A snapshot of British veterinary practice in 1882
14th July 2022
One of my favourite parts of our Archives is the extensive collection of applications for...
by: Lorna Cahill Bannister
Our new (temporary) home!
11th May 2022
Following the sale of Belgravia House, and the decision to vacate the premises by the...
by: Lorna Cahill Bannister
A Christmas Gift to the Future of the Veterinary Professions
10th December 2021
by: Lorna Cahill Bannister
Edward Coleman lectures - a 200-year-old time capsule of veterinary science
12th November 2021
Two hundred years ago today – which was a Monday not a Friday – students...
by: Lorna Cahill Bannister
Guest Post - Jane Davidson: Venues of Veterinary History
14th June 2021
As I work through the archive material for my PhD, the people and the places...
by: Lorna Cahill Bannister
The Veterinarian is Complete!
12th May 2021
by: Lorna Cahill Bannister
Transcription Project Completed - thanks to our incredible volunteers!
23rd November 2020
by: Lorna Cahill Bannister
Archives on your Digital Doorstop - Overcome the Lockdown!
6th July 2020
This Friday is our Annual Royal College Day – which due to the COVID-19 pandemic...
by: Lorna Cahill Bannister
Vet History PhD - Introducing Jane!
30th April 2020
This is the first of a series of blog posts by PhD student Jane Davidson,...
by: Lorna Cahill Bannister
RCVS Vet History Transcription Project
2nd April 2020
[Please note: Due to the high number of responses to this call for volunteers, we...
by: Lorna Cahill Bannister
Introducing Jayna!
8th August 2019
Hello! My name Jayna and I have taken over the role of Archive and Digitisation...
by: Jayna Hirani
A delve into veterinary case notes...
30th May 2019
From February to April this year, RCVS Knowledge were very pleased to welcome Claudia Watts,...
by: Lorna Cahill Bannister
A Few Of My Favourite Things
1st October 2018
I thought before I leave my role here, and go off to study for my...
by: Helena Clarkson
The Quarterly Journal of Veterinary Science in India and Army Management
5th February 2018
by: Helena Clarkson
Cataloguing the Correspondence of Henry Gray
24th November 2017
As the RCVS Knowledge Archives and Digitisation assistant, my main duties are to scan the historical...
by: Helena Clarkson
Living Pictures - Vet History Podcast
15th June 2017
This year, RCVS Knowledge were very pleased to participate in an internship scheme organised by...
by: Lorna Cahill Bannister
Happy 160th Birthday Fred Smith!
19th April 2017
Today, 19th April, marks 160 years since the birth of Frederick Smith in 1857. I’m...
by: Lorna Cahill Bannister
Introducing Helena!
20th March 2017
Hi, my name is Helena and I am the new Archive and Digitisation assistant. My...
by: Helena Clarkson
Digital Collections website is live!
6th March 2017
After months of development and tweaking, I am now very happy to show the world...
by: Lorna Cahill Bannister
A Norwegian White Christmas
19th December 2016
This month marks the 75th anniversary of an important military operation which paved the way...
by: Clare Boulton
Cataloguing Fred Smith Part 3: Say what you see
30th November 2016
After completing the listing and arranging of the Frederick Smith collection, I now move onto...
by: Lorna Cahill Bannister
Cataloguing Fred Smith Part 2: Order from chaos
21st September 2016
In my previous blog post about cataloguing Fred Smith, I had got as far as...
by: Lorna Cahill Bannister
Bracy Clark's hoof - an update
30th August 2016
I am delighted to say that thanks to the generosity of members of the Central...
by: Clare Boulton
William Moss: one man’s journey through the Somme and Beyond
1st July 2016
1 July 1916, the first day of the Battle of the Somme, is a day...
by: Clare Boulton
Cataloguing Fred Smith Part 1: Asking questions
7th June 2016
Now that over seven months have passed since I started this project – it is...
by: Lorna Cahill Bannister
John Roalfe Cox – ‘a clever pen-and-ink draughtsman’
18th April 2016
I have previously blogged about the almost 400 illustrations by Edward Mayhew that we have...
by: Clare Boulton
RCVS Archives Project: Next steps
5th February 2016
As you will have gathered from the previous blog by our Archivist Lorna, the Archives Project here...
by: Lorna Cahill Bannister
Thomas Somerville: an inspiration to others
11th December 2015
This month marks the 75th anniversary of ‘Operation Compass’ which took place in the North...
by: Clare Boulton
"A Good Deal of Spade Work" - The RCVS Archives Project
13th November 2015
In June this year, RCVS Knowledge were thrilled to announce that the Alborada Trust had...
by: Lorna Cahill Bannister
Examining the Veterinary Examiner
29th October 2015
In the Historical Collection there are numerous bound volumes that simply say ‘Pamphlets various’ on...
by: Clare Boulton
Edward Mayhew on dogs
25th August 2015
In our collection of watercolours by Edward Mayhew there is only one featuring dogs.
