From Old Scottish Genealogy and Family History (www.oldscottish.com):
Criminal Ancestors from Scotland? Connect Scottish Convict Criminal Records for Family History
Welcome to the new database that connects transportation records of 8,500 individuals convicted in Scotland to their original court documents, now stored at the National Records of Scotland in Edinburgh. For the first time, these records have been combined, giving us a fuller picture of Scotland's convict history and its impact on the development of Australia.
The database isn't just for genealogists—it's also a tool for social historians. It helps us understand how convict transportation shaped Australia and Scotland. By looking at the records, we can learn more about the societies and laws of the time. Whether you're an experienced genealogist or just curious about your family's story, use this database to find out more about your Scottish roots!
At the heart of Old Scottish’s latest database Convict Criminal Records are two types of records: the transportation logs and the detailed court documents. While the first give basic details like names and dates, the latter provide rich stories about the people convicted and the crimes they committed. This mix helps genealogists find out more about their Scottish heritage.
For Australian family historians, this connection means they can now trace their convict ancestors' trials more easily. It lets them understand why their ancestors were sent away and how they coped with their new lives.
The transportation logs have basic information like names and dates, while the court documents have more detailed stories about the people and the crimes they committed. This helps family historians find out more about their ancestors. In one case, you can trace back from 7 February 1837 when, after being at sea for 133 long days, the convict ship John arrived in Port Jackson, New South Wales. Among the surviving male convicts aboard were two young Scottish teenagers, James Rodgers and William Slight. Both boys had been convicted and sentenced to transportation to Australia for 7 years. They left Britain on 27 September 1836 after spending the summer imprisoned on the hulk Leviathan.
Using the collection you can discover the origins of their transportation, travelling back to the ‘Fair City’ of Perth and the fateful events of April 1836.
At their trial in Perth, 13-year-old James Rodgers, and William Slight, a year older, stood accused of theft by housebreaking and opening lockfast places, with the aggravation of being thieves habit and repute. The prosecution alleged they had broken into a shop on George Street, Perth, occupied by Richard Mclean as a boot and shoemaker, by breaking or removing 4 panes of glass in a skylight. Once in the shop, it was claimed the boys stole 3 pairs of boots and broke open a locked desk, taking three pound notes. One of the witnesses against the boys was the celebrated Edinburgh detective James McLevy.
The records reveal that William was the son of a silver plate worker, while James was an apprentice shoemaker. They also indicate that they were poorly educated: neither could write. The case against them was weighed by the knowledge they had both been in trouble before. William had been convicted twice at Edinburgh Police Court in 1833 for theft, and twice at Edinburgh Sheriff Court in 1833 and 1835. James had two previous convictions at Edinburgh Police Court in 1832 and 1835, both for theft.
About Convict Criminal Records
This database links the transportation records of 8,500 people convicted in Scotland to the original court records now held at the National Records of Scotland. This is the first time these records have been linked to each other. Doing so increases the usefulness of both record sets, and allows Australian (and other) family historians for the first time to directly trace their convict ancestors to the trials where they were sentenced. Another benefit is that the transportation registers only provide a limited amount of information (typically name, date of trial, ship, date of departure and usually offence). The Scottish records provide a wealth of detail both about the individual prisoners and the crimes they committed. For genealogists, these clues can help them trace their ancestry back in time in Scotland from their convict ancestor.
Of course not every person sentenced to transportation was actually sent to Australia, so this combined record set allows social historians to investigate the phenomenon of convict transportation, which had such a profound impact on the development of Australia.
This new record set opens up many research opportunities, both for family historians in Australia and Scotland, and for other historians in both countries. The index can be found at https://www.oldscottish.com/convict-criminal-records.html
(With thanks to Fergus Smith at Old Scottish)
Chris
Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.
