| Formation | 1784 |
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| Location |
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| Membership | ~16,000 |
Key people |
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TheRoyal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland (RHASS) was founded inEdinburgh in 1784 as theHighland Society of Edinburgh.[1] The society is responsible for organising the annualRoyal Highland Show.
The society had its root in 1723 when the Society of Improvers of the Knowledge of Agriculture in Scotland was created in Edinburgh.[2] This society was abandoned in 1746. A similar society under the name Highland Society of Scotland was created in 1784 with 100 members[3] largely in reaction to thesubsistence crises of 1782/3 when many of the estates in thehighlands and islands of Scotland were not producing enough food to feed tenants.
It received a royal charter in 1787 becoming the Royal Highland Society of Scotland, at which membership rose to 150. By the 1870s, membership grew to 4650. The society granted bursaries for education and also ran the Argyll Fund, which educated "young highland gentleman" for the Navy, which was instigated byJohn Campbell, 5th Duke of Argyll.[4]
In 1828, they began theQuarterly Journal ofAgriculture. From the same time they were housed in a purpose built building onGeorge IV Bridge at the head ofVictoria Street inEdinburgh's Old Town. The building also held an agricultural museum. Now attached to Edinburgh Central Library, it houses the music library.[5]
Famous members includeHenry Mackenzie (a director),Sir Walter Scott, and James MacDonald,[6] secretary from 1893 to 1912.
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