Getting started with your Scottish family research
Searching Statutory Records
Where Do I Start Searching?
Look at the material you have collected so far. Where you start to search will be governed by the information you have already accumulated and how far back that information extends.
The principal sources of information available concerning Scottish ancestry and where to find them are explained on the next few pages, beginning with Statutory Records.
Statutory Records of Births, Marriages and Deaths
Most people will begin searching here. Compulsory civil registration of births, marriages and deaths began in Scotland on 1 January 1855. Before this date, responsibility for maintaining registers fell to the Established Church.
1855 certificates were very detailed but that detail proved difficult to sustain and the amount of information required for registration of a birth, marriage or death was reduced. However, Scottish certificates are still more detailed than their English counterparts. For example, besides the names of both parents, birth certificates, in 1855 and from 1861, include the date and place of the parents' marriage, allowing you to find the marriage certificate more quickly. Marriage certificates show the names of both parents, including the maiden surname of the mother, and death certificates record the names of the parents of the deceased.
Work backwards through successive generations using the information found on each certificate.
Sources
General Register Office for Scotland, HM New Register House, Edinburgh
- houses births, marriages and deaths for the whole of Scotland. See GROS for more information. Indexes and images of Scottish births (1855-1906) and marriages (1855-1931) and death records (1855-1956) can be viewed here on the ScotlandsPeople website.
Local Registrars
- hold local area records and may have computerised access to indexes and images for whole of Scotland.
Searching Census Returns
The first official national census of the population was taken in 1801, but the returns of most use to the family historian are those from 1841 onwards. Records are closed to access for 100 years, so the census returns presently available for public scrutiny cover the years 1841-1901.
The details from the census schedules for each household were entered into transcript books by locally appointed enumerators. The census information that we see derives from these enumerators' transcript books, not the original schedules, which were later destroyed.
The 1841 census recorded the names, occupations and ages of each person in a household and whether or not they were born in the county where the census was taken. Ages above 15 years were rounded down to the nearest five e.g. 25-29 years would be recorded as 25. Family relationships and marital status were not shown. From 1851 on, the relationship of each person to the head of the household was recorded, allowing researchers to distinguish between family members and servants, lodgers or visitors. Marital status was included and, most importantly, birthplace. Age at last birthday was included, but can still be unreliable.
Computerised surname indexes exist for the 1841, 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881, 1891 and 1901 census returns, and online access to these is available here on ScotlandsPeople. Many family history societies are actively involved in producing surname indexes for their own areas. See www.safhs.org.uk for information on local family history societies.
It is worth bearing certain things in mind. Firstly, the census recorded individuals in the place where they were on census night. You will therefore not necessarily find an individual at the address that you might expect. The person you are looking for may be missing from home because they were working elsewhere, staying with relatives, in an institution, hospital, prison, at sea, etc. and either recorded there or not at all. Secondly, the census records households, not families. A household might include servants or lodgers as well as family members. If your ancestor was in service (or, say, an apprentice 'living-in'), you will find them in the census entry for their employer's household. Thirdly, accuracy is at the mercy of the informant, the enumerator and the indexer. Misinformation, misspelling and transcription errors are common.
Sources
General Register Office for Scotland , HM New Register House, Edinburgh
- holds the census returns for the whole of Scotland 1841-1901. Computerised surname indexes of the 1841, 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881, 1891 and 1901 returns for all Scotland, and digital images of the 1841, 1851, 1861, 1871, 1891 and 1901, are currently available. Index-linked images of the 1881 census will be made available at some point in the future. See GROS for more information. On-line access to the 1841, 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881, 1891 and 1901 census indexes, images of the 1841, 1851, 1861, 1871, 1891 and 1901 census returns and transcripts of the 1881 census, is available here on the ScotlandsPeople website.
Local Registrars
- may have access to Scotland-wide indexes and images to 1881, 1891 and 1901 census.
LDS Family History Centres
- copies of census for whole of Scotland on microfilm, CD-Rom of 1881 census national index.
Local libraries
- usually have microfilm copies of 1841-1901 censuses and the 1881 name index on microfiche for their own areas.
Family History Societies
- may have microfilm copies 1841-1901 for their own area and CD-Rom of the 1881 national index, and be working on surname indexes for the earlier census returns for their area.
