Fellowship is one of several ways to join and belong to the Royal Historical Society. Fellows are elected to this position by the Society in recognition of their work for the historical discipline and profession.
There are many different routes to Fellowship, just as there are different kinds of contributions and careers within the discipline of history.
Today’s RHS Fellows are history practitioners from a range of backgrounds (within and beyond higher education) who have contributed to historical understanding and knowledge through a body of work.
These contributions take many forms, from academic publications of different formats, to editorial and curatorial work, history programming and public history.
This post addresses common questions asked by those considering applying to join the Fellowship of the Royal Historical Society. If you are interested in making an application, we hope this helps.
Fellowship is one of several ways to join and belong to the Royal Historical Society. Fellows are elected to this position by the Society, by their peers, in recognition of their work for the historical discipline and profession. There are many different routes to Fellowship, just as there are different kinds of contributions and careers within the discipline of history.
Today’s RHS Fellows are history practitioners from a range of backgrounds (within and beyond higher education) who have contributed to historical understanding and knowledge through a body of work.
For some, this will be through a ‘traditional’ route of research and publications, for example, a peer-reviewed book or scholarly journal articles. For others it may be for work facilitating or communicating the research of others—as an established editor, archivist or broadcaster, or for activities in public and community history. Common to all Fellows is their original and sustained professional contribution to extending our knowledge, understanding and appreciation of the past.
The remainder of this post addresses common questions asked by those considering applying to join the Fellowship of the Royal Historical Society. If you are considering an application, we hope this helps. You are also welcome to contact the Society by email, membership@royalhistsoc.org, if you have any further questions.
All recommendations for Fellowship are reviewed by the Society’s Membership Committee drawn from the RHS Council. The Committee will consider your application with care and consideration and welcomes applications for Fellowship from historians of all kinds and backgrounds.
1. Do I need to have written an academic book to be eligible for Fellowship of the Royal Historical Society?
No: Fellowship is today awarded for bodies of work that take a much wider range of formats than an academic monograph. Traditionally, Fellowship was conditional on publication of ‘the book’, but this is no longer the case.
Of course, many Fellows are still authors of academic monographs, and many do apply for Fellowship on publication of their first book, or having published several monographs.
However, many others apply primarily on the basis of a portfolio of publications in the the form of journal articles and/or book chapters, roughly of the same extent as a monograph (c.80,000 words or more). Likewise, the Society recognises the breadth and quality of history publishing today, and the many styles in which research-based history is written and communicated.
Others still apply for Fellowship on the basis of a body of original and sustained work that isn’t principally based on publishing: for example, for their professional work as an academic editor, a facilitator of research, or a curator / communicator of historical work. This means a significant, and growing, section of the Society’s Fellowship comprises historians working outside higher education in sectors such as archives and research libraries, museums and galleries, heritage and conservation, and publishing and broadcasting.
2. In addition to publications, what other kinds of activity constitute an original contribution to historical scholarship?
Each cohort of new Fellows reflects the diversity and creativity of historical practice, and the wide range of those making a contribution to our knowledge and understanding of the past.
In each round of new Fellows there are, of course, historians working in university history departments but the Fellowship extends well beyond this. Over the past 12 months, the Society has appointed Fellows who, working historically, are based in, among others, university departments of Accounting, Education, English, Film Studies, History of Art, Law, Media Studies, Modern Languages, Political Theory, Strategy and Intelligence, Theatre and Performance, and Theology.
Many Fellows pursue their historical interests beyond the context of higher education. This includes as freelance writers and researchers and as professional in sectors such as archival and library management, heritage, museum and gallery curation, conservation, publishing and broadcasting.
In addition, many other Fellows undertake their historical work while employed in other occupations. In the past 12 months, the Society has elected Fellows who work as clinical psychologists, lawyers, academic administrators, physicians, religious leaders, journalists, editors, archaeologists, and school teachers.
For Fellows working in higher education, their contributions to historical understanding most often take the form of publication of academic papers and books, including monographs, edited collections. and scholarly editions of primary sources. At the same time, Fellowship recognises the many other ways in which academics contribute to historical understanding, for example as editors of journals or books series, or collaborative work with museums and galleries.
For those working beyond higher education, contributions are often the continuation of an earlier research (for example, a book version of a PhD) which is undertaken in a freelance capacity.
For others, their historical work originates with their careers: for example, as a journalist or broadcaster who goes on to write a book or create history-related programmes; or as a curator involved in the creation of exhibitions.
Others still become Fellows for their work in newer forms of historical activity that extend our collective understanding of the past. This includes professional makers of history podcasts, based on original research, and public and community historians with a body of work developing historical understanding of a region or community.
3. Can I apply for Fellowship if I work as a historian outside of the UK?
Yes. The Society is an international community of historians and there are currently Fellows who are resident in more than 60 countries worldwide. The majority of Fellows do work and research within the UK and Ireland, but the RHS Fellowship recognises contributions to knowledge wherever these occur.
