The Scottish GENES Blog (GEnealogy News and EventS): Top news stories and features concerning ancestral research in Scotland, Ireland, the rest of the UK, and their diasporas, from genealogist and family historian Chris Paton. Feel free to quote from this blog, but please credit Scottish GENES if you do. I'm on Mastodon @scottishgenes and Threads @scottishgenesblog - to contact me please email chrismpaton @ outlook.com. Cuimhnich air na daoine o'n d'thà inig thu!
From Pharos Tutors (www.pharostutors.com), news of a webinar programme happening this July:
The Ones Who Got Away: 13th - 17th July 2026
We will be exploring this theme in a number of ways, whether it be how to track down those hard to research ancestors and family members, different approaches to methodology, using technology in different ways or demonstration by example through case studies.
We are joined by current and past tutors and friends of Pharos to bring you a star studded programme of talks. The list of webinars is as follows:
Mon 13th July
Dave Annal - Mind the Gaps! Debbie Kennett - How DNA uncovered a 100-year-old family secret Simon Fowler - My mother and history: a genealogical exploration
Tues 14th July
Sophie Kay - Negative Space: How Genealogy Gaps Can Help Your Tree Flourish Joe Saunders - Social Network Analysis in Historical Research Phil Isherwood - Whatever Happened to Aunt Gonda?
Wed 15th July
Jonny Perl - Understanding What are the Odds? (WATO+) at DNA Painter Karen Cummings - FREE: Who are Pharos Tutors? Courses, Certificates and What to Expect Nathan Dylan Goodwin - Finding Henry (pre-recorded, but with live Q&A)
Thurs 16th July
Janet Few - Ancestors on the Margins: tracing misfortunate ancestors Gill Rossini - Researching LGBTQ Ancestors Dai Davies - Remembering Our Ancestors who Died by Suicide
Fri 17th July
Andrew Redfern - AI as a Research Partner: Strengths, Limits and Sensible Use Kelly Cornwell - Transported to Tasmania: Researching your Convict Ancestors Nick Barratt - When Harry Met Dotty
Each webinar will last approximately one hour. Each session will be recorded and made available for one month after the event, so do not worry if you cannot attend live on the day. Webinars are priced at £10 BUT sign up for the full week and save 20%, bringing the total cost down from £140 to only £112 (only £8 per session).
Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, 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. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.
The next 5 week longScotland 1750-1850: Beyond the Old Parish Registers family history course from Pharos Teaching and Tutoring Ltd (www.pharostutors.com) commences in just over a week's time from Monday, 16 March 2026.
And the following is the course description, and how to sign up if interested!
Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the Old Parish Registers
This
is an intermediate level course in Scottish family history for those
who are going back beyond 1850. You should have some experience with
research in the Old Parish Registers (OPRs) of the Church of Scotland
and in using major websites for Scottish research.
This course
discusses sources that fill the gap when the OPRs are uninformative or
missing, such as the kirk session and presbytery courts records
generated by the Kirk (Church of Scotland), as well as the records of
dissenting and seceding Presbyterian congregations. From the forerunners
of Scotlands modern towns and cities are the administrative records of
the burghs, and the trades incorporations and merchant guilds, as well
as other professions, which can enhance our understanding of our
ancestors lives. And in the final two lessons the course turns up a
notch and tackles two areas where the Scottish records, as generated
through the feudal system, are truly unique, namely the various
registers of land records known as sasines, and the separate legal
processes in Scotland for the inheritance of both moveable and heritable
estate.
Whilst some of the records discussed in the course are
available online, many are available only in the archives, or in private
hands, and a strong focus of this course will be in how to successfully
employ the relevant catalogues and finding aids to locate such
treasures.
Whilst not compulsory, it is strongly recommended that
you complete the Pharos course Scottish Research Online before studying
Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the Old Parish Registers, as it will be
assumed that you are already familiar with the more basic resources
available online for Scottish ancestral research.
