Farey was the first of three long-serving Secretaries spanning the Society's first hundred years. The third was Arthur Smith, appointed in 1915 and still inn office in 1953; it was he who developed the Skipton into more than a one office, local society.
After the first Secretary's short tenure, Samuel Farey was appointed to the position. At the time, Farey was a 30-year-old schoolteacher although in later years he became a substantial mill owner.