Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society
Encyclopedia
The Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society, popularly known as the Lit & Phil, is a learned society
in Manchester
, England.
Established in 1781 as the Literary and Philosophical Society of Manchester, by Thomas Percival
, Thomas Barnes and Thomas Henry, other prominent members have included Robert Owen
, John Dalton
, James Prescott Joule
, Tom Kilburn
, Peter Mark Roget, Ernest Rutherford
and Joseph Whitworth
. The first formal meeting of the society took place on 14 March 1781. Meetings were held in a back room of the Cross Street Chapel
until December 1799, after which the society moved into its own premises in George Street.
The original "House" (as it was called) was destroyed as a fire-break during the Manchester Blitz
in 1940. Its replacement, built in the 1960s, was constructed using high alumina cement (referred to as having "concrete cancer") and was demolished in the 1980s. The Lit & Phil now usually meets in one of three hired lecture theatres: The Royal Northern College of Music, The Manchester Business School, or MANDEC (Manchester Dental Education Centre), all of which are within 200 yards (182.9 m) of each other. The society operates from an office provided by the Manchester Metropolitan University, and has two permanent staff.
The Lit & Phil offers over 30 lectures or similar events each year, one every week of the academic term. It is a registered charity and a private members' society (three or four events each year are restricted to members and their guests only), and has more than 450 members. As a charitable institution the society encourages members of the public to attend most of its lectures to improve the further and higher education of those living in Greater Manchester. Since the local universities ceased offering extra-curricular courses the Lit & Phil has seen an increase in both membership and in the attendance of non-members at lectures.
The society's Memoirs and Proceedings, first published in 1783, was at the time of its launch the only regular scientific journal
in the United Kingdom except for the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society. The Manchester Memoirs has been published continuously since the first edition. It contains the transactions of the society (most notably the text of many recent lectures) and is distributed to members and to similar institutions and libraries throughout the world by subscription. Copies are also available for purchase by non-members.
Learned society
A learned society is an organization that exists to promote an academic discipline/profession, as well a group of disciplines. Membership may be open to all, may require possession of some qualification, or may be an honor conferred by election, as is the case with the oldest learned societies,...
in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, England.
Established in 1781 as the Literary and Philosophical Society of Manchester, by Thomas Percival
Thomas Percival
Thomas Percival FRS FRSE FSA was an English physician and author, best known for crafting perhaps the first modern code of medical ethics...
, Thomas Barnes and Thomas Henry, other prominent members have included Robert Owen
Robert Owen
Robert Owen was a Welsh social reformer and one of the founders of utopian socialism and the cooperative movement.Owen's philosophy was based on three intellectual pillars:...
, John Dalton
John Dalton
John Dalton FRS was an English chemist, meteorologist and physicist. He is best known for his pioneering work in the development of modern atomic theory, and his research into colour blindness .-Early life:John Dalton was born into a Quaker family at Eaglesfield, near Cockermouth, Cumberland,...
, James Prescott Joule
James Prescott Joule
James Prescott Joule FRS was an English physicist and brewer, born in Salford, Lancashire. Joule studied the nature of heat, and discovered its relationship to mechanical work . This led to the theory of conservation of energy, which led to the development of the first law of thermodynamics. The...
, Tom Kilburn
Tom Kilburn
Tom Kilburn CBE, FRS was an English engineer. With Freddie Williams he worked on the Williams Tube and the world's first stored-program computer, the Small-Scale Experimental Machine , while working at the University of Manchester.-Computer engineering:Kilburn was born in Dewsbury, Yorkshire and...
, Peter Mark Roget, Ernest Rutherford
Ernest Rutherford
Ernest Rutherford, 1st Baron Rutherford of Nelson OM, FRS was a New Zealand-born British chemist and physicist who became known as the father of nuclear physics...
and Joseph Whitworth
Joseph Whitworth
Sir Joseph Whitworth, 1st Baronet was an English engineer, entrepreneur, inventor and philanthropist. In 1841, he devised the British Standard Whitworth system, which created an accepted standard for screw threads...
. The first formal meeting of the society took place on 14 March 1781. Meetings were held in a back room of the Cross Street Chapel
Cross Street Chapel
Cross Street Chapel is a Unitarian church in Manchester, England, famous in civic and national life for its contributions to piety and civil society. Jane Barraclough currently serves as minister at Cross Street, having been inducted in September 2008...
until December 1799, after which the society moved into its own premises in George Street.
The original "House" (as it was called) was destroyed as a fire-break during the Manchester Blitz
Manchester Blitz
The Manchester Blitz was the heavy bombing of the city of Manchester and its surrounding areas in North West England during the Second World War by the Nazi German Luftwaffe...
in 1940. Its replacement, built in the 1960s, was constructed using high alumina cement (referred to as having "concrete cancer") and was demolished in the 1980s. The Lit & Phil now usually meets in one of three hired lecture theatres: The Royal Northern College of Music, The Manchester Business School, or MANDEC (Manchester Dental Education Centre), all of which are within 200 yards (182.9 m) of each other. The society operates from an office provided by the Manchester Metropolitan University, and has two permanent staff.
The Lit & Phil offers over 30 lectures or similar events each year, one every week of the academic term. It is a registered charity and a private members' society (three or four events each year are restricted to members and their guests only), and has more than 450 members. As a charitable institution the society encourages members of the public to attend most of its lectures to improve the further and higher education of those living in Greater Manchester. Since the local universities ceased offering extra-curricular courses the Lit & Phil has seen an increase in both membership and in the attendance of non-members at lectures.
The society's Memoirs and Proceedings, first published in 1783, was at the time of its launch the only regular scientific journal
Scientific journal
In academic publishing, a scientific journal is a periodical publication intended to further the progress of science, usually by reporting new research. There are thousands of scientific journals in publication, and many more have been published at various points in the past...
in the United Kingdom except for the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society. The Manchester Memoirs has been published continuously since the first edition. It contains the transactions of the society (most notably the text of many recent lectures) and is distributed to members and to similar institutions and libraries throughout the world by subscription. Copies are also available for purchase by non-members.