We welcome visitors to the library by prior arrangement. There is no charge for access but we do ask for a donation towards running costs. Visits by researchers are welcomed but books may not be removed. The best days to visit are Tuesdays and Thursdays when our librarian is in attendance.

Contacts:

RASE, Librarian: library@rase.org.uk, telephone 02476 853076.

Search on-line

You can search through the library database here. It will provide you with access to the library catalogue that can be searched in a number of ways including by 'keywords' - just type in the details of title/author etc. or a keyword such as RASE and run the search facility. You will be presented with a list of all entries that are relevant.

You can access some of our library information directly here:
List of obituaries and biographical notes appearing in the Society’s Journal

This lists all obituaries and main biographical notes published in the Society’s Journal. Entries are confined to individuals who were involved with the Society.

List of Prize Farm winners appearing in the Society’s Journal

For many years the Society ran a competition for Prize Farms. An integral part of the Society’s policy of fostering good agricultural practice, it was restricted to entrants farming in counties that either hosted or were adjacent to the peripatetic Royal Show. It ran from 1870 – 1892 (not 1889) and was revived from 1907 –1915.

This list records the prize winners. The detailed descriptions of many of these prize winning farms are featured in contemporary editions of the Society Journal. They provide an interesting insight into farming practices at a time when intense development was taking place in the industry and some were known to have changed the name of their farm to ‘Model Farm’ as a result of this success!

List of agricultural, statistical and other surveys within Britain and elsewhere in the world

The Society’s library holds a complete run of the revised and of many of the original surveys of counties in the British Isles commissioned by the old Board of Agriculture during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It also has a number of early survey works by authors such as Sir John Sinclair and Arthur Young.

In addition, from its formation in 1838, the Society has run competitions for prize essays and reports, and has commissioned articles for the Journal, many of which are related to the state of agriculture. The Society also commissioned a number of county reports that were published between 1954 and 1969.

For convenience they are listed in alphabetical order.

Publications & Articles relating to Breeds of Livestock

The Library holdings have a number of publications relating to breeds of livestock. In addition, the Society’s Journal has, over the years, published numerous articles relating to particular breeds. In each case, regardless of the general nature of a title, all entries listed include descriptions of one or more breeds of livestock.

The list is alphabetical.