2025-01-31-accounts - Malone Society

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THE MALONE SOCIETY

(Registered Charity 1027048)

ANNUAL REPORT 2024/25

The Annual General Meeting of the Society will be held in the Rainolds Room, Corpus Christi College, Oxford, on Saturday 7 June 2025, at 3.30 pm

Object of the Society

The Society’s object is to advance knowledge in the field of early English drama, primarily by making accessible – to all students, scholars, public libraries, university libraries, and the public at large – materials and publications for the study of early English drama through the editing, printing, and publication of dramatic texts and of documents relating to the drama before 1642.

Organization and Structure

The Society operates primarily through a Council whose members are elected at each Annual General Meeting of the Society’s members. The principal officers are the President, Chairman, General Editor, Executive Secretary, and Financial Director. Currently the editorial function is shared among four persons. At present the Society has no salaried employees.

NEWS FROM COUNCIL

Council is very sad to report that we received the news of the passing away of our much-loved President, Mrs Leah Scragg, on 16 March 2025. As well as being a world-leading expert on John Lyly, Leah was one of Council’s longest serving members, having first joined in 1977 when she succeeded Dr Elizabeth Brennan is what was then the office of Honorary Treasurer.

The Society’s Secretary, Prof. Craik, visited Leah earlier this year to present her with a gift from Council as a small token of our esteem and gratitude: a heritage apple tree for Leah’s family’s garden, and a plaque commemorating her long service to the Society. We will now explore how else we might mark in the longer term Leah’s matchless contribution to the Society’s work. Her wisdom and generosity will be very much missed by us all.

In other sad news, Council was recently informed of the passing away of Prof. Albert R. Braunmuller on 14 January 2025. As well as being an acclaimed scholar and teacher of Shakespeare and the English Renaissance, Albert enjoyed a longstanding association with the Malone Society and kindly named the Society as a beneficiary of his estate.

This year we have had cause to be very grateful to another long-time Council member and friend of the Society, Dr Elizabeth Brennan (Lowden), who also left a most generous posthumous bequest to the Society. This unexpected gift has contributed significantly to the Society’s ongoing financial stability and our ability to continue supporting the scholarly work that Elizabeth valued so highly.

Meanwhile the Society is pleased to have been able to continue its sponsorship of the Annual Shakespeare Association of America (SAA) Malone Society dance which took place in Boston,

Massachusetts as part of the SAA’s joint conference with the Renaissance Society of America (RSA) on 19-22 March 2025. The Society was well-represented at the conference and hopes that sponsorship of the dance will be a fresh opportunity to garner attention for the Society and its work.

Finally, I am glad to report that the Society is looking forward to working more closely with Manchester University Press, the publisher of its newest volumes, following the appointment of Michelle Houston as Senior Commissioning Editor for Literature, Film and Culture. We have already had several very constructive conversations with Michelle and very much welcome her commitment to working closely with us to promote the Society and its volumes.

Siobhan Keenan

REVIEW OF ACTIVITIES

Barnabe Barnes’s The Devil’s Charter (1607), a photofacsimile edition prepared by Richard Proudfoot and H. R. Woudhuysen, has been planned as a double volume over 2023 and 2024, and copies are now ready to be sent out to members. Production of Amy Bowles’s edition of John Day’s The Parliament of Bees (1641) is now complete and will shortly be at press; this volume will be distributed to members later this year.

Forthcoming volumes include a further volume of Collections ; José Pérez Díez’s edition of The Elder Brother ; Michael Wagoner’s edition of Beggars’ Bush; and Jennie Challinor’s edition of Lingua, a University play published in 1607.

Prospective editors of future volumes should consult the guidelines on the Society’s website.

Eleanor Collins

MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY’S REPORT

Membership of the Malone Society has remained stable this year, and the Society’s membership base continues to diversify. At the time of writing, the Society has 397 members, the vast majority of whom were eligible to receive the most recent annual volume having brought their subscriptions up to date. As ever, any member unsure of their current status should contact me at H.R.McCarthy@exeter.ac.uk. It was a pleasure to meet so many members old and new at the Campaspe conference in Oxford in October 2024, as well as to recruit some new faces.

