Jourdain Society

Established in 1922 as the British Oological Association, it changed its name in 1946 in memory of distinguished ornithologist and oologist Reverend Francis Jourdain (1865–1940).

[1][2][3] The society was a social gathering that held regular dinners, established as an elitist club, which did not admit women and professional dealers.

It was considered a respectable leisure pursuit in the nineteenth and early twentieth century, at a time when conservation, study and hunting were not seen as opposed activities.

A significant event occurred in July 1994 when the society's dinner at a hotel in Salisbury was raided by police.

A number of collections on display were seized, totalling 11,000 wild birds' eggs.