To encourage the best possible care, preservation and administration of privately owned family and estate archives. To provide opportunities for those responsible for the care of historic house archives to meet to discuss matters of common interest and concern.
The name of the Group shall be the Historic Houses Archivists’ Group (HHAG)
The objects of the group shall be:
2.1 To encourage the best possible maintenance and administration of the
privately-owned archives and records of historic houses and estates.
2.2 To enable those responsible for their care to share information on matters of
common interest and concern through discussion and publication.
2.3 In furtherance of 2.1 above, to foster links where appropriate with other
groups of the record-keeping professions and their affiliates.
2.4 In furtherance of 2.1 above to organise training sessions for members on an
occasional basis.
2.5 In furtherance of 2.2 above, to disseminate knowledge of the Group’s activities
in appropriate ways including through the maintenance of a Group website and
through the regular publication of a Group newsletter.
3.1 The Group shall consist of individual members whose primary archival
responsibility is the care of privately-owned archives and records of historic
estates which are also administered and maintained privately. Members who
have retired while in post shall be eligible to continue as members of the
Group.
3.2 The Committee of the HHAG shall consider new applications for membership
and approve them or reject those which do not meet the criteria of
membership.
3.3 All members shall pay an annual subscription on receiving a written request
from the Treasurer. Any member who has received a written reminder and who
has not paid his or her subscription within twelve months of the date when it
became due may be considered to have resigned, at the discretion of the
Treasurer.
3.4 Anyone who has given exemplary service to the group may be elected as an
honorary member at an AGM.
The Group shall hold its AGM every calendar year and in the intervals between
the AGMs the affairs of the Group shall be conducted by the Committee.
5.1 The Committee shall consist of a Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer as officers
of the Group and no fewer than four and no more than seven further members,
all of whom shall be elected at the AGM each year.
5.2 The Committee shall meet not less than twice a year and shall be responsible
for summoning the AGM.
5.3 Four members of the Committee, including at least one officer, shall form a
quorum at their meetings.
5.4 The Committee shall be responsible for the arrangements of the AGM and of
other meetings and for promoting the aims of the Group by engaging, where
appropriate, with The National Archives (TNA), the Archives and Records
Association (ARA), the Historic Houses Association (HHA) and other relevant
bodies.
5.5 The Committee as a whole shall be responsible for carrying out the functions of
Membership Secretary, Minutes Secretary, Group Representative(s), Web
Master and Newsletter Editor, and Training Officer, and shall seek candidates
for these tasks at each AGM.
5.6 The Committee member responsible for the newsletter shall, if necessary, have
the power to seek assistance from the general membership.
5.7 All proposed actions of the Committee shall be agreed jointly between them,
by majority vote.
5.8 No Committee member may continue longer than five consecutive years in the
same position unless that position has been offered for election at the AGM and
has not been filled.
5.9 The committee may co-opt for specific purposes up to two additional members,
each to serve for not more than two consecutive meetings of the committee,
such that there shall not be more than two co-opted members on the
committee at any of its meetings.
6.1 The Treasurer shall be responsible for collecting the subscriptions of members
and for the safekeeping of the funds.
6.2 All moneys shall be controlled by the Committee which shall allot funds by
majority agreement for carrying out the work of the Group.
6.3 Accounts, made up to 30th June each year, shall be presented to the AGM.
7.1 The quorum for the AGM shall be 15 members.
7.2 All members shall the right to attend, speak, and vote at each AGM.
7.3 Voting shall be by a show of hands and the decision of the Chairman of the
meeting as to the result of such voting shall be final.
7.4 At the AGM the following business shall be conducted:
a) The presentation of the Committee’s annual report.
b) The presentation of the annual accounts.
c) The presentation of reports of (portfolio) Committee members.
d) The election of officers and other members of the Committee to serve until
the next AGM
7.5 Opportunity shall be provided at the AGMs, as the occasion arises, for
specialist reports of non-members and affiliates.
7.6 The election of the Committee shall be administered as follows:
a) All members of the Group shall be free to stand for election to any position
on the Committee at each AGM.
b) A nomination list shall be sent to each member by email (or by post on
request) to arrive no later than 28 days before the AGM; indicating which
members of the Committee are prepared to stand again under the 5-year
rule {see 5.8 above}, and which positions will be vacant.
c) Those members wishing to stand should return their forms to the
Secretary, containing the name of their proposer and seconder, to arrive at
least 7 days before the AGM.
d) Further nominations will be sought at the AGM itself if there are insufficient
candidates.
e) The individual posts shall be: Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, and as
specified in 5.5 above, plus one member without portfolio.
f) In the event that all posts cannot be filled at the AGM, the Committee shall
continue to seek to fill those posts by co-option from among the
membership before the next AGM, and shall in the meantime cover the
tasks between themselves.
Any part of the Constitution shall be altered only by an AGM in the notice of
which, circulated by the Secretary to all members, the proposed alterations
shall appear in full. Such notice must be sent no later than 28 days before the
meeting.
Upon a decision of a General Meeting to dissolve the Group, the Committee will
remain in office for the time that it takes to wind up the affairs of the Group
and to transfer all remaining funds to such new or pre-existing organisation which they believe would best promote the objects set out in Section 2 above.
A PDF of our constitution is available here.