The administrative staff of the Royal Society

The Charter of the Society not only charged the Officers and the other members of the Council with the duty of administering the affairs of the Society, but, recognizing that a permanent staff to assist them would also be necessary, authorized in addition the employment of 'two or more Operators of Experiments, and two or more clerks' As time went on and the collections of books such as that given in 1667 by Mr Henry Howard, afterwards sixth Duke of Norfolk, and that given by Sir George Ent in 1679 were added, a librarian became necessary; and from the time when Mr D. Cob wall’s gift of £100 in 1665 enabled the Council to buy Mr Hubbard’s collection of rarities the Society’s own repository of such things increased so rapidly in size and importance that a curator had to be provided, though such charges for additional staff salaries could only be met with great difficulty from the Society’s slender resources.