BOARD OF MANAGEMENT

Records of the Board of Management record all decisions made by the Institution's governing body and sumarise its activities and annual financial position. They are essential for conducting any research into the history of the Institution.

The records comprise the following series:

LMA/4459/A/01 Minutes

LMA/4459/A/02 Indexes to minutes

LMA/4459/A/03 Annual reports

LMA/4459/A/04 Accounts

THESE RECORDS ARE OPEN TO PUBLIC INSPECTION, ALTHOUGH RECORDS CONTAINING PERSONAL INFORMATION MAY BE SUBJECT TO CLOSURE PERIODS.

The Board of Management, the Institutions governing body, was formed soon after the reorganisation of the Institution in 1843. It was formally constituted by the Institution's charter of incorporation of 1848. The charter stipulated that the Board should comprise 20 people 'elected by and from among the male Members of the said Society'. One member was to be elected chairman and three others were to be chosen as auditors. Meetings of at least three members of the Board were to be held from time to time. The Board and other male members of the Institution were to meet at twice yearly 'General Courts', usually May and November. The Governesses Benevolent Institution Act of 1952 amended these rules: making only a Board of ten members and one Annual General Court per year necessary. The Act also allowed women to be members of the Board for the first time. The specific duties of the Institution were delegated to a series of committees such as the Ladies Committee and the Finance Committee. The Board was still in existence in 1991.