| dc.description.abstract | In June 1781, the Royal Society’s repository was transferred to the British
Museum. Though ostensibly as a result of the limited space in the Royal Society’s
purpose-built accommodation at Somerset House, the Society were perhaps also a
little relieved to relinquish a collection that had proved to be somewhat burdensome
during its residence at the Society and which was frequently criticised for its decaying
specimens, broken items and missing, possibly stolen, objects. However this seems to
be only part of the story. Drawing upon manuscript material in the Royal Society and
the British Library, this study will examine the repository’s pattern of usage,
collecting strategies and intellectual output throughout its life, in addition to exploring
its afterlife at the British Museum using the British Museum’s, Royal College of
Surgeon’s and Natural History Museum’s extensive archives. This thesis will seek to
reveal an alternative account of the Royal Society’s repository arguing that it was
comprised of a substantial and significant collection that the British Museum, at least
initially, appears to have been grateful to receive and which, periodically, played a
central role in the Society’s and naturalists' work. | en_US |
