Scottish Lectures and Events for November 2008

Scottish Interest Group
Scottish Interest Group, Genealogical Society of Queensland Inc.
Sun 2 NOV 2008 at 10.30 am to 3.00 pm
Scottish Interest Group, PO Box 8423, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102,Australia
Tel: (GSQ Library): +61 7 3891 5085
E-mail: gsq@gsq.org.auWeb: www.gsq.org.au


CalMac Vessels, by Norman Brown
Largs and District Historical Society
Mon 3 NOV 2008 at 7.30pm, Largs Museum, Kirkgate House, Manse Court, LARGS, KA30 8AW
Web: http://freespace.virgin.net/mike.mackenzie2/LDHSprog.htm


Strays and DNA, by Bill Williamson; Military Research, by Allan McMurchie
West Lothian Family History Society
Tues 4 NOV 2008 at 7.00pm - 9.00 pm, West Lothian Library Headquarters, Connolly House, Blackburn
E-mail: honsec@wlfhs.org.ukWeb: www.wlfhs.org.uk


Woodland History in Dumfries and Galloway, by Peter Norman
Dumfriesshire & Galloway Natural History and Antiquarian Society
Fri 7 NOV 2008 at 7.30pm, Cumberland Street Day Centre, Dumfries, at 7.30 p.m.
Web: http://users.quista.net/dgnhas


Scottish Interest Group meeting
Queensland Family History Society Inc.
Sat 8 NOV 2008 10.00am – 12.00pm, Library and Resource Centre, 58 Bellevue Avenue, Gaythorne, Queensland 4051
E-mail: secretary@qfhs.org.auWeb: www.qfhs.org.au


Roadshow
West Lothian Family History Society
Sat 8 NOV 2008, Carmondean Library, Livingston
E-mail: honsec@wlfhs.org.ukWeb: www.wlfhs.org.uk


Local Prehistory in the European Context, by Kathleen Navarro de Paz
Comann Eachdraidh Mùideart / Moidart Historical Society
Mon 10 NOV 2008 at 8.00pm, Glenuig Hall
Web: www.moidart.org.uk


Women of Glasgow University by Lesley Richmond
Largs and North Ayrshire Family History Society
Wed 11 NOV 2008 at 7:30 pm, Community Room, Largs Library, Allanpark Street, Largs
Web: http://www.largsnafhs.org.uk/home.htm


The MacLeans of Ardgour, by Lady Fiona Maclean of Ardgour

Lochaber And North Argyll Family History Group
Tues 11 NOV 2008 at 7.30pm, Fort William Library
Web: www.lochaberandnorthargyllfamilyhistorygroup.org.uk
E-mail: landnafhg@fsmail.net


Committee Meeting
West Lothian Family History Society
Tues 11 NOV 2008, Blackburn Community Centre
E-mail: honsec@wlfhs.org.ukWeb: www.wlfhs.org.uk


Kirkcaldy Linoleum Factory, by Gavin Grant
Fife Family History Society
Tues 11 NOV 2008 at 7.00 pm, Methil Community Centre, Bowling Green Street, Methil
E-mail: webadmin@fifefhs.orgWeb: www.fifefhs.org


Making Oil from Peat - When Lewis Led the World, by Fred Silver
The Islands Book Trust
Tues 11 NOV 2008 at 7.30pm, An Lanntair, Stornoway
Tel: Alayne Barton (01851 820946)
Web: www.theislandsbooktrust.com


The Tranent Massacre, by Tom Millar
The Lothian Family History Society
Wed 12 NOV 2008 at 7.00pm, Lasswade High School Centre, Eskdale Drive, Bonnyrigg, Midlothian, EH19 2LA
Email: lothiansfhs@hotmail.comWeb: www.lothiansfhs.org.uk


Heraldry for the Genealogist, by Charles Burnett (Ross Herald)
Central Scotland Family History Society
Wed 12 NOV 2008 at 7:30pm, Smith Museum and Art Gallery, Dumbarton Road, Stirling
Web: www.csfhs.org.uk