Lesson Headings:
* Kirk Sessions records and parish poor * Burgh records and town poor * Occupations, taxation and early lists * Land transfer and the value of sasines * Land, inheritance and estates
Each lesson includes exercises and activities; a minimum of 1 one-hour chat session per week. (See How the Courses Work athttps://www.pharostutors.com/howcourseswork.php.)
NB: Unlike previous courses, I am trialling using Zoom for these chat
sessions, rather than the previously used text-based chat rooms -
recordings of Zoom sessions will be made available after each lesson
chat.
"The
exercises helped you to explore new lesson concepts right away.
Especially by directing students to apply new research aids to their own
work."
"Very clear explanations of terminology and legal
processes Really helpful exercises and comprenesive list of useful
catalogues and other references Chat sessions very helpful and
engaging."
"This being the second genealogy course I have taken,
and the second with Pharos, I found these were detailed foundation
courses which will permit me to search better and with less effort in my
future research work."
"Great subject-matter and excellent tutor/written materials. It could not have been better."
Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, 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. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.
My 5-week-long courseProgressing Your Irish Research Online, taught through Pharos Teaching and Tutoring Ltd (www.pharostutors.com), kicks off again on Monday, 26 January 2026, and I am very much looking forward to meeting the next group of students!
Here is some further information about the course:
There is a common belief that if you have Irish ancestors then you should give up hope of finding out about them, because 'nothing survived the fire', referring to the destruction of Ireland's Public Record Office during the Civil War in 1922. The overall aim of this course is to point out that this is a nonsense, and that the glass is half full and not empty. Whilst there are certainly challenges to be overcome, a great deal can still be accomplished with the many resources now rapidly finding their way online.
This course will describe the many state created records and church records that can be used to research your Irish ancestry. It will provide a context to understand why they were created, and by whom and point out exactly where to find them online, and how to use them effectively.
Lesson Headings:
Understanding Ireland's boundaries, key repositories and platforms
The vital records of Church and State
Documenting the people: Irish censuses and substitutes
Valuation records and inheritance
The Decade of Centenaries
Each lesson includes exercises and activities and a one-hour Zoom-based chat per week.
Some reviews from students:
'I enjoyed all of the course, the lessons, exercises and chat sessions were all very helpful. I found Chris Paton ran the course and chat sessions brilliantly. I now feel enthused to carry out more research.'
'The astonishing range of information presented, the subsequent results within my own research and the fun, friendly and knowledgeable way it was all delivered. Excellent course and a tutor I would definitely want to study with again.'
'It really opened my eyes to what Chris calls the half FULL glass of Irish records, plus a glimpse of history and geography. Excellent.'
'It was beneficial from the standpoints of both improving general knowledge of Irish history, and illuminating the numerous and often unique potential sources of genealogical/family history information against that background.'
'Depth of knowledge. Expertise of tutor. Excellent Handouts.'
'Fantastic tutor. First class lesson materials. Top-notch quality learning programme.'
'The realization that there are more resources and information available than I first thought!'
And if it helps, a brief introductory video explaining what it will hopefully achieve!
Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, 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. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.
Pharos Teaching and Tutoring Ltd (www.pharostutors.com) is offering a huge 15% discount on its courses - here's the announcement:
From today, use Discount Code FRIDAY15 at checkout to get 15% off ALL of our courses, both assessed AND non-assessed, between now and the end of Monday 1st December*.
That's right, ALL of our family history, local history, genetic genealogy, one place and one name study courses, including the non-assessed and assessed options of any course currently available on our website.
This is the biggest discount we offer, so take advantage now, why not expand your knowledge by booking a course for the New Year?
