About the Institution

The Appleby Institution was chartered in 1706 by an instrument signed in the town of Appleby-in-Westmorland, Cumbria. The full text of the charter is held in the Archive. A partial transcription is available to Fellows of the Second Degree and above.

The Institution was founded for the purpose of monitoring phenomena that other bodies, at the time of founding, did not consider to require monitoring. The founders were three in number. Two are named in the public record. The third signed only with a symbol that does not correspond to any known heraldic device, cipher system, or personal seal of the period.

The Institution has operated continuously since 1706. It has never been incorporated, registered as a charity, or listed in any directory of learned societies. It does not seek such recognition. It has, on several occasions, declined it.

The Offices

The Institution operates through six named offices, each responsible for a specific domain of observation. The offices report to the Warden. The Warden reports to a body whose composition is not a matter of public record.

The Archive

The Archive was established simultaneously with the Institution in 1706. The founding collection comprised eleven documents, of which four were already old at the time of founding. The oldest was assessed by the founding members as predating any known European writing system. They were wrong about the system. They were not wrong about the age.

The Fellowship

The Institution admits Fellows through a seven-degree system. Entry to the first degree is open. Entry to subsequent degrees requires demonstrated understanding of the Institution’s archive and methods. Entry to the fifth degree and above requires written application to the Secretary’s office. The Institution does not publish acceptance rates.