History in the Making: a survey of current postgraduate research at the Universities of Dundee & St Andrews, by Sukaina Haider, Katherine McBay, John Toller, Kathrin Zickermann
Wed 12 NOV 2008 at 6.30pm (refreshments available from 6pm), Discovery Point, Discovery Quay, Dundee
Tel: 01382 344310


Talk by Harry Gray
Caithness Family History Society
Wed 12 NOV 2008, Venue in Wick TBC
E-Mail: sandy.gunn@btinternet.comWeb: www.caithnessfhs.org.uk


150 years of Wm Shearer’s, by Richard Shearer.Orkney Family History Society
Thur 13 NOV 2008 at 7:30pm, Supper Room, Town Hall, Kirkwall
Email: secretary@orkneyfhs.co.ukWeb: www.orkneyfhs.co.uk


White Slaves with Black Faces, by J. Millar
East Ayrshire Family History Society
Thur 13 NOV 2008 at 7.30pm, Gateway Centre, Foregate Square, Kilmarnock
E-mail: enquiries@eastayrshirefhs.org.ukWeb: www.eastayrshirefhs.org.uk


Wills & Testaments, by Wietica McGhee
Lanarkshire Family History Society
Thur 13 NOV 2008, from 7.00pm to 9.00pm, GLO Centre, Muir Street, Motherwell
E-mail: info@lanarkshirefhs.org.uk or society@lanarkshirefhs.org.ukWeb: www.lanarkshirefhs.org.uk


AGM and film
Appin Historical Society
Sat 15 NOV 2008 at 2.30pm, Port Appin Hall
Tel: 01631 730309
Web: www.appinhistoricalsociety.co.uk


7th Battalion The Royal Scots – The Gretna Railway Disaster & Gallipoli, by Ken Nisbet
Anglo-Scottish Family History Society
Sat 15 NOV 2008 at 2.00 pm, Society library, Clayton House, Piccadilly, Manchester
Web: www.mlfhs.org.uk/AngloScots


Writings and Recordings of Benbecula History – an introduction to a programme of Book Trust events in 2009, by Alasdair Maceachen
Islands Books Trust

Sat 15 NOV 2008 at 8.30pm, St Mary’s Hall, Benbecula
Tel: Alasdair MacEachen (01870 602124)
Web: www.theislandsbooktrust.com


Aberdeen Maritime Museum and Archives, by Meredith Greiling
Aberdeen and North East Scotland Family History Society
Sat 15 NOV 2008 at 2:30pm, Aberdeen Unitarian Church, 43a Skene Street, Aberdeen AB10 1RN
Tel: 01224 646323, Fax: 01224 639096
E-mail: enquiries@anesfhs.org.ukWeb: www.anesfhs.org.uk



Scottish Interest Group meeting
Scottish Interest Group, Western Australian Genealogical Society
Sun 16 NOV 2008 at 2.00pm, Unit 4, 48 May Street, Bayswater
E-mail: genealogy@wags.org.auWeb: www.wags.org.au


War Memorials in East Lothian, by James Cranstoun
The Scottish Genealogy Society
Mon 17 NOV 2008 at 7.30pm, Augustine Church, 41 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh
E-mail: sales@scotsgenealogy.comWeb: www.scotsgenealogy.com


Read All About Glasgow Disasters, by Willie Cross & Monty Dart
Glasgow & West of Scotland Family History Society
Mon 17 NOV 2008 at 7.30pm, Lecture Theatre No. 1 of the Boyd Orr Building, Glasgow University, University Avenue, Hillhead, Glasgow.
Web: www.gwsfhs.org.uk


Meeting
South Australia Genealogy & Heraldry Society Inc
Mon 17 NOV at 7:30 pm, Society Library, Unley Road, Adelaide
E-mail: admin@saghs.org.auWeb: www.saghs.org.au