Searching Old Parish Registers
Old Parish Registers (OPR'S) comprise the births/baptisms, proclamations of banns/marriages, deaths/burials recorded by parish ministers or session clerks of the Established (Presbyterian) Church of Scotland before the beginning of compulsory civil registration in 1855. The earliest date from 1553, but most began after 1600 and some are much later. The original registers were deposited with the General Register Office for Scotland under the 1854 Registration Act and microfilm copies are available for public scrutiny. However, the condition of the registers varied enormously - some were well looked after and neatly written, while others were incomplete, badly kept, eaten by mice, affected by damp or missing altogether. Recording of deaths/burials was particularly sparse and there are currently no national indexes available for these. However, a national project is currently underway to index burials before 1855. See GROS for a List of Old Parish Registers. The Scottish Association of Family History Societies also publishes a useful guide to "The Parishes, Registers and Registrars of Scotland" (1993) Reprinted 2001 ISBN 1-874722-05-6, which incorporates parish maps for each county.
As with the condition of the registers, the standard of record keeping was variable and the amount of information recorded can affect the outcome of your research. You should not expect too much from OPR's, when compared to the information found in the statutory records. For example, at best, you may find the following in a birth/baptism: name of the child, date of birth and/or date of baptism, father's name, mother's name and maiden surname, place or parish of residence, occupation of the father and names of witnesses. Occasionally, as in, for example, Dundee, witnesses' relationship to the child (if any) may be recorded. On the other hand, it is quite common for the mother's name to be unrecorded in some parishes in certain years. A burial entry might just be a name and a date recording payment of the fee for use of the mortcloth (the pall used to cover the coffin), with no age given.
Not every event was actually recorded - many people simply did not bother, particularly if they had to pay a fee (or tax as was the case 1783-1794). Rapid urbanisation during the 19th century contributed to the diminishing influence of the Church and a decrease in registration in these areas. As such, it was estimated at the time that as few as 30% of events actually occurring were being recorded for some urban parishes. A number of people belonged to other religious denominations altogether and although some non-conformists can be found in Established Church registers, many preferred to register in their own church. Non-conformist records (Episcopalian, Methodist, Free Church etc.) are held in the National Archives for Scotland or in local archives. Roman Catholic registers are still held at diocesan or parish level, but copies can be found in the National Archives.
A Register of Neglected Entries, compiled by the Registrar-General after statutory registration began in 1855, contains some birth, marriage and death entries proved to have occurred between 1801 and 1854, but not entered into the parish registers. These are located at the end of the microfilm reel of the appropriate register.
Sources
General Register Office for Scotland , HM New Register House, Edinburgh
- holds the original registers for the whole of Scotland.
Where Do I Start Searching?
Look at the material you have collected so far. Where you start to search will be governed by the information you have already accumulated and how far back that information extends.
The principal sources of information available concerning Scottish ancestry and where to find them are explained on the next few pages, beginning with Statutory Records.
Statutory Records of Births, Marriages and Deaths
Most people will begin searching here. Compulsory civil registration of births, marriages and deaths began in Scotland on 1 January 1855. Before this date, responsibility for maintaining registers fell to the Established Church.
1855 certificates were very detailed but that detail proved difficult to sustain and the amount of information required for registration of a birth, marriage or death was reduced. However, Scottish certificates are still more detailed than their English counterparts. For example, besides the names of both parents, birth certificates, in 1855 and from 1861, include the date and place of the parents' marriage, allowing you to find the marriage certificate more quickly. Marriage certificates show the names of both parents, including the maiden surname of the mother, and death certificates record the names of the parents of the deceased.
Work backwards through successive generations using the information found on each certificate.
Sources
General Register Office for Scotland, HM New Register House, Edinburgh
- houses births, marriages and deaths for the whole of Scotland. See GROS for more information. Indexes and images of Scottish births (1855-1906) and marriages (1855-1931) and death records (1855-1956) can be viewed here on the ScotlandsPeople website.
Local Registrars
- hold local area records and may have computerised access to indexes and images for whole of Scotland.
Searching Census Returns
The first official national census of the population was taken in 1801, but the returns of most use to the family historian are those from 1841 onwards. Records are closed to access for 100 years, so the census returns presently available for public scrutiny cover the years 1841-1901.
The details from the census schedules for each household were entered into transcript books by locally appointed enumerators. The census information that we see derives from these enumerators' transcript books, not the original schedules, which were later destroyed.
The 1841 census recorded the names, occupations and ages of each person in a household and whether or not they were born in the county where the census was taken. Ages above 15 years were rounded down to the nearest five e.g. 25-29 years would be recorded as 25. Family relationships and marital status were not shown. From 1851 on, the relationship of each person to the head of the household was recorded, allowing researchers to distinguish between family members and servants, lodgers or visitors. Marital status was included and, most importantly, birthplace. Age at last birthday was included, but can still be unreliable.
