This representation of the secular hall is from a framed ink drawing, undated and by an unknown artist, that now hangs in the ground-floor meeting hall.
Biographical Notes
Socrates
Jesus ?
b.1650-1799
Voltaire
Thomas Paine
Robert Owen
Richard Carlile
b.1800-1849
Charles Darwin
Charles Bradlaugh
Mary Anne Evans (George Eliot)
W. H. Holyoak
G. J. Holyoake
Harriet Law
William Morris
James Thomson
Michael Wright (in LSS Newsletter, May 2008)
b.1850-1899
Tom Barclay (in Leicester Secularist No.1, October 2008)
G. W. Foote
The Gimsons
F. J. Gould
F. A. Ridley
J. M. Robertson
William Wilber
E. H. Hassell
b.1900-1950
Peter Miller
History of the Society
History by F. J. Gould 1900
F. J. Gould's Life Story
S. A. Gimson Recollections 1932
History by Gillian Hawtin 1972
Leicester Rationalist Trust
The Five Busts
Hymns of Modern Thought
The following lists of presidents and vice-presidents was compiled by Fred Lee in 2000 and is Appendix A in his draft thesis "Secularism from the Victorian Age to the Twenty-first Century; The History of the Leicester Secular Society."
| Year | President | Vice-president |
|---|---|---|
| 1889 | Sydney Gimson | none recorded |
| 1899 | .. | William Wilber |
| 1900 | William Wilber | Sydney Gimson |
| 1901 | Sydney Gimson | Wiliam Wilber |
| 1914 | .. | E. Pinder |
| 1916 | .. | W. H. Scott |
| 1921 | .. | T. Cater |
| 1922 | .. | F. J. Smith |
| 1923 | .. | E. Harry Hassell |
| 1938 | .. | .. |
| 1939 | E. Harry Hassell | A. J. Essex |
| 1940 | .. | J. Cooper |
| 1943 | .. | J. Abbott |
| 1945 | .. | J. Cartwright |
| 1949 | G. A. Kirk | .. |
| 1951 | .. | L. Croxtall |
| 1952 | .. | J. Cartwright |
| 1957 | .. | L. Hall |
| 1973* | A. Davis | .. |
| 1974 | .. | L. Croxtall |
| 1976 | .. | John O'Higgins |
| 1977 | .. | Peter Miller |
| 1980 | Peter Miller | L. Croxtall |
| 1982 | .. | D. G. Parsons |
| 1984 | .. | Anthony Barron |
| 1985 | .. | D. G. Parsons |
| 1986 | .. | Paul Harding |
| 1987 | Rupert Halfhide | .. |
| 1988 | Paul Harding | Rupert Halfhide |
| 1989 | .. | B. A. Wood |
| 1990 | .. | Lyn Hurst |
| 1992 | .. | B. A. Wood |
| 1993 | B. A. Wood* | none elected |
| 1994 | Frederic S. Lee | none elected |
| 1994 | .. | Bob Hall |
| 2000 | Lyn Hurst | Michael Gerard |
* Notes: (a) From 1973 the election of officers seems to have been moved to the mid-year so the dates of end of one presidency and start of another are given as the same year. (b) When I [George Jellis] asked Woody Wood to confirm these dates he denied that he was ever President, so there seems to have been some confusion in the 1990s.
On 26 June 2007 Leicester Secular Society became a Company Limited by Guarantee, Reg.No.06292639, with its registered office at Secular Hall.
| Year | President | Chair |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Lyn Hurst | Eleanor S. Davidson |
| 2008 | Allan Hayes | Michael Gerard |
| 2009 | Allan Hayes | Mike Burden |
| 2010 | Emma Chung | Mike Burden |
As a Limited Company, the rules and constitution of the Society are embodied in legal documents - the Memorandum and Articles of Association. These are not fixed for all time so for historical interest we include past versions alongside the current one here.
| Year | Comment |
|---|---|
| 2007 | Original M&As on formation of the company |
| 2009 | Current M&As as revised following EGM 7 June 2009 |
| 2010 | Changes to M&As were adopted at the AGM, 7 Nov 2010. The new document will be available here shortly. |
These Rules have been superseded by the Memorandum and Articles of Association as indicated above. They are presented for historical interest.
