The Society’s Rules
NAME
1. The name of the Society shall be THE DEVON ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY.
OBJECT
2. The object of the Society shall be to promote and encourage archaeology in the historic County of Devon for the benefit and education of the public by means of:
a) the promotion and execution of archaeological research;
b) the conservation of archaeological and historic sites and landscapes and historic buildings;
c) the publication of material relevant to the archaeology of the County of Devon;
d) meetings, lectures, exhibitions and other forms of education and publicity;
e) such other activities as may be deemed necessary by the Executive Committee to fulfil the charitable objects of the Society.
ADMINISTRATION
3. The Society and its property shall be administered and managed in accordance with these Rules by members of the Executive Committee constituted by clause 24.
POWERS
4. In furtherance of the objects but not otherwise the Executive Committee may exercise the following powers:
a) to raise money by means of affiliation fees, subscriptions, donations, legacies, grants-in-aid, appeals, loans and other sources, provided that in raising funds the Executive Committee shall not undertake any substantial permanent trading activities and shall conform to any relevant requirements of the law;
b) to buy, take on lease or in exchange any property necessary for the achievement of the objects and to maintain and equip it for use;
c) subject to any consents required by law to sell, lease or dispose of all or any part of the property of the Society;
d) to co-operate with other charities, voluntary bodies and statutory authorities operating in furtherance of the objects or of similar charitable purposes and to exchange information and advice with them;
e) to appoint and constitute such advisory sub-committees as the Executive Committee may think fit;
f) to do all such other lawful things as are necessary for the achievement of the objects.
MEMBERSHIP
5. Membership of the Society shall be open to any person interested in furthering its objects. The Society shall comprise:
a) Full Members who are entitled to vote at General Meetings, eligible to serve on any committee and to hold office and who shall receive gratis a copy of the Proceedings;
b) Joint Full Members i.e. two members of the same household living under the same roof who shall have the privileges of Full Members except that they shall receive only one copy of the Proceedings;
c) Family membership: i.e. two adult members of the same household living under the same roof and all named children of the same household up to their 18th birthday. The family shall receive one copy of the proceedings. The adult members shall have the same privileges as Full Members and the children shall have the same privileges a Student Members and all Family Members shall be entitled to participate gratis in standard DAS Young Archaeologists’ activities.
d) Student Members who are bona fide full-time students, who are entitled to attend but not to vote at General Meetings, who shall receive gratis a copy of the Proceedings but who shall not be eligible to serve on committees or to hold office;
e) Institutional Members each of which shall be entitled to receive gratis a copy of the Proceedings and to nominate a representative who may vote on behalf of the member-institution;
f) Honorary Members who may be elected at an Annual General Meeting on the nomination of the Executive Committee. Such members shall have the privileges of a Full Member without the payment of an annual subscription.
6. Membership shall take effect on the payment of the appropriate annual subscription, as shall be determined from time to time at the Annual General Meeting, subject to confirmation by the Executive Committee.
7. The Hon. Treasurer may admit candidates for membership subject to confirmation at the next meeting of the Executive Committee.
8. The Executive Committee shall have the right to expel any member whose activities it considers to be incompatible with the objects of the Society or for other good reason, subject to the member having first been informed of the complaint and given ten days’ notice of the Executive Committee Meeting which he or she may attend accompanied by a friend, if desired, before a final decision is made.
SUBSCRIPTIONS
9. All subscriptions are payable on 1st January for each year. Membership shall lapse if the subscription is unpaid six months after it is due.
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
10. An Annual General Meeting shall be held on 20th March or within six weeks thereafter.
11. Twenty-five members personally present and entitled to vote shall constitute a quorum.
12. Voting shall be by personal attendance only but no member shall be entitled to vote whose subscription is in arrear.
13. In the case of an equality of votes the Chairman of the Meeting shall have a second or casting vote.
14. At least twenty-one clear days’ notice of the Meeting and of the business to be transacted shall be given to members in writing by the Hon. Secretary.
15. Included in the business of the Annual General Meeting shall be:
a) presentation of the Executive Committee’s Annual Report;
b) the report of the Hon. Treasurer and the presentation of the examination of the Society’s statements of account;
c) consideration of any alteration to the rates of annual subscription recommended by the Executive Committee;
d) the election of President, Vice-Presidents and Hon. Officers;
e) the election of members to serve on the Executive Committee;
f) the appointment of independent examiners of the Society’s accounts;
g) reports of Hon. Officers and Committee Members with specific responsibilities;
h) such resolutions as have been notified to the Hon. Secretary by the Executive Committee or by Members not later than 14th February.
