The society was founded in 1909 and arranged lectures, field days and occasional archaeological digs.
It had a substantial number of officers and trustees:
- Patron: John Montagu Douglas Scott, 7th Duke of Buccleuch; he succeeded his father who died in November 1914.
- Honorary president: Arthur Bell, woollen mill manufacturer.
- Honorary vice-presidents:
- Rev David Maxwell, Broomholm, landowner.
- Rev James Buchanan, parish church minister.
- John Milne Home, the Duke of Buccleuch’s factor (land agent).
- Clement Armstrong, FSA (Scot)*, coal merchant.
- President: Clement Armstrong.
- Vice-president: Robert Hamilton, school rector.
- Secretary: Rev George Orr, minister of North UF Church.
- Treasurer: Arthur Laidlaw, tweed designer.
- Committee: seven members.
- Trustees: Arthur Bell; Robert Hamilton; Robert Paisley, tanner; William Hyslop, builder; Rev James Macdonald, minister of South UF Church.
* Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland
Most activities were cancelled during the war but the lectures listed below from the April 1913 to March 1914 year give an indication of its broad range of interests. They were delivered in the Eskdale Temperance Hotel and were accompanied by limelight presentations.
| Topic | Speaker |
|---|---|
| The Ruthwell Cross | Rev John Dinwiddie, Ruthwell parish minister |
| The Spacious Times of Queen Elizabeth | William Elliot, Carlisle, Education Committee for the County of Cumberland |
| The Ancient Town of Whitby and its Roman Remains | Rev John Seaton, Episcopal Chapel |
| A Week in the Shakespeare Country | John Sewell, President of the Carlisle Literary and Scientific Society |
A field day in June 1913 included visits to Wauchope churchyard and some ancient remains at Caulfield, near Becks farm. The society had recently constructed some railings to enclose some artefacts from the pre-Reformation church at Wauchope.
In 1914, the society had two projects which were put on hold due to financial constraints:
- A memorial to Thomas Telford (1757-1834), engineer. This was not completed until 1928 with financial assistance from the Institution of Civil Engineers (‘ICE’), of which Telford was the first president. The memorial was unveiled by the 7th Duke of Buccleuch (on the left in the photo below), ICE president Ernest Trench and former ICE president Frederick Palmer. It was constructed by David Beattie, Carlisle.
- Renovation of a memorial for Andrew Hislop (1668-1685). Hislop was a covenanter who was shot near Langholm at the age of 17 during ‘the Killing Time‘, a period of conflict between Protestant presbyterians and the monarchy. The Archaeological Society commissioned its renovation in the late 1920s, carried out by David Beattie, Carlisle.
Lectures and field days were cancelled during the war but a dig went ahead in 1915, led by William Hyslop, trustee and builder. It was conducted near Gilnockie Tower, five miles from Langholm, to see if any evidence could be found for an earlier tower used by Johnnie Armstrong (died 1530), a notorious border reiver (raider). Some stones were found but they were too modern to be from the early 1500s.
