanist Research resource of its kind in the United Kingdom. www.conwayhall.org.uk
Conway Hall Ethical Society is a progressive movement founded over two centuries ago. Today the Society is an educational charity whose aims are, the study and dissemination of ethical principles based on Humanism and freethought; the cultivation of a rational and humane way of life and the advancement of research and education in all relevant fields. www.conwayhall.org.uk
The National Archive Cataloguing Grants Programme is administered by The National Archives and has channelled over £1.5 million from generous charitable donors to catalogue archive collections of national importance that need external funding to open up their contents. http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
National Secular Society is Britain’s only organisation working exclusively towards a secular society. Founded in 1866, we campaign from a non-religious perspective for the separation of religion and state and promote secularism as the best means to create a society in which people of all religions or none can live together fairly and cohesively. The NSS sees secularism – the position that the state should be separate from religion – as an essential element in promoting equality between all citizens. http://www.secularism.org.uk/
The British Humanist Association (BHA) is the national charity working on behalf of non-religious people who seek to live ethical and fulfilling lives on the basis of reason and humanity. Founded in 1896, the BHA is trusted by over 28,000 members and supporters and over 90 local and special interest affiliates to promote Humanism. Our policies are informed with the support of over 120 of the UK’s most prominent philosophers, scientists, and other thinkers and experts and we seek to advance them with the help of over 100 parliamentarians in membership of the All Party Parliamentary Humanist Group. http://humanists.uk/