SPECIAL GENERAL MEETINGS
16. Upon receiving a requisition signed by twenty-five or more Full Members or at the request of the Executive Committee, the Hon. Secretary shall summon a Special General Meeting, giving twenty-one clear days’ notice of the Meeting and of the matters to be discussed thereat. The holding of such a meeting shall be announced within fourteen days of the receipt of such a request.
17. Rules 11, 12, 13 and 14 shall apply to Special General Meetings.
HONORARY OFFICERS
18. President
* The President shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting on the nomination of the out-going President and the Executive Committee.
* The President shall serve for two years and shall not be eligible for immediate re-election.
* The President shall be ex-officio a member of all committees and sub-committees.
* On retirement from office the President shall become a Past President.
19. Secretary, Treasurer, Editor, Field Meetings Secretary, Winter Meetings Secretary
* These officers shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting and shall serve for one year and be eligible for immediate re-election.
* Nominations for office shall be proposed and seconded in writing by Full Members and the consent of the proposed nominee must first obtained in writing.
* Nominations must be received by the Hon. Secretary by 14th February. If more than one nomination is received for any office a ballot shall take place at the Annual General Meeting.
* Members nominated for office may also be nominated for membership of the Executive Committee.
ASSISTANTS
20. Assistant Secretary, Assistant Treasurer, Assistant Editor
The Secretary, Treasurer and Editor may each request the appointment of an Assistant by the Executive Committee. Any Assistant appointed under this Rule may attend an Executive Committee Meeting, may speak but may not vote thereat unless the Assistant has been elected to the Committee.
VICE PRESIDENTS
21. Vice-Presidents not exceeding twelve in number may be elected at the Annual General Meeting on the nomination of the Executive Committee. Vice-Presidents shall serve for three years and shall be eligible for immediate re-election.
22. On retiring from serving on the Executive Committee as a Vice-President, a Vice-President not being a Past President may be elected an Honorary Vice-President at an Annual General Meeting on the nomination of the Executive Committee. Past Presidents and Hon. Vice-Presidents shall be entitled to receive minutes of meetings but shall not be required to undertake the responsibilities of Trustees of the Society.
COMMITTEES
23. The affairs of the Society and its property shall be administered and managed in accordance with these Rules by members of the Executive Committee as constituted by Clause 24.
24. The Executive Committee shall consist of:
* The President;
* Vice-Presidents;
* Hon. Officers and not more than eighteen Full Members elected at the Annual General Meeting.
25. The Committee shall have the power to co-opt up to two additional members to serve until the next Annual General Meeting.
26. The term of office of Full Members of the Executive Committee shall be three years, with one third of the members retiring each year , immediate re-election being permitted.
27. Nominations for the election of Full Members to the Executive Committee at the Annual General Meeting shall be made in writing “- by a proposer and seconder, the consent of the proposed nominee having first been obtained in writing. The nominations must be received by the Hon. Secretary by 14th February .If the nominations exceed the number of vacancies, a ballot shall take place at the Annual General Meeting.
28. No person shall be entitled to act as a member of the Executive Committee whether on a first or on any subsequent entry into office until after signing in the minute book of the Executive Committee a declaration of acceptance and willingness to act in the trusts of the Society.
29. For each meeting of the Executive Committee:
a) at least ten days’ notice shall be given;
b) a quorum shall consist of twelve members, of whom three shall be members of the General Purposes Sub-Committee.
30. The Executive Committee:
a) shall elect at its first meeting after the Annual General Meeting a Chairman and Vice-Chairman. Nominations for Chairman and Vice-Chairman, duly proposed and seconded in writing by members of the newly elected Committee, shall be received by the Hon. Secretary within seven days of the Annual General Meeting;b) shall meet at least once a quarter. The first meeting of the new Committee shall be held not more than forty-two days after the date of the Annual General Meeting;
c) shall meet when summoned by the Hon. Secretary who shall convene a meeting on receipt of a requisition signed by eight or more members of the Committee. Such a meeting shall be announced within seven days of the receipt of such a request;
d) may fill a casual vacancy in its own body or among the officers (other than President) provided the total number of such replacements does not exceed five in anyone year;e) shall, in the case of a casual vacancy in the office of President, appoint a Vice-President to act until the following Annual General Meeting;
f) shall appoint at its first meeting after the Annual General Meeting a General Purposes Sub-Committee and an Editorial Sub-committee;
g) may appoint (and dissolve) other sub-committees and working parties and shall give them clearly defined terms of reference;
h) shall at each of its meetings receive minutes or a written report from the General purposes Sub-Committee, Editorial Sub-Committee and all other sub-committees and working parties;
I) shall appoint at its first meeting after the Annual General Meeting officers from its own body to undertake special responsibilities as may be required from time to time. Such officers shall report to each meeting of the Executive Committee.
