Transactions: General Information
Announcing the launch of the newly digitised collection of Transactions of the Natural History Society of Northumbria
We are delighted to share a historic moment for the Natural History Society of Northumbria: the full digitisation of our Transactions, making nearly 200 years of scientific discovery, exploration, and local natural history available online. For the first time, these invaluable records dating back to 1831 can be accessed freely here on the NHSN website.
At NHSN, we have always believed in making nature accessible to all. Ours was one of the first societies to open a museum of Natural History to the public free of charge, welcoming all to share in the wonders of the natural world. We like to think that this new chapter will continue that pioneering spirit, ensuring that our past informs and inspires our shared future.
What are the Transactions?
The Transactions are bound volumes of articles published annually by NHSN throughout its lifetime. The earlier volumes contain literal ‘transactions’ or transcriptions of society meetings and therefore record information relating to members elected, the business of each meeting as well as a printed record of the research papers which would have been read aloud to members. Within these important records, the rich history of NHSN and its dedicated community of members and volunteers truly comes to life.
We still publish Transactions today, under the new title of North East Naturalist. The North East Naturalist is published in two volumes per year, one of which, Northumberland Coastal Wildlife, is an annual report of the wildlife of key sites along the Northumberland coast. These more recent volumes are available to purchase in our online shop here.
All existing volumes from 1831 to 2020 are now available to browse online for free by clicking the link below. They are arranged chronologically and have been tagged with specific key words and authors to help you navigate towards volumes that contain themes and naturalists that interest you.
It is thanks to the dedication and passion of our volunteers that this project has come to life. We owe a special debt of gratitude to James Wilkinson, who has given countless hours to ensure that these records have been so carefully digitised. His work, alongside that of our committed team of volunteers, means that this significant collection is now online and ready to be explored.
Transaction series
Since the commencement of the Society the Transactions have been produced in three separate series:
- Transactions of the Tyneside Naturalists’ Field Club
- Transactions of the Natural History Society of Northumbria
- North East Naturalist
What Will You Discover?
The Transactions are a treasure trove of North East natural history, filled with the observations and discoveries of dedicated North East naturalists. Whether you’re a naturalist yourself, a historian, a researcher or simply curious about the natural world around you, we invite you to explore. What will you discover?
Get Involved
Have you enjoyed searching through the Transactions? Have you found an incredible story hidden in the archives, or have you found the Transactions useful in your research? We’d love to hear from you!
We’re looking for volunteers to help us uncover these hidden histories as part of our new blog series Stories From the Transactions.
Have you come across stories of women whose contributions have been overlooked? Have you found insights into historical discussions on climate and the environment? Perhaps you’ve uncovered connections between past and present social movements?
Get in touch to share your findings or to let us know how you’re using this newly digitised resource.
Acknowledgements
If you do decide to reproduce or reference any part of the newly digitised transactions, including in publications, we ask that you acknowledge NHSN in the following format:
[Author], [Title], Transactions of the Natural History Society of Northumbria, [Volume No, Date].