Mull Historical & Archaeological Society - A bit of history about us!

In the Oban Times of 23rd May 1959 a headline ran... ‘A new Society came into being...’

The O.T. reported that the Patron was Sir Charles Maclean, the President was Mrs. U.V. Betts, the Vice President Mr. Olaus Martin of Bunessan, and the Secretary was Colonel F. N. Betts. This illustrious group of people were supported by seven other committee members from as far apart as Grasspoint and Gometra (the late Lt. Col. F.H. Howard).

The Constitution of April 1987 states that the objects of the Society were ‘to promote and develop an interest in Scottish History and traditions with particular reference to the Island of Mull; to arrange for speakers to address the Society from time to time on subjects of historical interest; to arrange excursions to places of interest both on the islands and elsewhere; to maintain an interest in conserving all aspects of the history of the Island of Mull, both directly through members and indirectly by arranging for appropriate specialists to undertake work’ and the final item of the Objects was ‘To encourage the young people of Mull to take an active interest in the history of the island’. None of that has changed but of course, over the years the constitution has been amended to reflect the changes in society in general and at the Annual General Meeting of 2004 the meeting agreed to an amendment of our name and we changed from being ‘Mull Historical Society’ to become ‘Mull Historical & Archaeological Society. Not a huge change but one which reflects our whole ethos and philosophy for Mull and it’s surrounding islands. After all the archaeology is at the root of almost everything.

In the summer we arrange outings on Mull or the nearby islands of Ulva, Gometra and Iona or further afield to such places as Kilmartin or Ardnamurchan or other islands, Lismore being just one (and a special favourite).

Our speakers are varied and topics over the years have included ‘The Jacobite Rebellion’, ‘The Ancient Ferries of Mull’, ‘Wrecks in the Sound of Mull’ and ‘the Drove Roads of Argyll’.

Every year we enjoy our Annual Dinner when we also have a guest speaker.

In past years we have sponsored a ‘Schools History Project’. Local primary schools were invited to create a project and were awarded grants from the Society for their most excellent efforts.

Members receive two Newsletters a year which keeps them abreast of events and other happenings within the Society and which also reviews some of the projects we have been involved in, such as monitoring the clearance of timber from around and within the abandoned village at Ardmore (see other pages for more on this item).

We endeavour to make audio recordings of all our speakers (when the technology permits) and these form a substantial part of our archive. A few years ago ‘The Ross of Mull Historical Centre was founded by the well known late, Jimmy McKeand. ROMHC concentrates it’s efforts on the history and genealogy of the Ross of Mull and has become an amazing resource for family history research leaving MH&AS more free to concentrate on other areas of local history such as the built landscape etc. We also have close links with Mull Museum and indeed, many people are members of all three organisations and enjoy the benefits provided by all. To join Mull Historical & Archaeological Society go to the Membership page.