The Good, The Bad and the Insolent: Local Registrars, by Ann Cameron
Largs and District Historical Society
Mon 17 NOV 2008 at 7.30pm, Largs Museum, Kirkgate House, Manse Court, LARGS, KA30 8AW
Web: http://freespace.virgin.net/mike.mackenzie2/LDHSprog.htm


Glasgow Archives, by Claire Paterson
Troon @ Ayrshire Family History Society
Tues 18 NOV 2008
E-mail: info@troonayrshirefhs.org.ukWeb: www.troonayrshirefhs.org.uk


McGonagall and 19th Century Dundee, by David Kett
Tay Valley Family History Society
Wed 19 NOV 2008 at 7.15 p.m, University of Abertay, Bell Street, Dundee
E-mail: tvfhs@tayvalleyfhs.org.ukWeb: www.tayvalleyfhs.org.uk


Paisley High St. - A Brief History, by David Roberts

Renfrewshire Family History Society
Thur 20 NOV 2008, at Paisley Museum
Web: www.renfrewshirefhs.co.uk


Alloway Church 150 year anniversary, by Rev. Neil McNaught
Alloway & Southern Ayrshire Family History Society
Thur 20 NOV 2008 at 7.30 for 7.45 p.m, Alloway Parish Church Halls, Auld Nick's View, Alloway, KA7 4RT
E-mail: secretary@asafhs.co.ukWeb: www.asafhs.co.uk


A Loop in the Forth is worth an Earldom in the North – The Rediscovery of Scotlands's Monastic Landscapes, by Derek Hall (SUAT Ltd)
Dumfriesshire & Galloway Natural History and Antiquarian Society
Fri 21 NOV 2008 at 7.30pm, Cumberland Street Day Centre, Dumfries
Web: http://users.quista.net/dgnhas



Scots and the Caribbean, by Alex Tyrrell
Scottish Ancestry Group, Genealogical Society of Victoria Inc.
Sat 22 NOV 2008 at 1.00pm, GSV meeting room, Level B1 257 Collins StreetMelbourne Victoria 3000
E-mail: gsv@gsv.org.auWeb: www.gsv.org.au


Scots in Poland by Mona Lewis (and meeting)
Borders Family History Society
Sun 23 NOV 2008 at 2.30 pm, Corn Exchange & Ormiston Institute, Market Square, Melrose
Web: www.bordersfhs.org.uk


Antarctic Connections, by John Love
Stornoway Historical Society
Mon 24 NOV 2008 at 8.00pm (doors open 7.30pm), Stornoway Town Hall. Entry is free but donations are welcome.
Web: www.stornowayhistoricalsociety.org.uk
E-mail: info@stornowayhistoricalsociety.org.uk


Visit to Glasgow University Archive
Largs and North Ayrshire Family History Society
Tues 25 NOV 2008 at 7:30 pm
Web: www.largsnafhs.org.uk/home.htm


Evening visit to New Register House
West Lothian Family History Society
Tues 25 NOV 2008
E-mail: honsec@wlfhs.org.ukWeb: www.wlfhs.org.uk


Death by Design - The True Story of Glasgow Necropolis, by Ronnie Scott

Renfrewshire Family History Society
Tues 25 NOV 2008 at 7.30pm, Waterfront Leisure Complex, Conference Suite in Greenock
Web: www.renfrewshirefhs.co.uk


Researching your 19th century soldier family history, by Ken Nisbet
Highland Family History Society
Thur 27 NOV 2008 at 7.30pm, at Netley Centre, Highland Hospice, Bishop’s Road, Inverness, IV3 5SB
Website: www.highlandfhs.org.ukE-mail: jdurham@highlandfhs.org.uk


Blair Castle Archives, by Jane Anderson
North Perthshire Family History Group
Thur 27 NOV 2008 at 7.30pm, The Tryst Hall, behind the Church, West Moulin Road, Pitlochry
Web: www.npfhg.org