Computerised surname indexes exist for the 1841, 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881, 1891 and 1901 census returns, and online access to these is available here on ScotlandsPeople. Many family history societies are actively involved in producing surname indexes for their own areas. See www.safhs.org.uk for information on local family history societies.
It is worth bearing certain things in mind. Firstly, the census recorded individuals in the place where they were on census night. You will therefore not necessarily find an individual at the address that you might expect. The person you are looking for may be missing from home because they were working elsewhere, staying with relatives, in an institution, hospital, prison, at sea, etc. and either recorded there or not at all. Secondly, the census records households, not families. A household might include servants or lodgers as well as family members. If your ancestor was in service (or, say, an apprentice 'living-in'), you will find them in the census entry for their employer's household. Thirdly, accuracy is at the mercy of the informant, the enumerator and the indexer. Misinformation, misspelling and transcription errors are common.
Sources
General Register Office for Scotland , HM New Register House, Edinburgh
- holds the census returns for the whole of Scotland 1841-1901. Computerised surname indexes of the 1841, 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881, 1891 and 1901 returns for all Scotland, and digital images of the 1841, 1851, 1861, 1871, 1891 and 1901, are currently available. Index-linked images of the 1881 census will be made available at some point in the future. See GROS for more information. On-line access to the 1841, 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881, 1891 and 1901 census indexes, images of the 1841, 1851, 1861, 1871, 1891 and 1901 census returns and transcripts of the 1881 census, is available here on the ScotlandsPeople website.
Local Registrars
- may have access to Scotland-wide indexes and images to 1881, 1891 and 1901 census.
LDS Family History Centres
- copies of census for whole of Scotland on microfilm, CD-Rom of 1881 census national index.
Local libraries
- usually have microfilm copies of 1841-1901 censuses and the 1881 name index on microfiche for their own areas.
Family History Societies
- may have microfilm copies 1841-1901 for their own area and CD-Rom of the 1881 national index, and be working on surname indexes for the earlier census returns for their area.
Searching Old Parish Registers
Old Parish Registers (OPR'S) comprise the births/baptisms, proclamations of banns/marriages, deaths/burials recorded by parish ministers or session clerks of the Established (Presbyterian) Church of Scotland before the beginning of compulsory civil registration in 1855. The earliest date from 1553, but most began after 1600 and some are much later. The original registers were deposited with the General Register Office for Scotland under the 1854 Registration Act and microfilm copies are available for public scrutiny. However, the condition of the registers varied enormously - some were well looked after and neatly written, while others were incomplete, badly kept, eaten by mice, affected by damp or missing altogether. Recording of deaths/burials was particularly sparse and there are currently no national indexes available for these. However, a national project is currently underway to index burials before 1855. See GROS for a List of Old Parish Registers. The Scottish Association of Family History Societies also publishes a useful guide to "The Parishes, Registers and Registrars of Scotland" (1993) Reprinted 2001 ISBN 1-874722-05-6, which incorporates parish maps for each county.
As with the condition of the registers, the standard of record keeping was variable and the amount of information recorded can affect the outcome of your research. You should not expect too much from OPR's, when compared to the information found in the statutory records. For example, at best, you may find the following in a birth/baptism: name of the child, date of birth and/or date of baptism, father's name, mother's name and maiden surname, place or parish of residence, occupation of the father and names of witnesses. Occasionally, as in, for example, Dundee, witnesses' relationship to the child (if any) may be recorded. On the other hand, it is quite common for the mother's name to be unrecorded in some parishes in certain years. A burial entry might just be a name and a date recording payment of the fee for use of the mortcloth (the pall used to cover the coffin), with no age given.
Not every event was actually recorded - many people simply did not bother, particularly if they had to pay a fee (or tax as was the case 1783-1794). Rapid urbanisation during the 19th century contributed to the diminishing influence of the Church and a decrease in registration in these areas. As such, it was estimated at the time that as few as 30% of events actually occurring were being recorded for some urban parishes. A number of people belonged to other religious denominations altogether and although some non-conformists can be found in Established Church registers, many preferred to register in their own church. Non-conformist records (Episcopalian, Methodist, Free Church etc.) are held in the National Archives for Scotland or in local archives. Roman Catholic registers are still held at diocesan or parish level, but copies can be found in the National Archives.
A Register of Neglected Entries, compiled by the Registrar-General after statutory registration began in 1855, contains some birth, marriage and death entries proved to have occurred between 1801 and 1854, but not entered into the parish registers. These are located at the end of the microfilm reel of the appropriate register.
Sources
General Register Office for Scotland , HM New Register House, Edinburgh
- holds the original registers for the whole of Scotland.