*Terms and conditions:
Discount applies to purchase of non-assessed AND assessed courses Discount only applies to course dates currently advertised with places available Discount does not apply to purchases of gift vouchers Only one discount can be applied per course purchase Discount expires at 11.59pm on Monday 1st December (UK time)
Amongst the courses qualifying for this discount are my five-week-long courses, as follows, with the dates they start (each is run twice in the year, subject to numbers registering):
These courses are normally £70, but with the Black Friday deal they will be available for just £59.50, for the duration of the offer. So why not sign up now, and save some money - and have some fun studying the subjects with me in due course?!
And don't forget to check out Pharos' other offerings via the main website!
Chris
Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, 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. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.
Hi folks, the next Scottish Research Online course from Pharos Teaching and Tutoring Ltd (https://www.pharostutors.com) returns 5 January 2026. The following is its description:
Scottish Research Online (102)
Tutor: Chris Paton
Scotland was one of the first countries to digitise its major
family history records collections for accessibility online, and
continues to this day to use such resources to promote a worldwide
interest in family history for those with Caledonian connections.
This
course describes the major sites and record types that you will
encounter in your research, and how to analyse the results. It compares
and contrasts many of the key websites available for Scottish research,
drilling down to key features within each to help improve a users
knowledge of what is contained within the presented records, and equally
important, what is not. It explores the key resources for vital records
such as births, marriages and deaths, as recorded by the state from
1855 onwards, and the usefulness of the decennial censuses from
1841-1911 in connecting family members and branches together.
Prior
to civil registration there are the records created by the Church of
Scotland as the state church, with the course exploring access to its
Old Parish Registers (OPRs) on ScotlandsPeople and through FamilySearchs
various finding aids. In the final lesson, wills and inventories
generated by Scotlands confirmation process are explored, with some of
the many differences flagged up between the records of Scotland and the
rest of the UK, thanks to the distinctly different legal system north of
the border.
Most importantly this course will inspire you to
actively pursue your interest in Scottish genealogy and take it to the
next level.
Lesson Headings:
* Understanding Scotlands People, FindmyPast, Family Search, Ancestry, and FreeCen * Essential Maps and Gazetteers * Civil Registration and Census Research * Searching in Church of Scotland Registers * Scottish Wills and Inventories
Note:
it is recommended but not required that students in this course sign up
for the basic search option, 30 units/seven days, at ScotlandsPeople
(cost is £7.50 for 30 credits)
Each lesson includes exercises and activities; a minimum of 1 one-hour chats See How Courses Work.
STUDENTS SAID:
'I've learnt so much more context around the types of records that really
help to understand the value and possible other clues they offer, it's
been incredibly useful.'
'Excellent course materials; I learned so much that wouldn't have been
easy to do on my own. I also learned more about Family Search than I
have in the past, which was helpful.'
'Class material was introduced in an organized manner. Way more
information provided than I expected. Many, many leads provided for me
to follow up on through learning about specific website holdings.'
'I
particularly liked the fact that the course didn't just focus on the
well-known BMD resources available, but on a much wider range of
websites, including many which give extremely useful background
information on the geography and history of the localities where our
ancestors lived.'
'Excellent tuition from Chris Paton; very good
course materials; well-paced; excellent value for money. I very much
liked the opportunity to work at my own pace.'
Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, 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. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.
My next Researching Irish Land Records course, taught on behalf of
Pharos Teaching and Tutoring Ltd, starts on Monday 10th November 2025, and
lasts for five weeks. Here are the details:
Researching Irish Land Records
The issue of land
ownership was a potent question in Ireland for centuries. In the 17th
century vast swathes of land was settled by Protestant British colonists
during the Plantations of Ulster, drawn mostly from Scotland, whilst
the subsequent Cromwellian conquest led to mass confiscation of land
across Ireland, to be conveyed to English soldiers and 'adventurers'.
The Penal Laws had soon dispossessed the native Irish Catholic
population of many rights, including land ownership and inheritance
rights. At the same time, the first national land valuation survey in
the world was carried out, and an elaborate system of land
administration imposed. In the 19th century, Ireland's incorporation
into the United Kingdom was followed by great tragedy with the Famine,
but in its aftermath a new opportunity arose following the Land War to
radically alter rental provisions and then to redistribute land away
from an absentee landlord class.