Heraldic Times: 1672 – 1716: Uses and Memorials (Lyons, Artists, Writers and Engravers) - St. Andrew lecture by Leslie Hodgson, and St. Andrew Dinner
The Heraldry Society of Scotland
Sat 29 NOV 2008, 7.00pm for 7.45pm, Hepburn Suite, Royal Scots Club, Edinburgh
E-mail: c.napier@napier.aol.com.uk
Web: http://www.heraldry-scotland.co.uk


Chris
www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

Family History Society of Buchan

And now a quick plug for Scotland's youngest family history society, based in Peterhead!

The Family History Society of Buchan was established earlier this year and has just released its second impressive newsletter online, which can be viewed at http://www.fhsb.org.uk/NL3Au08.pdf.

For a society still finding its feet, with 90 members worldwide already, it has a wonderful website at www.fhsb.org.uk and a family history centre already established at Arbuthnot Museum, for which it is looking for volunteers to help out. So if you can help, please do give them a call at 01779 481819, or e-mail Rita Gordon at fhc@fhsb.org.uk .

The society's address is

Family History Society of Buchan
Arbuthnot Museum
St Peter’s Street
PETERHEAD
Aberdeenshire
Scotland
AB42 1QD

Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

Papal arms - tiara or mitre?

For heraldry fans, the following might be of interest. It appears that there is some debate as to whether Pope Benedict should have a tiara or a mitre on his personal achievement!

For more, see http://shoutsinthepiazza.blogspot.com/2008/01/papal-heraldry.html

Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

Hallowe'en is coming...

Here's a wee rhyme that we used to sing when we went Hallowe'en rhyming in the Northern Irish town of Carrickfergus, County Antrim, on the week leading up to the night itself...

Hallowe'en is coming and the goose is getting fat,
Will you please put a penny in the auld man's hat?
If you haven't got a penny, a ha' penny will do,
If you haven't got a ha' penny, then God bless you,
And yer auld man too!

I was once told that this was actually a Christmas song, but on Googling it tonight I'm mightily relieved to see that it wasn't just the kids of Carrick who sang it at Hallowe'en!

Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

BBC History Magazine - WW1 podcast

BBC History Magazine has an interesting podcast available from its website commemorating the end of World War One, including a contribution from Michael Palin, talking about his forthcoming Timewatch special about the last day of the war, which is to be broadcast in November (time still to be confrmed).

The podcast can be downloaded from http://www.bbchistorymagazine.com/podcast/BBC_History_Nov08_Pt1.mp3 .

UPDATE: the Timewatch programme's military advisor Paul Reed has announced that the programme will be shown this Sunday, 1st November at 8.15pm. Preview clips available at http://www.bbc.co.uk/timewatch/last-day-of-ww1.shtml

Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

IFHF releases Griffith's Valuation Index

The Irish Family History Foundation has released an online index to Griffith's Valuation, the valuation of all lands in Ireland between 1847 and 1864. The index is free of charge and can be found on its Online Record Search System at www.brsgenealogy.com. At present this seems to cover just 21 of Ireland's 32 counties.

It should be pointed out however that the Ask About Ireland website at http://griffiths.askaboutireland.ie/gv4/gv_start.php provides free access not only to an index but to the digitised entries of all the records in Ireland, and for the whole island, making this a much superior resource. Where the IFHF site does score points however is with an excellent feature explaining what the Valuation was about.

Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

1911 Irish Census delayed?

The National Archives of Ireland recently announced that the 1911 census for Kerry, Antrim and Down would be online in October, but it looks like this deadline may unfortunately be about to slip.

A user of the Your Family Tree magazine forum claims to have seen a temporary holding page on the main NAI website this week stating that the census release is to be pushed back to December 2008. The page which has been there for the last few months, announcing the October 2008 release for the aforementioned counties, does indeed appear to have been pulled, with the previous news page reinstated. This earlier page merely states that all records are to be released from December 2007, beginning with Dublin, clearly out of date as they have been online for nearly a year now.