The top...
by: Clare Boulton
200 year anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo: Unique records to be digitised
18th June 2015
At our recent Summer Reception, guest speaker Kirsten Rausing announced £387,275 in funding from The...
by: Clare Boulton
The RCVS stained glass
29th May 2015
The addition of the Coat of Arms of the University of Nottingham to the display...
by: Clare Boulton
Robert Stordy and the Uganda Transport
27th April 2015
In 1898 Robert Stordy, who was working for the Colonial Veterinary Service in British East...
by: Clare Boulton
A Gift Horse
31st March 2015
Sitting proudly on top of the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square currently is ‘Gift Horse’...
by: Clare Boulton
Shining a light on veterinary artists
20th February 2015
The Lightbox in Woking, is currently showing an exhibition describing the role of horse and mules...
by: Clare Boulton
George Fleming's travels on horseback
27th January 2015
In 1859 George Fleming volunteered to serve as a veterinary officer on the expedition to...
by: Clare Boulton
The 1881 list of 'Existing Practitioners'
13th November 2014
In the summer, with the help of our intern Josh, we were able to sort...
by: Clare Boulton
Indian materia medica
1st October 2014
In Volume 5 of The quarterly journal of veterinary science in India, published in 1887, there...
by: Clare Boulton
A time for reflection: Lieutenant Vincent Fox
25th August 2014
Last Friday the Royal College was delighted to accept a portrait of Lieutenant Vincent Fox...
by: Clare Boulton
10th International Veterinary Congress: a case of unfortunate timing
4th August 2014
At 11pm on 4th August 1914 Britain declared war on Germany. That same evening at...
by: Clare Boulton
Strickland Freeman's observations on the horses foot
16th July 2014
Our historical collection has over two hundred books on farriery and horse shoeing many of...
by: Clare Boulton
Robert Stordy's extraordinary journey
16th June 2014
We are delighted to announce the publication of a new book: Robert Stordy in Abyssinia: an...
by: Clare Boulton
Eclipse and his 'equine bumps'
28th April 2014
In January 1828 the first two British veterinary journals started, these were The Veterinarian and...
by: Clare Boulton
WAHVM Congress 2014
17th April 2014
Readers of this blog with an interest in veterinary history might like to know about...
by: Clare Boulton
117 Earls Court Road
30th March 2014
Most of the photographs in our collections are portraits of RCVS Council, or other prominent,...
by: Clare Boulton
Early veterinary education in North America - the Scottish connection
27th February 2014
In the early days of the RCVS it was not unusual for Council, and other...
by: Clare Boulton
Scabies in the horse - the first Fellowship thesis
30th January 2014
I was recently asked the date and subject of our earliest fellowship thesis. A quick...
by: Clare Boulton
Seasons greetings
20th December 2013
Wishing all our followers a fun filled festive season.
by: Clare Boulton
Open wide
28th November 2013
In a paper read before members of the Veterinary Medical Association (probably in 1849) Thomas...
by: Clare Boulton
Edward Snape's muscular preparation
24th October 2013
The library is currently having a makeover which has meant emptying shelves and cupboards. One...
by: Clare Boulton
One of the professions youngest and brightest ornaments
24th September 2013
Recently there has been another of those coincidences that those of us who work in libraries...
by: Clare Boulton
What makes an item unique
8th August 2013
At the recent Veterinary History Society meeting in Edinburgh I took part in a panel...
by: Clare Boulton
Happy 125th Birthday
14th July 2013
A 125 years ago today the first issue of the Veterinary Record was published. I...
by: Clare Boulton
The artistic Mr Mayhew
20th June 2013
I have recently had the opportunity to look more closely at the almost 400 watercolours...
by: Clare Boulton
Oxford Street’s pioneering veterinary surgeon
22nd May 2013
London, like most towns or cities, has lots of plaques commemorating people or events attached...
by: Clare Boulton
Images From The Past
2nd May 2013
A few weeks ago we were given three photographs by the great granddaughter of Richard...
by: Clare Boulton
Celebrating National Pet Month - a selection of open access resources on small animal medicine
19th April 2013
This year National Pet Month runs from 1 April- 6 May. As their web site...
by: Myai Du
A troubled artist: Sir Edwin Landseer
15th March 2013
The RCVS headquarters tidy-up has revealed another gem, and led us to discover the fascinating story...
by: Clare Boulton
A Welsh veterinary adviser
1st March 2013
In honour of St David’s Day, the feast day of the patron saint of Wales,...
by: Clare Boulton
Verbose and tedious...yet pearls in profusion
18th February 2013
When writing blogs about veterinary authors I usually turn to Frederick Smith’s four volume work...
by: Clare Boulton
A model hoof
16th January 2013
During the recent reordering of the RCVS headquarters a 6 inch square box was found...
by: Clare Boulton
My lords, ladies and gentlemen…
29th November 2012
Tonight the RCVS President will welcome to the College a group of those who have...
by: Clare Boulton
Changing times
23rd November 2012
The editorial in the issue of The Veterinary Record published 100 years ago today was...
by: Clare Boulton
Making history: UK’s first black vet
26th October 2012
October is Black History Month so this seems an appropriate time to look at the...
by: Clare Boulton
Jean-Pierre Megnin - skilled illustrator and pioneering forensic entomologist
19th October 2012
The beautiful botanical illustration which you may have seen in an earlier post is the...
by: Clare Boulton
A library accessible to every member
14th September 2012
We have always been fortunate to receive regular donations of books and historical material that...
by: Clare Boulton
South African War Diaries
28th August 2012
In 1900, Frederick Smith was serving as a veterinary officer in the South African War. ...
by: Clare Boulton
Parrots with the power of speech
22nd August 2012
Parakeets are often on my mind because the squawking of the Ring-necked parakeet (Psittacula krameri),...
by: Clare Boulton
Honouring our 'professional brethren on the Continent’
10th August 2012
Nominations are currently been sought for RCVS Honorary Fellowship or Honorary Associateship.
