Learned Society of York Magicians

The Learned Society of York Magicians was, as its title suggests, a society of magicians from York, which formerly held regular meetings at the | Old Starre Inn in Stonegate. It was a society of some antiquity but was summarily disbanded in February 1807 after all but one of its members had been incited to sign an agreement whereby they undertook to repudiate the study of magic if Mr Norrell should demonstrate his own practical mastery of it. This of course he did, by enacting the spell called The stones of York.

At the time of its dissolution the Society's president was Dr Foxcastle, and all of its members were purely theoretical magicians [1][3]. Among their number, as well as Mr Segundus and Mr Honeyfoot, were a Mr Thorpe; four elderly gentlemen named Mr Greyshippe, Mr Aptree, Mr Tunstall, and a Mr Hart or Hunt; an excitable sandy-haired person whose name is not given[1,2]; and also of course their president, the formidable Dr Foxcastle himself.

After Mr Norrell entered the Pillar of Darkness and to all intents and purposes left this world, John Childermass held that the former agreement was void. The society was therefore eventually reconvened in March of 1817 [69].