Only three days left for October, so I guess we'll know soon enough!

UPDATE:

It's official - this has just been posted on the NAI website:

The records for 1911 are being digitised first, then those for 1901. The 1911 Census records for Antrim, Down and Kerry will now be placed online in December, rather than October, as previously hoped. We are sorry for any inconvenience caused, and thank you for your patience. Publication of the other counties will follow, in the order listed below, between then and mid-2009. More precise timescales will be posted when available.

Many thanks indeed to HMC at the Your Family Tree forum.


Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

Census enumerators required for Lewis and Harris

Twenty new temporary jobs are to be created on the island of Lewis and Harris, as part of the census rehearsal in March 2009.

Two teams of enumerators will be required for the distribution and collection of census questionnaires from more than 10,000 local households on March 29th. the purpose of his run through is to test the arrangements for Scotland’s next census set for 27 March 2011. It will offer householders the option to complete questionnaires online for the first time, and the online questionnaire can be completed in Gaelic or in English.

In particular, the census takers wish to test the new option for householders to fill the forms out online completely in Gaelic, with this being the first census since the Gaelic Language Act was introduced.

The teams will be recuited in two phases, starting with the two census team leaders, who will be required from January 6th until May 1st. The enumerators (17 of them) will then be required from March 2nd to April 27th. The pay and hours vary according to the posts. Further details will be available at the GROS Census Vacancies page.

For more on the story, visit www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/press/2008-news/census-rehearsal-jobs-for-lewis-and-harris.html

Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

Dublin's Glasnevin Cemetery museum and visitor centre project

The 175 year old Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin, which holds 1.5 million burials, is currently undergoing a massive multimillion Euro restoration project in time for the 100th anniversary of the Easter Rising in 2016.

To tie in with the project, the Glasnevin Cemeteries Group, the owners of the cemetery, have under the watchful eye of Ireland' Office of Public Works started the construction of a new 12 million Euros visitor centre, which will include an underground museum called The Crypt.

The museum will include facilities to view and search manually or by touch screen all 176 years of archived records for the museum from 1832, including the burials of Daniel O’Connell, founder of the Cemetery, Charles Stewart Parnell, Michael Collins, and other giants from Irish history. It will also be possible to view the records of famine, cholera and small pox epidemic victims. Accompanying this will be an exhibition space with displays on Ireland’s past, including proposed exhibitions on Daniel O’Connell, the Easter Rising of 1916, the foundation of the Irish Free State and the republic, and more.

It is hoped that the visitor centre and museum will be open in 2010. For more on the cemetery, visit www.glasnevin-cemetery.ie/www.glasnevin-cemetery.ie/index.html .

(With thanks to Eastman's Online Genealogy Blog)

Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

Heraldry replaces Britannia on the 50p coin

Today's Independent supplement, the Saturday Magazine, has a brief feature on the new 50 pence coin design, which features the Royal Arms on the reverse, replacing the long standing image of Britannia (found on English coins since 1672). The article discusses whether there will be as much resentment of the change in the design as there was when the coin was first introduced in October 1969 to replace the 10 shilling note.

All British coins have been redesigned, and are being released gradually throughout the remainder of this year. A competition launched in 2005 to design a contemporary theme for the entire range of Royal Mint coins was won this April by 26 year old Matthew Dent from Bangor. His idea was to employ the Royal Arms in their entirety on the £1 coin, and to select details from the arms for all the other British coins of lesser value, namely 1p, 5p, 10p 20p and 50p.

To read the article visit Minor British Institutions: The 50p coin, and to see the new designs visit www.royalmint.com/newdesigns/designsRevealed.aspx. A history of the 50p coin can also be read online at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_fifty_pence_coin.

Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

Some Scottish agriculture links for family historians

Alastair McIntyre has released two new items of interest on his Electric Scotland website this week that might be of interest to those researching Scottish agricultural labourers and farmers.