1. NAME.
The name of the Society shall be "The Leicester Secular Society", hereinafter referred to as the Society.
2. OBJECTS.
The objects of the Society shall be the advancement of scientific and verifiable knowledge and a rational ethic against superstition, religion and a supenatural morality, by means of lectures, discussions, classes for adults, youth activities, library, publications and distribution of literature, social meetings, etc., the upholding of the principles of Freethought including the rejection of authority in all matters of opinion and the assertion of the right of assembly, speech and publication, and the raising of funds for these objects and by affiliation to or association with other societies as shall be determined from time to time by the members in general meeting.
3. MEMBERSHIP.
(a) Any person aged sixteen or over may become a member through election by the Committee if proposed and seconded by members of the Society after such assent to the Societies principles as shall satify the Committee of the candidate's sincerity. The minimum subscription shall be £1 per year, husband and wife £1.50, or such sum as the Committee shall decide each year, with the approval of the members at the A.G.M.
(b) FREE. Members of long standing may be elected as free members by the members of the Society at the AGM as a mark of the Society's esteem. Free members shall enjoy full rights of membership.
(c) HONORARY. Persons who have done, or are doing, important service to the cause of Secularism, may be elected as honorary members by the members of the Committee and they shall have full use of the Society's premises but shall have no power to vote or nominate.
4. MANAGEMENT
The management of the Society shall be in the hands of the Committee which shall consist of the following:--
(a) PRESIDENT, VICE-PRESIDENT, SECRETARY, TREASURER. The President and the Vice-President shall be elected by the annual general meeting of the members. The Secretary and the Treasurer shall be appointed by the Committee.
(b) MEMBERS. The Committee shall consist of four members plus the above officers. In the event of an emergency the Officers shall have the power to act and they shall report their actions to the next Committee meeting.
5. MEMBERS' MEETINGS
The annual general meeting of members shall be held in October or November and the half-yearly general meeting of members in March or April. In each case, fourteen days notice in writing shall be given to the members. Special general meetings of members of which fourteen days notice shall be given may be called by the Committee or by ten members giving the Secretary a written notice of the meeting and the purpose thereof.
6. COMMITTEE MEETINGS.
Committee meetings shall be held in at least nine months in the year. Three or more members of the committee may request the Secretary in writing to summon a special meeting of the Committee for a specified object and the Secretary shall issue the necessary notices. Five members, one of whom at least shall be an officer, shall constitute a Quorum at any Committee meeting.
7. ELECTION OF COMMITTEE.
Nominations for election for the Committee may be made at or during the AGM. Members whose subscriptions are in arrears may not be nominated nor vote. Members of less than six months standing shall not be eligible for election to the Committee. The Committee has the power to co-opt members to the committee for specific or general purposes at any time.
8. ACCOUNTS AND AUDlTORS.
The auditor or auditors shall be elected at the annual general meeting of members and shall present to the annual general meeting the accounts for the preceding year which shall have been previously printed and circulated to the members The financial year shall end on June 30th.
9. CHAIRMAN.
The President shall take the chair at all meetings and shall have a casting vote. In his absence, the Vice-President shall assume the President's duties.
10. NOTICE OF MOTIONS.
Except by consent of the members present, no motion shall be made at a general meeting of members (other than a special general meeting of members) unless fourteen days' notice has been given or unless the motion is made on behalf of the Committee.
11. COMPLAINTS.
Any complaints of bad behaviour of any member shall be laid before the Committee and both the complainant and the accused shall be entitled to attend the meeting at which the matter is considered to put their case. The Committee shall have power to suspend any members involved for any time it may think or to expel them from membership. Any such suspension or expulsion shall be reported to the next general meeting of members to which the members involved shall have the right to appeal. Suspended or expelled members shall not be introduced as visitors nor require reparation.
12. ALTERATION TO RULES.
The rules can only be altered or added to at a general meeting of members by a motion made for the purpose.
First we give more details of the items available, complete or in part, on this website.
Records Office: There are some records of the Society which were deposited at the Leicester Record Office, Wigston, in 1968. The following list can also be viewed on five microfilm rolls kept by the Society, made in 1981.
There are other records in the British Library and at the Bishopsgate Institute Library, both in London. Details to be included in due course we hope - if you have such information, please let us know! Contact details on our home page.
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Page updated 23 March FF