Adopted 14 May 1987, amended September 1998 and March 2019. This page summarises the constitution. The full text is available to members and a printed copy goes out with the AGM papers each spring.
1. Name
The society shall be called the Wyvern Family History Society.
2. Objects
For the benefit and education of the public:
- To encourage the study of genealogy and family history in Somerset and east Devon, and to provide a forum in which those interested can meet and help each other
- To seek out, transcribe, index and where possible publish material relevant to that study
- To produce a journal regularly
- To provide a programme of talks, workshops and visits
- To offer guidance to those researching from elsewhere whose families came from the area
3. Membership
Membership is open to anybody interested in the objects of the society on payment of the annual subscription, which is set by the committee and confirmed at the AGM. Membership runs for twelve months from the date of joining. Each member has one vote.
4. The committee
The society is managed by a committee of not fewer than five and not more than twelve members, elected annually at the AGM. The officers are the chair, secretary and treasurer. The committee may co-opt up to two additional members during the year.
5. Annual General Meeting
Held each March, with at least twenty one days’ notice to members. The AGM receives the accounts and the chair’s report, elects the committee, and considers any resolution submitted in writing beforehand.
6. Finance
All funds are applied solely to the objects of the society. No member receives payment other than reimbursement of expenses properly incurred. The accounts are examined annually by somebody independent of the committee.
Copyright in transcriptions
Transcriptions made by volunteers remain the property of the society and are made available to members for personal research. They may not be republished commercially without written permission.
7. Amendment and dissolution
The constitution may be amended by a two thirds majority at a general meeting, provided the proposed wording was circulated with the notice. If the society is wound up, any remaining assets pass to another body with similar objects, and the archive is offered first to the county record office.