Surtees Society

Raine and other former friends of Surtees created the society to honour his memory and carry on his legacy, with the focus on publishing documents relating to the region between the Humber estuary and Firth of Forth in the east and the River Mersey and the River Clyde in the west, the region that had once constituted the kingdom of Northumbria. Membership of the Society is by annual subscription (currently £35 for individuals and £50 for institutions). Members receive one cloth bound copy of any volume published during the year of subscription.

• Name — Surtees Society • Formation — 27 May 1834 • Type — Historical society • Status — Charity • Registration Id — 1003812 • Purpose — Historical study and research • Headquarters — Durham, England • Region Served — Former Kingdom of Northumbria (northern England and southern Scotland) • Language — English • Leader Title — Activities • Leader Name — Research and publication • Leader Title2 — Collections • Leader Name2 — Library, archives • Leader Title3 — President • Website — surteessociety.org.uk

The Surtees Society was constituted on 27 May 1834 at a meeting held at Durham, and Raine was appointed its first secretary. It was modelled in part on the Scottish Bannatyne Club (founded c. 1823) and Maitland Club (founded 1828). At the 27 May meeting, 94 members were elected, and by 1 July the number had risen to 100. From this time Raine devoted great energy and industry to the interests of the society, editing 17 of its volumes, and establishing it on a permanent basis. It proved the pioneer of many similar English regional and county publishing societies, which adopted its rules and methods. Between 1855 and 1895 the society's secretary was Raine's son, James Raine the younger. • Illustration — Title page of Alice Thornton's autobiography, dating from the 17th century and published by the Society (1875)

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