Following on from the
Progressing Your Irish Research Online course*, this course will look at
the various types of records that can help with land research in
Ireland from the period of the 17th century to the present day. It will
examine the various forms of land tenure that existed, the records of
ownership and rental, the valuation and conveyance of property, maps,
and many other resources. Importantly it will show how to find the most
useful land records, and how to use them for your family history
research.
* Although not compulsory, it is recommended that
students will have first completed the Progressing Your Irish Research
Online course.
Lesson Headings:
The Basics of Irish Land Research
Colonialism and Conquest
Managing the Land
Valuation and Conveyance
The Land War and Redistribution
Relevant countries: Ireland
What to expect:
Each
lesson includes lesson notes, activities and forum exercises for
students to complete during the week and a one-hour live tutorial (text
chat or Zoom) with the tutor and the rest of the class. Times for the
tutorials are set at the beginning of each course by the tutor.
Tutor: Chris Paton Length: 5 weeks Start date: Monday 10 November 2025 Cost: £70
Feedback from previous students:
“I really liked how each lesson
showed why it's important to understand and use different types of
records. It helped me see how one record leads to the next, making it
easier to trace family history. Land records, in particular, can be
tricky, but this course gave me a much better understanding of how
and why they were made, which is key to interpreting them.”
“The content was excellent. The
instructor provided good contextual information for the suggested
links and readings. I learned about resources I might never have
discovered easily.”
“I enjoyed learning about new
approaches to Irish land record research that were either unknown or
forgotten to me.”
“The course notes were amazing and
Chris is a very knowledgeable tutor.”
Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, 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.
My next 5-week course for Pharos Teaching and Tutoring Ltd (www.pharostutors.com), entitled Researching Scottish Ancestral Crisis, starts on Monday 27th October 2025.
For some ten years or so, Pharos offered two Scottish themed courses, Scottish Research Online and Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the Old Parish Registers. In the first course, we've shown how to access certain records for Scottish research online, whilst the second course has taken things further by showing how to access records not just online, but in archives. At the same time it has also shown how various aspects of Scotland worked, as a means to locate records offline and online that might help when the OPRs don't.
In this third course, we now turn things seriously up to eleven...! In the past, records were often kept documenting various crises on a range of fronts, and in this course, I not only explore those scenarios, but also explain how the country worked, the types of records generated, and how to access them.
If you have done the previous two courses - or feel yourself to be somewhat further along with your research experience and at the relevant level - I hope you can sign up to this course, which I hope, as ever, will be both fulfilling and fun!
The following is the course description:
Researching Scottish Ancestral Crisis
As in our own lives, many of our Scottish ancestors had to overcome great adversity on occasions to simply make it through the day. Illness, death, bigamy, abandonment, accidents, eviction, victimhood, ethnic cleansing, and so much more a dramatic range of experiences across a series of lifetimes. And whenever such crises emerged, somebody was usually close to hand with a quill and ink to bear witness. In so doing, a great documentary legacy was created that can greatly help us to understand the true lives of our forebears, and the struggles that led to who we became today.
Many challenges and hardships were faced across time. There were the laws of the local parish church and the punishments awaiting those who breached kirk discipline, diligently recorded in the kirk session and presbytery papers, but additional courts existed elsewhere in society, from the Crown and the burghs to the local justices of the peace and trade incorporations. Records of the churches and heritors, as well as the post-1845 poor law records, can detail the struggles of those who struggled to avoid poverty, whilst documents such as letters of horning and warrants of poinding, as well as sequestration and cessio bonorum, can detail the persecution and stigma of being a debtor or a bankrupt. In other areas, the court records can also reveal some of the ingenious methods by which people could avoid inheriting the debts of their predecessors.