These prestigious honours have...
by: Clare Boulton
On exercise
3rd August 2012
Without exercise, the body’s ‘juices will thicken, the joints will stiffen, the nerves will relax…...
by: Clare Boulton
A Sporting Nation - Great British Horsemanship
27th July 2012
Love them or loathe them the Olympic Games have arrived. Britain’s oldest royal park, Greenwich...
by: Clare Boulton
Three Williams – all veterinary pioneers
20th July 2012
When I walk past this plaque on the staircase in Belgravia House I often think...
by: Clare Boulton
Spoken Histories
13th July 2012
If you listen to Radio 4 regularly you can’t have failed to have heard the...
by: Clare Boulton
Peeping behind the curtains: a look at our Historical Collection
15th June 2012
Curious about what we keep behind our doors? Intrigued about the beginnings of the veterinary...
by: Clare Boulton
Queen Victoria and the vet who 'took this turn for horses'
7th June 2012
As part of the celebrations for her Diamond Jubilee the Queen recently launched a website documenting...
by: Clare Boulton
Diamond Dogs: The Queen’s Corgis
1st June 2012
This Sunday, we will be watching, with baited breath, to see if the Queen takes...
by: Clare Boulton
Rabbits: from prey to pet
28th May 2012
Even though the domestication of the rabbit occurred 2000 years ago, rabbit care before the...
by: Clare Boulton
From burial ground to picnic spot
25th May 2012
May is local and community history month so that, together with a rather nice photograph...
by: Clare Boulton
Our home on Horseferry Road – 100 years old today
20th May 2012
Today we are celebrating the 100th birthday of 62-64 Horseferry Road, the current home of...
by: Clare Boulton
The many layers of the dog
10th May 2012
There has been a lot of discussion of anatomical illustrations recently following the opening of...
by: Clare Boulton
Pet keeping: a brief history
4th May 2012
National Pet Month (7 April – 7 May) is now drawing to a close but...
by: Clare Boulton
A not so tall tale
20th April 2012
One of the things I love about working in libraries is the weird and wonderful...
by: Clare Boulton
Brunel on the power of the horse
9th April 2012
Search the library catalogue for Isambard Kingdom Brunel, born on this day in 1806, and...
by: Clare Boulton
Horses and the problem of sore backs
30th March 2012
“Sore backs appear inseparable from mounted service, they have existed as long as the horse...
by: Clare Boulton
The thrill of 'The Chace'
21st March 2012
Today is World Poetry Day, so to mark the occasion we have brought out one of...
by: Clare Boulton
Equal Pay for Equal Work - Part 2
12th March 2012
The final instalment of Julie Hipperson’s piece to mark International Women’s Day.
The last post looked...
by: Clare Boulton
Equal Pay for Equal Work - Part 1
8th March 2012
Part one of two guest blog posts from Julie Hipperson, PhD student at Imperial College...
by: Clare Boulton
Celebrating women's achievements
7th March 2012
Thousands of events will take place around the world tomorrow to celebrate International Women’s Day (IWD). ...
by: Clare Boulton
Warrior - one of the real war horses
5th March 2012
In an introductory note to Sidney Galtray’s The horse and the war Field-Marshall Sir Douglas...
by: Clare Boulton
Reading for Pleasure
1st March 2012
Today is World book day. Some of us will remember the £1 book tokens given...
by: Clare Boulton
Dogs, dominos and Dickens
29th February 2012
One of our recent tweets featured an illustration of a dog playing dominos.
This was taken...
by: Clare Boulton
A green monkey, a baboon and…
10th February 2012
The story of the RCVS Museum Collection is not particularly well known – any attention...
by: Clare Boulton
All aboard the SS Templemore
30th January 2012
‘We embarked on Friday 10th November, but owing to bad weather did not leave L/pool...
by: Clare Boulton
Slaughterhouses in the Tropics
24th January 2012
One of our ongoing library projects is to catalogue the RCVS Fellowship Theses. The collection...
by: Clare Boulton
Your horse belongs to the army now - part two
13th January 2012
In the second instalment of our two part post on army horses in the First...
by: Clare Boulton
Cattle plague in the colonies
6th January 2012
It has recently been announced that the Wellcome Trust funded project to digitise the veterinary...
by: Clare Boulton
Your horse belongs to the army now - part one
6th January 2012
The popularity of Michael Morpurgo’s book War Horse, the success of the stage adaptation and...
by: Clare Boulton
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