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The Inception of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society
The originator of the idea for a national society of geography in Scotland was John George Bartholomew, of the Bartholomew map-making company in Edinburgh. Bartholomew felt that there was a low quality of map craftsmanship within Britain and a lack of geographical societies as compared with the rest of Europe, and set out to investigate the situation in other countries, particularly in Germany. As a result of this he began work in establishing a geographical society for Scotland.
In his initial attempts, Bartholomew was assisted by Mrs A.L. Bruce, the daughter of David Livingstone. She herself was a keen geographer, with a particular interest in Africa. With an outline for the proposed society, they sought the support of Professor James Geikie, Professor of Geology at Edinburgh University. Geikie had a keen interest in the advancement in geographical research and teaching, willingly giving his support to the project, and in December 1884 The Scottish Geographical Society (S.G.S.) was established. Recruiting members from many of Edinburgh's most prominent men and women, the Society managed to establish support from influential quarters. Whereas the Royal Geographical Society (R.G.S.) took its membership from the leisured rich of London and those of a military or governmental background with a desire to travel, the S.G.S. membership was more diverse, with members from scientific and academic backgrounds, providing a broader yet more intellectual emphasis to its aims, as well as members of the general public, who joined more through interest or knowledge of the new discoveries than from any real interest in their own country.
The aims of the Society were diverse, yet exploration was seen as having less emphasis than research and education. The first edition of the Scottish Geographical Magazine stated: -
"... it is therefore one of the first objectives of the Scottish Geographical Society to advance the study of geography in Scotland: to impress the public with the necessity and inestimable value of a thorough knowledge of geography in a commercial, scientific or political education."
Again the S.G.S. differed from the R.G.S., where the S.G.S. concentrated on education and research, the R.G.S. stressed exploration and discovery, and the gathering together and dissemination of information from such activities. These differences could be attributed to the membership of each society. The S.G.S. was founded at that point in the nineteenth century when the scientific climate prevailing in Scotland, and in particular Edinburgh, influenced the direction of the Society's goals and activities. With many academics as members, education and research were always going to be important issues, whereas with the R.G.S. a member-base consisting of servicemen and civil servants trained in the classics pushed their work in a differing direction.
The Scottish Geographical Society was originally based in Edinburgh, where the administrative offices and main meetings were situated, but within a year had established branches in Dundee, Aberdeen and Glasgow to cater for the strong local interest and active participation in its work. The R.G.S., on the other hand, had in its first 50 years made no attempt to expand its activities outwith London. Thus in Scotland, from the start, membership from outside Edinburgh was encouraged. Edinburgh was, however, the true focus of geography within Scotland during the early years. It had at this time a largely active and lively scientific community from within which the elements to provide the seeds of a more balanced and scientific approach to geography would emerge.
Chief amongst the Society's early achievements were its support for the Scottish National Antarctic Expedition (1902-04), and the establishment of Scotland's first professorial chair in Geography, at Edinburgh University.
Adapted from Scotland as the Cradle of Modern Academic Geography in Britain by Elspeth N. Lochhead (Scottish Geographical Magazine v.97 no.2 (September 1981) p.98-109)
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