The General purposes Sub-Committee shall comprise the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Executive Committee, the Secretary, the Treasurer, the Editor and five other members of the Executive Committee.
32. The General purposes Sub-Committee shall deal in the name of the Executive Committee with urgent matters and business referred by the Executive Committee and shall advise generally on other matters, provided that financial transactions remain subject to ratification by the Executive Committee.
33. The Editorial Sub-Committee shall comprise the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Executive Committee, the Secretary, the Treasurer, the Editor (who shall act as secretary to the Committee) and not more than five members of the Executive Committee.
34. The Editorial Sub-Committee shall deal with matters relating to the publication of the Proceedings and such other publications as shall be directed by the Executive Committee, provided that financial transactions remain subject to ratification by the Executive Committee.
35. The Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Executive Committee, the Secretary, Treasurer and Editor shall be ex-officio members of all sub-committees.
36. All matters for decision by the Executive Committee and all sub-committees shall be decided by a simple majority voting in person. In the case of an equality of votes the Chairman of the Meeting shall have a second or casting vote.
PUBLICATIONS
37. The Society shall publish regularly a volume of its Proceedings and may from time to time publish such other material as the Executive Committee shall direct.
FINANCE
38. The income of the Society whence-soever derived, shall be applied solely towards the promotion of the objects of the Society as set out in Rule 2, provided that the Executive Committee shall, out of the monies received, pay all proper expenses of administration and management of the Society.
39. The funds of the Society, including all donations, contributions and bequests, shall be paid into accounts operated by the Executive Committee in the name of the Society at such banks or building societies as the Executive Committee shall from time to time decide. All cheques over £500 drawn on any account must be signed by two trustees selected from a panel authorised by the Executive Committee.
40. In no circumstances shall any distribution of money from the funds of the Society be made to or among members.
41. Except as provided for at Sections 73A-73C of the Charities Act 1993 (as amended by the Charities Act 2006) or any statutory re-enactment,, no member of the Society shall acquire any interest in property belonging to the society (otherwise than as a trustee to the Society)or receive any remuneration or be interested (otherwise than as a member of the Executive Committee) in any contract entered into by the Executive Committee.
42. All monies at any time belonging to the Society and not required for immediate application for its objects shall be invested by the Executive Committee upon such investments or securities authorised by law for the investment of charity funds as it may think fit.
43. The Executive Committee shall comply with its obligations under the Charities Act 1993 (or any statutory re-enactment or modification of that Act) with regard to:
a) the keeping of accounting records for the Society;
b) the preparation of annual statements of account for the Society;
c) the independent examination of the statements of account for the Society;
d) the transmission of the statements of account of the Society to the Charity Commissioners.
ANNUAL REPORT AND ANNUAL RETURN
44. The Executive Committee shall comply with its obligations under the Charities Act 1993 (or any statutory re-enactment or modification of that Act) with regard to the preparation of an annual report and an annual return and their transmission to the Commissioners.
45. The Executive Committee shall have the authority to affiliate the Society with other societies and to pay whatever subscriptions or entrance fees are required. It shall also have authority to allow the affiliation of other societies with the Society.
AMENDMENTS
46. Any amendment of or addition to the Rules may from time to time be made at the Annual General Meeting or Special General Meeting if approved by not fewer than two-thirds of the Members present and voting provided that any proposal to amend Rule 2 or this Rule shall first be submitted to the Charity Commissioners to obtain their prior consent without which neither Rule can be amended.
47. Any proposal by the Executive Committee to wind up the Society shall require ratification by an Annual or Special General Meeting at which it shall also be determined that in the event of the winding-up of the Society the available funds of the Society shall be transferred to such one or more charitable bodies having objects similar or reasonably similar to those hereinbefore declared as may be chosen by the Executive Committee and approved by the Charity Commissioners for England and Wales.
28 March 1998, amended 12 April 2008, 28 March 2009 and 27 March 2010.
Last Updated on Tuesday, 21 October 2014 06:18