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4 Jan 2023

Bye-law alterations

In the course of her studies, Jane Davidson suggests the 19th century version of the RCVS employed a bulletin board system similar to that used by Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

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Jane Davidson

Job Title



Bye-law alterations

Argus Filch hanging Educational Decrees on the walls at Hogwarts. Image © Warner Bros

I realise more and more that I am writing a second PhD as I try to complete my first…

As I compare original sources with what was reported in the press via The Veterinarian, there are numerous other articles I see that I want to enjoy. But for today’s fun fact from the archives, I am focusing on information that may pop up in my thesis…

The issue I’ll raise is: did the activity below start only once the RCVS had its own building and if so, what was the significance of “suspension”?

Special meeting report in The Veterinarian, 6 February 1877, p176.

To what end?

The desire to have its own building led to the establishment of a “house committee” to both raise funds to buy a building and find a suitable location.

But what was the purpose of suspending information in the council room? Was it communication between council members or a statement of their professional progress?

So, what is this suspension?

A regular comment in the RCVS archives is that a bye-law was “suspended” for three months. For some time I thought it meant it had agreed on the bye-law, or the amended bye-law, and then it was three months until it was applied. I thought this was sensible in a time when the roles and responsibilities of the profession were being negotiated. However, it became clear that I was wrong…

Hung

As in the example above, some reports of council meetings enlightened me that the suspension was an actual one, not a metaphorical one. New bye-laws were written out and suspended in the council meeting room for three months.

This tradition is not continued, which in some ways is sad, but also very practical.

I have visions of the secretary of the RCVS in the late 19th century being like a veterinary version of Argus Filch from Harry Potter during Dolores Umbridge’s reign.