Its purpose was to publish a journal on medieval archaeology and organise conferences and events around the subject.
[1][2] The society's journal is Medieval Archaeology.
The society's logo is a representation of the Anglo-Saxon Alfred Jewel.
It was drawn by Eva Sjoegren (wife of David M. Wilson, one of the founders), appeared prominently on the front cover of the journal from 1957 to 2010, and continues to appear on the title page.
[3] A meeting of the society's council in 1985 included discussions about establishing a special interest group focused on the study of castles; this became the Castle Studies Group.