For many international Fellows, the Society offers them a connection to UK academia and research if, for example, they have moved away from the UK. Other international Fellows are historians of Britain and Ireland, or of the British world, for whom the Society provides a network of like-minded scholars with shared research interests and experiences which may be less available in their home country.
The Society’s international Fellows are an important constituency with full access to RHS funding programmes, news services, publications, and related offers. We are also looking to develop what we offer Fellows based outside of the UK in terms of closer contacts with others in their home region and with the Society. We expect to provide further details on these new initiatives in 2026.
4. Can I apply if I don’t work in a university history department, or if I’m not a historian working in higher education?
Yes. While many RHS Fellows are university teachers and researchers, the Fellowship also reflects the breadth and diversity of how, and where, history is practised.
Within universities, this means many Fellows are now based in centres and departments other than history—for example, working as legal, business or social historians in centres of law, management and social policy. And as an increasing number of ‘traditional’ departments are merged, and many institutions move to cross disciplinary structures, RHS Fellowship offers a home for historians wherever they work.
Many Fellows also practice in sectors beyond higher education, including archives and libraries, museums and galleries, heritage and conservation, publishing and broadcasting, as well as public and community history. The Fellowship also includes those who work, by choice or necessity, independent of institutional structures, seeking again to offer a supportive culture of fellow historians.
5. What do I need to do to apply for Fellowship?
Applications for Fellowship are submitted via the Society’s online portal and require two elements: a short CV and a brief statement on the nature of your contribution to historical scholarship—be this via publications or other activities.
We also ask that applications are supported by a statement or reference from an existing Fellow of the Society who can endorse your candidacy. If you work in higher education, you may already know a colleague who’s a Fellow of the Society. We also offer a listing of current Fellows of the Society here to help identify a potential sponsor.
6. What should my sponsor say in their supporting letter, and what do I do if I don’t know a current Fellow of the Society?
Your sponsor should support your statement on ‘contribution to knowledge’ and endorse your application to join the Fellowship. In very many cases, this is a simple process and an opportunity for a colleague to speak briefly about the relevance and value of your work as a historian. We do not require lengthy statements from referees, though sponsors are welcome to write as they wish on an applicant’s contribution to the discipline.
If you don’t know an existing Fellow, you may still submit an application to join the Fellowship. Simply add the following when asked for the name and email address of a referee: ‘RHS Membership Committee’ / ‘membership@royalhistsoc.org’. Your application will then be reviewed by the Committee who may consult an existing Fellow in a research area similar to yours.
7. How is my application assessed?
Applications for Fellowship are considered by members of the RHS Membership Committee which is drawn from the RHS Councillors. Our committee has extensive experience of reviewing applications and fully understands the many ways and environments in which historians work and contribute to scholarship today.
All recommendations for Fellowship made by the Committee are then reviewed and approved by the RHS Council. The cycle of review, decision, and creation of packs for new Fellows, typically takes 8-10 weeks from the end of the latest application deadline.
8. What are the benefits of Fellowship of the Society?
From November 2025, we have a new ‘Guide for Members’ which sets out the benefits of belonging to the Society. These include access to weekly professional news, research funding opportunities, new and archive publications, and discount offers.
In addition, the Fellowship brings with it several distinctive offers—for example, use of the postnominals FRHistS; the opportunity to stand for and vote in elections to the Society’s governing Council; and voting rights for the Society’s Annual General Meeting.
Fellowship of the Society also brings access to the Society’s Members’ Directory which provides details of nearly 4000 other Fellows and Members of the Society, and provides opportunities for networking in addition to the events hosted by the Society.
9. I was previously a Fellow of the Society but my association has lapsed. Can I rejoin?
Yes. We warmly welcome back former Fellows who wish to renew their links with the Society.
Fellowship is conditional on payment of the annual subscription fee (which starts at £65 per person per year). If you are a former Fellow and would like to rejoin the Society, please contact membership@royalhistsoc.org and we’ll be happy to help. Rejoining is easy and you are not required to reapply: simply tell us you’d like to resume your Fellowship.
Also, if you’re not sure of your current Fellowship status, please contact us and we will be happy to help.
10. When can I apply?
Applications to join the Fellowship are welcome at any time via the online applications portal.
We run five rounds for election each year and the next two closing dates are: Monday 15 December 2025 and Monday 6 March 2026. Further dates for 2026 are available here.
Guide for Members
Our new Guide for Members provides full details of the benefits of Fellowship of the Royal Historical Society.
These include access to funding, publications, networking and other resources made available by the Society, as well as discounts with a range of external publishers. Fellows of the Society also receive additional benefits which are set out in the Guide
HEADER AND OTHER IMAGES: iStock Photo, Credit: arthobbit
