| Reference Number | RCPI/5 |
| Title | Membership of the College |
| Date | 1693- |
| Creator Name | Royal College of Physicians of Ireland |
| Description | This section contains papers relating to the membership of the College, and the appointment of officers. Under the 1692 charter there were two orders of membership; Fellows whose numbers were limited to fourteen and Licentiates who had passed the College's Licence to practice medicine. The limitation on numbers of Fellows was removed in 1761, although the College made no attempt to increase the numbers until the beginning of the nineteenth century. Out of the Fellows of the College a number of officers were elected annually on Saint Luke's Day, President, Vice-President, Censors and Examiners.
The order of Members of the College was instituted under the Supplementary Charter of 1878, all existing Licentiates could apply for automatic promotion to Member, but in the future a separate set of examinations would have to be set.
Honorary Fellowships were originally given to those who because of other appointments, for example as a King's Professor, were required to resign their Fellowship. In time the Honorary Fellowships became a more honorary title used by the College to acknowledge those non-members who had made a significant contribution to medicine. |
| Extent | 12 boxes |
| Arrangement | The material has been divided in seven sections by record type; Registers, Licentiates, Members, Fellows, Officers, Honorary Fellows and Directories, within each section further sub-divisions have been made as necessary and items have been arranged chronologically. |
| Digital Collections | View online in our digital collections |