RoyalSociety annual accounts 1665_1847.xlsx
The Royal Society only began presenting 'annual accounts' in a modern sense in the 1830s. For the earlier period, from 1665, the Treasurer reported each year on the 'cash in hand' at the year end (30 November), the total income (including last year's cash in hand), and the total expenditure.
This spreadsheet contains the income, expenditure and year-end balances from 1665 to 1847, transcribed from Royal Society archival sources (Account Books 1665-1740, and then from Council Minutes) .
The transcription was done by Noah Moxham.
We have calculated a figure for income-not-including the cash brought forward, to enable us to create a more familiar income/expenditure series, and an annual surplus/deficit calculation.
Throughout this period, Britain used the imperial system of currency, in which 12 pennies (12d) = 1 shilling (1s), and 20 shillings = £1 (thus, 240d - £1). This is not very Excel-friendly, so we have used old pennies for graphing (but have included £sd for easier human-reading)
Funding
Publishing the Philosophical Transactions: the social, cultural and economic history of a learned journal, 1665-2015
Arts and Humanities Research Council
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