We continue to promote the Society’s activities and membership in person at conferences (including at the ever-lively Malone Society Dance at the SAA), as well as online through our Bluesky account (@malonesociety.bsky.social), with which many of our members seem to enjoy engaging.

Thanks in large part to our Overseas Officers, with whom I have been in regular contact, in addition to our large UK and North American memberships we continue to attract members from Australia, Austria, Brazil, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Malta, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and Taiwan. Our reduced-rate student membership and offer of three free books upon joining continues to prove popular, as does our reduced membership rate for scholars who identify as contingently, precariously, or independently employed.

My thanks, as ever, to Natalie Codling at Redit Publications for her vital assistance with the membership database.

Harry McCarthy

RESEARCH GRANTS

The Society made two awards this year: to Dr Beth Sharrock, to support work on Edmond Malone’s correspondence; and to Prof. Tracey Hill, to support research in the archives of the London livery companies, which will contribute to the REED: Civic London, 1558-1642 collection of records, of which she is editor-in-chief. The award to Prof. Hill has been designated the Colin Baldwin Fellowship for 2025. Both projects will in due course be described, and their outcomes discussed, on the Society’s blog.

Applications are invited for grants in the 2026 competition; details and an application form may be found on the Society’s website: https://malonesociety.com/grants/

Martin Wiggins

JOHN EDWARD KERRY PRIZE

After a hiatus in 2024, the Society warmly welcomes applications to the 2025 John Edward Kerry Prize, a competition for graduate students to celebrate the life work of one of our members, the late John Edward Kerry (1924–2008). Full details can be found on the Society’s website: https://malonesociety.com/prizes/

Harry McCarthy

ORDERS SECRETARY’S REPORT

We have had a busy year for orders with some rarer volumes coming back into stock, and some very successful sale events (with sincere thanks to Prof. Lucy Munro). It is wonderful to see Malone books getting into people’s hands where they can benefit research, studies and even performance practice.

We thank Sarah Hodgson, our Orders Assistant, whose untiring and efficient work fulfilling orders, representing the Society at conferences, and taking a full inventory of current stock is enormously valued by all of Council. Do say hello to Sarah if you see her at a Malone book stand during your next conference!

Simon Smith

WEBSITE

We continue to develop and update the Malone Society’s website. As always, do let us know if you are using our volumes in your research, or if you are putting on performances of any of the texts, as we would love to share your work via the website. We’d particularly like to hear about how you are using Malone editions in your undergraduate or graduate teaching.

Lucy Munro

CONFERENCE

The Malone Society held its 2024 annual conference on Sunday 20 October in the Tsuzuki Lecture Theatre at St Anne’s College, Oxford. This year we focussed on John Lyly’s Campaspe , chosen to honour Mrs Leah Scragg, President of the Malone Society and world-leading expert and editor of Lyly’s works. Mrs Scragg was regrettably unable to attend, but a video recording of the proceedings was sent to her with fondness.

The day started with the customary opening lecture delivered by Dr Martin Wiggins, Honorary Senior Research Fellow of the Shakespeare Institute. Dr Wiggins proceeded to play Diogenes in the staged reading, complete with a dog-collar, a strong Northern Irish accent, and the obligatory tub in which the philosopher resides (a foldaway ice bathtub – sans ice – from which he repeatedly emerged). Other friends and members of the Malone Society took roles in the show: Jennifer Moss Waghorn as Campaspe (and Trico the singing boy), Charles Morton as her lover Apelles, Harry McCarthy (roles including Plato), Eleanor Lowe (Milo the tumbling boy, among other parts), Héloïse Sénéchal (Perim the dancing boy et al.), Kelley Costigan (parts including Thimoclea and Manes), Adam Barker (Hephaestion), Douglas Clark (Aristotle and others), Tristan Marshall (Prologue and Clitus), and José A. Pérez Díez as Alexander, plus the young débutant David Pérez Prieto as Alexander’s Page.

