The Royal Society first published obituaries of its Fellows in 1830, in Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Initially obituaries were read at the Anniversary meeting, often by the President himself, and were printed in the record of that meeting. From 1859 they appeared in a separate section at the back. Articles were anonymous until the 1880s. The first image to accompany an obituary was that of Franz Cornelius Donders. Their usage grew significantly from the 1920s. In 1905, Proceedings split into two series, Series A, (papers on the mathematical and physical sciences) and Series B, (biological sciences). Occasionally a subject had an obituary in both series. From 1932 obituaries of nearly every deceased Fellow and Foreign Member have appeared in Obituary Notices of Fellows of the Royal Society (1932-1954) and Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society (1955 onward).

The Royal Society is a self-governing Fellowship of many of the world's most distinguished scientists drawn from all areas of science, engineering and medicine, and is the oldest scientific academy in continuous existence. The Society’s fundamental purpose, reflected in its founding Charters of the 1660s, is to recognise, promote, and support excellence in science and to encourage the development and use of science for the benefit of humanity. The Society has played a part in some of the most fundamental, significant, and life-changing discoveries in scientific history and Royal Society scientists continue to make outstanding contributions to science in many research areas.