Our History

The Society has a long and distinguished history as one of the prominent statistical organisations in the world. From its beginnings in 1834 to the current day we have made sure statistics continues to be promoted and applied for the public good.

Beginnings

In 1833, the British Association for the Advancement of Science (BA) created a statistical section, following a presentation by the Belgian statistician Adolphe Quetelet to its fellows.

This proved so popular that a year later, a Statistical Society was founded by Charles Babbage, Thomas Malthus and Richard Jones with the Marquis of Lansdowne as President. During 1834, 411 fellows joined, representing politics, the army, law, history, physical science, philosophy, the church, art, journalism, medicine and philanthropy as well as economists and statisticians. The founding aims were ‘the collection and classification of all facts illustrative of the present condition and prospects of Society, especially as it exists in the British Dominions’.

The early committee structure and work illustrates our basis in social issues rather than mathematics. Early priorities were defined as:

• The investigation of various areas of statistics and compile reliable data
• Establishment of a library of statistical works – the end of the committee structure enabled fellows to concentrate on the library
• Publication of papers – ‘Proceedings’ was our first publication and was replaced by the ‘Journal’ in 1838
• Monthly meetings for fellows and their guests to read and discuss papers
• The development of an efficient census system is one of our continuing concerns.

Expansion in the 1900s

During this time, the Society developed its activities and expanded its influence by:

• Setting up study groups and sections
• Publication of our journal series
• Establishing medals and awards
• Delivering professional qualifications and accreditation
• In 1954 we moved to our own premises. Details of the various offices we have occupied are available on our premises page.

In 1993 we merged with the Institute of Statisticians (IoS) but retained the title of the Royal Statistical Society.

Relevance and diversity in the 2000s

Our work to promote the relevance of statistics to a broad audience is highlighted by the publication of our magazine, Significance and the launch of our Data Manifesto.

We’ve always been an inclusive Society: Florence Nightingale was our first female member in 1858, Stella Cunliffe our first female president in 1975. Our first overseas member was one of our founders Adolphe Quetelet from Belgium – now, around a quarter of our members are based internationally. Our Young Statisticians’ Section, launched in 2009, supports and brings together career-young statisticians during their first ten years in the profession. We have an increasing number of data analysts attending our events and joining our membership. With data as a key driver for prosperity in the 21st century, we can only see our role and influence increasing.

See a list of our past presidents.

• Archives

  The RSS archive is housed at the University of Warwick’s Modern Record Centre, with our collection dating from 1834-2015 available as hard copies and more recent items available digitally. 

  Although the archive has some gaps in the late 19th century, the bulk of the Society’s official paper documentation remains intact – it includes: 

  • Minutes of the Council and other committees 
  • Nomination papers 
  • Records of special interest sections 
  • Journals and indexes 
  • Separate deposited collections, such as those of William Newmarch and pre-1800 books. 

  The parts of the main Society archive which have so far been added to the Modern Records Centre catalogue, and links to the catalogues of the deposited papers of individual statisticians, can be found on the Modern Records Centre website, as can general information about using the Centre. 

  The current and previous editions of the Society’s journal are available on the Oxford Academic website. 

• Historical book collection

  At present, our historical book collection is predominantly kept at the University of Essex’s library; the oldest items, previously held at our old home on Errol Street, are currently in storage until the Society’s relocation to its new headquarters in 2027. 

  Books in storage include all pre-1800 books and collections donated by William Newmarch and George Udny Yule. There are more than 500 volumes, and there is an appeal for donations towards the conservation and restoration of these. 

  The majority of post-1850 books are held on permanent deposit at the University of Essex’s library. This collection consists of back runs of around 30 periodicals, a large book collection, and an important series of tracts – bound volumes of pamphlets on diverse topics. The core of the collection relates to statistics and statistical history and contains much material of interest in the field of social and economic history, particularly for the 19th and early 20th centuries. 
  
  Fellows have free access to this collection, on a reference only basis, by request between Monday and Friday, 9am to 5pm. Fellows are advised to contact the library in advance of their visit. 

• Premises

  These are the offices and from 1954 the premises we have occupied.

  1834 – we take offices at the Royal Society of Literature
  1843 – we move to 11 Regent Street, W1
  1845 – we move to the ground floor of London Library, St James Square, SW1
  1874 – offices, with Institute of Actuaries, moved to Principal’s House, King’s College
  1884 – we move to 9 Adelphi Terrace, WC2
  1936 – we move to 4 Portugal Street, WC2
  1954 – we move to our own premises at 21 Bentinck Street, W1
  1975 – we move to 25 Enford Street, W1
  1995 – we move to our current premises in Errol Street, EC1, where we stay for thirty years
  2025 – we take an office at Development House, Leonard Street 
  2027 – we move to our own, current premises on Southwark Bridge Road, SE1