After the lunch break, we enjoyed two academic sessions. The first panel included contributions from Hannah Wilson (Oxford Brookes University) on actor training and scaffolded roles in Lyly’s plays; Mel Harrison (King’s College London) on race-making in Campaspe ; and Cecilia Lindskog Whitely (Uppsala University) on the sea and Lincolnshire in Galatea . The second session included papers from Lucy Munro (King’s College London) on the boys’ companies in Lyly; Chloe Porter (University of Sussex) on beginnings in Campaspe ; and James Wallace (actor and director) on his identification of a portrait of Lyly. The day was a joyous celebration of Leah Scragg’s accomplishments as a Lyly specialist, and it was particularly touching to have assembled some of her former students, including Dr Porter and Prof. Munro.

The next Malone Society conference will be held in the autumn of 2025 to mark the 400th anniversary of John Fletcher’s death. Further information will be circulated over the next few months.

José A. Pérez Díez

MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

The Annual General Meeting of the Malone Society was held at 4:00 pm on Saturday 8 June 2024. Apologies for absence were received from Dr Collins, Dr Pérez Díez, Prof. Proudfoot, Prof. Richardson, Mrs Scragg and Prof. Woudhuysen. Prof Keenan welcomed members joining the meeting in person and online.

The Minutes of the last Annual General Meeting, on 10 June 2023, recorded in the Annual Report for 2023/24, were accepted as a correct record on the proposal of Dr McCarthy, seconded by Dr Shmygol. There were no matters arising. The statement of accounts was also accepted as a true record, on the proposal of Mr Cunningham, seconded by Dr Lowe. The Annual Report as a whole was accepted on the proposal of Dr Wiggins, seconded by Prof. Munro.

Dr Collins, Co-Ordinating Editor, reported (by email) that the Society’s volume for 2023 and 2024, The Devil’s Charter , was in hand. The Parliament of Bees , edited by Amy Bowles, was also progressing well.

Mr Cunningham, Financial Director, reported that while the Society’s expenditure continues to outweigh its income, its investments remain sound. The Society is in good financial health for the foreseeable future.

Dr McCarthy, Membership Secretary, noted that membership remains steady. The Society and its activities would be promoted at a variety of conferences in 2024/25.

Dr Smith, Orders Secretary, thanked outgoing Orders Assistant Beth Gaunt for her work for the Society over the last few years; and welcomed Sarah Hodgeson to this role. The Society’s processes for ordering and delivering volumes have recently been streamlined, and Dr Smith thanked Council for their support with this process.

Prof. Munro, Website Officer, reported that the Society’s online presence had recently been updated. New blogposts were soon to be published, written by the winners of the 2023 JEK Prize and the recipient of a Malone Society research grant.

Dr Pérez Díez, Events Organiser, reported that the Society’s conference for 2023 had generated a modest profit.

Prof. Keenan thanked the officers for their reports and for their continuing work on the Society’s behalf. The Council officers were re-elected en bloc on the proposal of Kevin de Ornellas, seconded by Tristan Marshall. The members of Council were also re-elected en bloc on the proposal of Sarah Hodgeson, seconded by Kevin de Ornellas.

The next AGM was arranged for 3:30 on Saturday 7 June 2025, and the meeting closed at 4:00.

FINANCIAL DIRECTOR’S REPORT

This year’s accounts and report were prepared by Alanbrookes Group Ltd in March 2025, and await approval at the Society’s AGM. Their report confirmed that there were no matters that needed to be brought to the attention of the Trustees in relation to the matters covered by their examination.

The Draft Statement of Receipts, Payments and Assets is detailed below.

Receipts from subscriptions, royalties and sales continue to be lower than annual expenditure, but our investments earn enough interest to cover this gap. Investments were further strengthened this year by a generous bequest from the Lowden estate.

Generally, the financial position of the Society remains sound, and we are well able to meet current and anticipated future financial obligations. We will continue to review our structure to ensure we are managing our assets effectively to ensure the long-term future of the charity.

