The Curator of the Hereford Club, H. G. Bull, convinced the members in 1867 to undertake the particular study of mushrooms.

This Committee attracted the involvement of many eminent mycologists including George Edward Massee (1845–1917), James Needham (1849–1913), Charles Crossland (1844–1916), and Henry Thomas Soppitt (1843–1899).

[2] The need for a national organisation and the need for a journal to publish their observations led Cooke, Rea, Massee, and other mycologists (including Charles Crossland and James Needham) to found the Society in 1896.

In 2000, the Society began publishing the quarterly journal, Field Mycology (2000) for the study and identification of wild fungi.

[6] The Society also publishes many other items, from fine art prints to illustrated pocket identification guides, as well as a range of curriculum resources for teachers.