The darkest moments of the soul, from mental health issues and illness, are revealed in historic asylum and hospital records held in archives across Scotland, whilst cases of murder and suicide can be uncovered in court processes, newspapers and broadsheets. Dramatic moments of rebellion, when our forebears drew a line in the sand against a perceived tyranny or democratic deficit, can be found in contemporary records of the Covenanters, the Jacobites, the Chartists, the Suffragettes, crofters, and those cleared from the land to make way for more profitable sheep, from the forfeiture of lands and prosecutions to the folk songs of many who were forced to emigrate.
This course will reveal the many areas of Scottish ancestral hardship that have been documented over the last few centuries, and explore how to access the relevant records. It follows on from two previous Pharos courses, Scottish Research Online, which explores websites offering some of the more basic records for Scottish research, and Scotland 1750: Beyond the Old Parish Registers, which takes students to more advanced records found offline and online, and which flags up the importance of using catalogues. Although not compulsory, it is recommended that both courses are completed prior to studying Researching Scottish Ancestral Crisis.
Lesson Headings:
* Law and Order * Family Events and Relationships * Poverty and Debt * Medical Issues * The State and the People
Each lesson includes lesson notes, activities and forum exercises for students to complete during the week and a one-hour live tutorial (text chat or Zoom) with the tutor and the rest of the class. Times for the tutorials are set at the beginning of each course by the tutor.
"Wonderful topics to research and presentation and ideas of where to go to look for answers regarding these topics. Have learnt so much over the 3 courses and now have lots to do in updating and following through on the course materials and what I have learnt. Already looking at different ways of research and finding out heaps more. The 3 courses are so great and full of information and Chris is excellent in the Chat section with not only giving questions for us to reply to but also the answers."
"It was an excellent continuation of the previous course and really made me look at genealogy in a much broader way. Chris is a very encouraging tutor and willing to answer all questions. He has such an extensive knowledge of genealogy."
"The course content...amazing"
"All course materials were professional and thorough. Chris did a lot of prep work to make sure that we received the best information needed to be successful."
Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, 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.
The next 5 week longScotland 1750-1850: Beyond the Old Parish Registers family history course from Pharos Teaching and Tutoring Ltd (www.pharostutors.com) commences in just over a week's time from September 15th 2025.
And the following is the course description, and how to sign up if interested!
Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the Old Parish Registers
This
is an intermediate level course in Scottish family history for those
who are going back beyond 1850. You should have some experience with
research in the Old Parish Registers (OPRs) of the Church of Scotland
and in using major websites for Scottish research.
This course
discusses sources that fill the gap when the OPRs are uninformative or
missing, such as the kirk session and presbytery courts records
generated by the Kirk (Church of Scotland), as well as the records of
dissenting and seceding Presbyterian congregations. From the forerunners
of Scotlands modern towns and cities are the administrative records of
the burghs, and the trades incorporations and merchant guilds, as well
as other professions, which can enhance our understanding of our
ancestors lives. And in the final two lessons the course turns up a
notch and tackles two areas where the Scottish records, as generated
through the feudal system, are truly unique, namely the various
registers of land records known as sasines, and the separate legal
processes in Scotland for the inheritance of both moveable and heritable
estate.
Whilst some of the records discussed in the course are
available online, many are available only in the archives, or in private
hands, and a strong focus of this course will be in how to successfully
employ the relevant catalogues and finding aids to locate such
treasures.
Whilst not compulsory, it is strongly recommended that
you complete the Pharos course Scottish Research Online before studying
Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the Old Parish Registers, as it will be
assumed that you are already familiar with the more basic resources
available online for Scottish ancestral research.