Paul Cunningham

STATEMENT OF RECEIPTS, PAYMENTS AND ASSETS For the year ended 31 January 2025

Opening balances Current a/c (RBS) Barclays (Stratford account) Petty cash COIF-C COIF-A (cost) COIF-R (cost) Stripe balance Total opening funds Receipts Subscriptions: UK Europe USA Canada Australia/New Zealand Asia Royalties Other revenue Donations Bequest Interest received Book sales Total receipts Payments Book printing & digitisation Binding Book distribution Postage, Freight & Courier Leaflets/Annual Report Audit & Accountancy fees IT Software & Consumables Administration Printing & Stationery Stripe charges Legal expenses Stipend Grant payments Sponsorship Council meetings Travel & Subsistence Total payments	14,433.40) 370.11) 11.55) 4,502.13) 21,173.96) 15,381.11) 211.34) 56,083.60) 2,864.79) 625.10) 2,457.99) 362.86) 270.68) 474.50) 7,055.92) 631.61) 240.27) 60.00) 70,749.52) 228.40) 391.40) 79,357.12) 6,438.59) 4,494.10) 0.00) 323.12) 245.00) 858.00) 127.50) 6,802.38) 50.00) 149.46) 1,530.00) 1,100.00) 221.14) 1,681.23) 409.86) 899.77) 25,330.15)	Net Receipts and payments Gain on sale of investments COIF-A Gain on sale of investments COIF-R Surplus/(deficit) for the year Opening balances Closing balances Represented by: Current a/c (RBS) COIF-C COIF-A COIF-R	54,026.97) –) 11,384.67)
			65,411.64) 56,083.60)
			121,495.24)
			23,075.45) 4,730.53) 7,558.63) 86,130.63)
		Total closing funds 121,495.24) Investments @ Closing Market Value COIF-C 4,730.53) COIF-A 16,106.97) COIF-R 382,971.06) Total investments 403,808.56) The above accounts have been the subject of independent examination by Alanbrookes Group Ltd, Chartered Accountants, of 24 The Glove Factory, Holt, Wiltshire BA14 6RL. Their report confirmed that there were no matters that needed to be brought to the attention of the Trustees in relation to the matters covered by their examination. A full copy of their report may be obtained on request.	121,495.24)

Notes to the Financial Statement

Our financial statements are prepared on a cash basis.
We have no overdue short-term liabilities, no long-term liabilities, and no leaseholds.
Investments are stated at both cost and market value.
Investments are consistent with our investment policies. The performance of our investments met our objectives.

Notes on Financial Policies

Current account funds not needed to satisfy actual and anticipated obligations are transferred to investments
Our principal investment policies are: (i) For capital protection and spreading risk, to invest only in funds managed by the Charities Official Investment Fund (COIF). (ii) As between two types of shares (Income and Accumulation), to use only Accumulation shares, so that dividends are automatically reinvested within each fund. (iii) For liquidity, capital protection, and income, to keep in COIF-C, a deposit fund, enough cash to meet anticipated near-term needs. (iv) For capital protection and a return higher than ‘C’, to invest a further portion in fixed interest securities, COIFA. (v) For long-term growth and a hedge against inflation, to invest the rest in COIF-R. (vi) To review the distribution of funds among ‘C’, ‘A’, and ‘R’ at least three times a year, taking account of the planned expenditure, risk exposure, the balance between ‘A’, and ‘R’, and conditions in the market.
The ethics of our investment policies are the same as those of the Charities Official Investment Fund.
The Council considers that a sum of £100,000 would normally cover outstanding obligations from previous years and cover planned expenditures. We aim to have reserves in excess of this, with the following purposes: to protect the Society from risks such as fluctuations in income, expenditure, and the stock market; to ensure we can subsidize the volumes we make available to members; to delay increasing subscriptions for as long as possible; to offer members books from our backlist at substantial discounts; from time to time to provide members, and by extension the general public, with two volumes in a year; to generate funds to enhance benefits to members and the public; to shield us from the necessity of borrowing; to have funds available for buying paper and cloth at bulk prices when appropriate; to allow us to mount conferences for members and the public; to enable us to place a selection of our volumes on-line for use by the academic world and the public at large; to demonstrate financial soundness to attract the highest calibre Council member; to allow us to take advantage of attractive opportunities consistent with our object; and to shelter us from strategic vulnerabilities.

Risk Management

The Council has assessed the major risks to which the Society is exposed and is satisfied that the policies and systems are in place to protect us to the extent feasible from the likely effects of these risks.

