[1] It was founded in 1886, as part of the late 19th-century revival in interest in Scottish national identity.
The first president of the Society defined its work as "the humble and unobtrusive task of letting everyman know, in so far as in us lies, and so far as documentary evidence exists, how our forebears lived and worked and carried on the business of their country in their separate spheres.
Amongst some of its notable members have been Sir James Balfour Paul, Lord Lyon King of Arms, and Emeritus Professor David Masson, Historiographer Royal for Scotland.
Other Presidents have included the novelist and politician John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir, Dr Jenny Wormald, and Professor Roger Mason of the University of St Andrews.
Information on the Society's current office bearers may be found on the official website.