Lesson Headings:
* Kirk Sessions records and parish poor * Burgh records and town poor * Occupations, taxation and early lists * Land transfer and the value of sasines * Land, inheritance and estates
Each lesson includes exercises and activities; a minimum of 1 one-hour chat session per week. (See How the Courses Work athttps://www.pharostutors.com/howcourseswork.php.) NB: Unlike previous courses, I am trialling using Zoom for these chat sessions, rather than the previously used text-based chat rooms - recordings of Zoom sessions will be made available after each lesson chat.
"The
exercises helped you to explore new lesson concepts right away.
Especially by directing students to apply new research aids to their own
work."
"Very clear explanations of terminology and legal
processes Really helpful exercises and comprenesive list of useful
catalogues and other references Chat sessions very helpful and
engaging."
"This being the second genealogy course I have taken,
and the second with Pharos, I found these were detailed foundation
courses which will permit me to search better and with less effort in my
future research work."
"Great subject-matter and excellent tutor/written materials. It could not have been better."
Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, 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.
The next Scottish Research Online course from Pharos Tutors (www.pharostutors.com), taught by myself, starts in a month's time on July 14th 2025.
Scottish Research Online (102)
Tutor: Chris Paton
Scotland was one of the first countries to digitise its major
family history records collections for accessibility online, and
continues to this day to use such resources to promote a worldwide
interest in family history for those with Caledonian connections.
This
course describes the major sites and record types that you will
encounter in your research, and how to analyse the results. It compares
and contrasts many of the key websites available for Scottish research,
drilling down to key features within each to help improve a users
knowledge of what is contained within the presented records, and equally
important, what is not. It explores the key resources for vital records
such as births, marriages and deaths, as recorded by the state from
1855 onwards, and the usefulness of the decennial censuses from
1841-1921 in connecting family members and branches together.
Prior
to civil registration there are the records created by the Church of
Scotland as the state church, with the course exploring access to its
Old Parish Registers (OPRs) on ScotlandsPeople and through FamilySearchs
various finding aids. In the final lesson, wills and inventories
generated by Scotlands confirmation process are explored, with some of
the many differences flagged up between the records of Scotland and the
rest of the UK, thanks to the distinctly different legal system north of
the border.
Most importantly this course will inspire you to
actively pursue your interest in Scottish genealogy and take it to the
next level.
Lesson Headings:
* Understanding Scotlands People, FindmyPast, Family Search, Ancestry, and FreeCen * Essential Maps and Gazetteers * Civil Registration and Census Research * Searching in Church of Scotland Registers * Scottish Wills and Inventories
Note:
it is recommended but not required that students in this course sign up
for the basic search option, 30 units/seven days, at ScotlandsPeople
(cost is £7.50 for 30 credits)
Each lesson includes exercises and activities; a minimum of 1 one-hour chats See How Courses Work.
STUDENTS SAID:
'I
particularly liked the fact that the course didn't just focus on the
well-known BMD resources available, but on a much wider range of
websites, including many which give extremely useful background
information on the geography and history of the localities where our
ancestors lived.'
'Excellent tuition from Chris Paton; very good
course materials; well-paced; excellent value for money. I very much
liked the opportunity to work at my own pace.'
Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available - Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, 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.
My next Researching Irish Land Records course, taught on behalf of Pharos Teaching and Tutoring Ltd, starts on Monday 2nd June 2025, and lasts for five weeks. Here are the details:
Researching Irish Land Records
The issue of land
ownership was a potent question in Ireland for centuries. In the 17th
century vast swathes of land was settled by Protestant British colonists
during the Plantations of Ulster, drawn mostly from Scotland, whilst
the subsequent Cromwellian conquest led to mass confiscation of land
across Ireland, to be conveyed to English soldiers and 'adventurers'.
The Penal Laws had soon dispossessed the native Irish Catholic
population of many rights, including land ownership and inheritance
rights. At the same time, the first national land valuation survey in
the world was carried out, and an elaborate system of land
administration imposed. In the 19th century, Ireland's incorporation
into the United Kingdom was followed by great tragedy with the Famine,
but in its aftermath a new opportunity arose following the Land War to
radically alter rental provisions and then to redistribute land away
from an absentee landlord class.