MEMBERS OF COUNCIL

Chairman :

Prof. Siobhan Keenan

Editorial Committee : Prof. Richard Proudfoot, Dr Maria Shmygol, Dr Martin Wiggins, Prof. Henry Woudhuysen Co-ordinating Editor : Dr Eleanor Collins Executive Secretary : Prof. Katharine Craik Financial Director : Mr Paul Cunningham Membership Secretary : Dr Harry McCarthy Website Officer : Prof. Lucy Munro Orders Secretary : Dr Simon Smith Archivist : Dr Eleanor Lowe Events Organiser : Dr José Pérez Díez Other Members of Council : Prof. Catherine Richardson

UK AND OVERSEAS REPRESENTATIVES AND ADVISORS

Representative for North America : Dr Molly Yarn Representatives for Canada : Prof. Roberta Barker and Dr David Nicol, Fountain School of Performing Arts, Dalhousie University, 6101 University Avenue, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3H 4R2

Representative for Australia and Prof. David McInnis, School of Culture and Communication, New Zealand : Room 216 John Medley West Tower, University of Melbourne 3010, Australia Representative for Japan : Prof. Yukiko Mori, Division of Language and Culture Studies, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Nakacho, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan Representative for Continental Prof. Jesús Tronch Perez, Departament de Filologia Anglesa Europe : i Alemanya, Universitat de València, Av. Blasco Ibáñez, 32, 46010 Valencia, Spain Other Associates : Prof. John Creaser, Prof. John Jowett, Prof. Helen Moore

WEBSITE: The address of the Society’s website is www.malonesociety.com

CORRESPONDENCE: Correspondence should in the first instance be sent to Natalie Codling at the following email address: malone@reditpublishing.com

MALONE SOCIETY Charity Number - 1027048 INDEPENDENT EXAMINERS’ REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF THE MALONE SOCIETY

I report to the Trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Malone Society for the year ended 31 January 2025 which are set out on the annexed schedule.

Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner and basis of report

The Charity’s trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 ("the Act")

I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.

Independent examiner’s statement

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:

accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act or
the accounts do not accord with the accounting records

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

………………………………………….

Andrew S Fisher FCA

12 June 2025

The Alanbrookes Group Limited Chartered Accountants 24 The Glove Factory Holt Wiltshire BA14 6RL

Malone Society

Statement of Receipts, Payments and Assets For the year ended 31 January 2025

Opening balances Current a/c (RBS) Barclays (Stratford account) Petty cash COIF-C COIF-A (cost) COIF-R (cost) Stripe balance Total Opening funds Receipts Subscriptions: - UK Europe USA 12 June 2025 Australia/ New Zealand Asia Royalties Other revenue Donations Bequest Interest received Book sales Total receipts Payments Book Printing & digitisation Binding Book Distribution Postage, Freight & Courier Leaflets / An. Report Audit & Accountancy fees IT Software and Consumables Administration Printing & Stationery Stripe Charges Legal expenses Stipend Grant Payments Sponsorship Council Meetings Travel & Subsistence Total payments	£ 14,433.40 370.11 11.55 4,502.13 21,173.96 15,381.11 211.34 56,083.60 2,864.79 625.10 2,457.99 362.86 270.68 474.50 7,055.92 631.61 240.27 60.00 70,749.52 228.40 391.40 79,357.12 6,438.59 4,494.10 0.00 323.12 245.00 858.00 127.50 6,802.38 50.00 149.46 1,530.00 1,100.00 221.14 1,681.23 409.86 899.77 25,330.15	Net Receipts and payments Gain on sale of investments COIF 'A' Gain on sale of investments COIF 'R' Surplus/(deficit) for the year Opening balances Closing balances Represented by: Current a/c (RBS) COIF-C COIF-A COIF-R Total Closing funds Investments @ Closing Market Value COIF-C COIF-A COIF-R Total investments	£ 54,026.97 11384.67
			65,411.64 56,083.60
			121,495.24
			23,075.45 4,730.53 7,558.63 86,130.63
			121,495.24
			4,730.53 16,106.97 382,971.06
			403,808.56