Following on from the
Progressing Your Irish Research Online course*, this course will look at
the various types of records that can help with land research in
Ireland from the period of the 17th century to the present day. It will
examine the various forms of land tenure that existed, the records of
ownership and rental, the valuation and conveyance of property, maps,
and many other resources. Importantly it will show how to find the most
useful land records, and how to use them for your family history
research.
* Although not compulsory, it is recommended that
students will have first completed the Progressing Your Irish Research
Online course.
Lesson Headings:
The Basics of Irish Land Research
Colonialism and Conquest
Managing the Land
Valuation and Conveyance
The Land War and Redistribution
Relevant countries: Ireland
What to expect:
Each
lesson includes lesson notes, activities and forum exercises for
students to complete during the week and a one-hour live tutorial (text
chat or Zoom) with the tutor and the rest of the class. Times for the
tutorials are set at the beginning of each course by the tutor.
Tutor: Chris Paton Length: 5 weeks Start date: Monday 2 June 2025 Cost: £70
Feedback from previous students:
“I really liked how each lesson
showed why it's important to understand and use different types of
records. It helped me see how one record leads to the next, making it
easier to trace family history. Land records, in particular, can be
tricky, but this course gave me a much better understanding of how
and why they were made, which is key to interpreting them.”
“The content was excellent. The
instructor provided good contextual information for the suggested
links and readings. I learned about resources I might never have
discovered easily.”
“I enjoyed learning about new
approaches to Irish land record research that were either unknown or
forgotten to me.”
“The course notes were amazing and
Chris is a very knowledgeable tutor.”
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.
The next Scottish Research Online course from Pharos Tutors (www.pharostutors.com), taught by myself, starts on January 6th 2025.
Scottish Research Online (102)
Tutor: Chris Paton
Scotland was one of the first countries to digitise its major
family history records collections for accessibility online, and
continues to this day to use such resources to promote a worldwide
interest in family history for those with Caledonian connections.
This
course describes the major sites and record types that you will
encounter in your research, and how to analyse the results. It compares
and contrasts many of the key websites available for Scottish research,
drilling down to key features within each to help improve a users
knowledge of what is contained within the presented records, and equally
important, what is not. It explores the key resources for vital records
such as births, marriages and deaths, as recorded by the state from
1855 onwards, and the usefulness of the decennial censuses from
1841-1911 in connecting family members and branches together.
Prior
to civil registration there are the records created by the Church of
Scotland as the state church, with the course exploring access to its
Old Parish Registers (OPRs) on ScotlandsPeople and through FamilySearchs
various finding aids. In the final lesson, wills and inventories
generated by Scotlands confirmation process are explored, with some of
the many differences flagged up between the records of Scotland and the
rest of the UK, thanks to the distinctly different legal system north of
the border.
Most importantly this course will inspire you to
actively pursue your interest in Scottish genealogy and take it to the
next level.
Lesson Headings:
* Understanding Scotlands People, FindmyPast, Family Search, Ancestry, and FreeCen * Essential Maps and Gazetteers * Civil Registration and Census Research * Searching in Church of Scotland Registers * Scottish Wills and Inventories
Note:
it is recommended but not required that students in this course sign up
for the basic search option, 30 units/seven days, at ScotlandsPeople
(cost is £7.50 for 30 credits)
Each lesson includes exercises and activities; a minimum of 1 one-hour chats See How Courses Work.
STUDENTS SAID:
'I
particularly liked the fact that the course didn't just focus on the
well-known BMD resources available, but on a much wider range of
websites, including many which give extremely useful background
information on the geography and history of the localities where our
ancestors lived.'
'Excellent tuition from Chris Paton; very good
course materials; well-paced; excellent value for money. I very much
liked the opportunity to work at my own pace.'
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.