The first is a Report on the Agriculture of Perthshire, part of an account from a volume of the Highland Agricultural Society of Scotland printed in 1869. It can be viewed at www.electricscotland.com/agriculture/pagea2.htm . For the equivalent story in other parishes visit www.electricscotland.com/agriculture/index.htm

The second is a Report on the Dietaries of Scotch Agricultural Labourers from the same year at www.electricscotland.com/agriculture/pagea1.htm .

Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

Robert Smail's Printing Works in Innerleithen

Just a quick word of praise for David Rudram's article on a print works in Peebleshire, in this month's Ancestors magazine (issue 75, November 2008).

The two page article details the history of Robert Smail's Printing Works in Innerleithen, in existence from 1866, and today run as a museum trust. David works at the museum as a guide and as its honorary archivist, and his passion for the place comes across in a well written and nicely illustrated piece, describing the background to the firm and some of the records still in existence which outline the work that it previously carried out.

If your ancestor was from the Borders, and you fancy reading about an interesting slice of life from the area, then hurry quickly to your newsagent to pick the magazine up, as the next issue is due out soon!

And if you fancy a visit, the museum is located at 7-9 High Street, Innerleithen, tel: 0844 493 2259.

Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

My Family at War - BBC 1 November

My Family at War, a sort of Who Do You Think You Are? meets the First World War, is to be transmitted by the BBC in the week leading up to the 90th anniversary of the Armistice.

The programmes feature celebrities discovering their ancestors' roles in the war, ranging from Dan Snow's discovery that a relative was a general who ordered men to their deaths at the Somme, to Kirsty Wark's emotional discovery of a letter written by her great uncle prior to going over the top. The celebrities are ably assisted by top military historian Paul Reed on their quests. Paul regularly writes for Your Family Tree magazine and has also been acting as the series consultant since May.

I've no idea who the directors are, but the film crew involved include the best in the business, with Julian Clinkard on camera and David Holmes on sound, both of whom I had the great pleasure of working with back in my BBC days on many projects. Editorially it should be great; visually, it should be stunning.

The shows will be broadcast as follows:

3 Nov 10.35-11.15pm BBC 1 Dan Snow and Natalie Cassidy
4 Nov 10.35-11.15pm BBC 1 Matthew Kelly and Phil Tufnell
5 Nov 10.45-11.25pm BBC 1 Eamonn Holmes and Kate Silverton
11 Nov 9.00-10.00pm BBC1 Rolf Harris and Kirsty Wark

The programmes can be watched on the BBC iPlayer for a period after their initial transmission.

Also don't forget that WW1 military records on www.ancestry.co.uk will be freely available for the month of November.

Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

Geni.com ups GEDCOM limit

The Geni.com website has announced that it is increasing its GEDCOM import limit from 15,000 names to 50,000.

This means that you can now submit a family tree chart with up to 50,000 names using the universally recognised GEDCOM file format devised by the FamilySearch team, a subsidiary of the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints. GEDCOM is recognised by virtually all family tree software programmes. If your software does not have the capacity to use GEDCOM (i.e. to save your work as a .ged file), then you are probably long overdue for a major upgrade!

For more info, visit www.geni.com.

Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

Scottish Mining website - Notes on Miners Houses updated

The truly magnificent Scottish Mining Website has just been updated with further additions to the Notes on Miners Houses series, a set of reports originally carried in the Glasgow Herald in 1875 describing the state of accomodation within which miners resided across the country. Parts 7 and 8 are now up, meaning that in total parts 1 to 10, and 14, are currently available.

To read the reports, visit www.scottishmining.co.uk/399.html.

Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

2700 visitors in a day at ScotlandsPeople family history centre

A record crowd of 2700 people visited General Register House on September 22nd to view the new ScotlandsPeople Centre and the National Archives of Scotland, as part of Door Open Day. As a result, bookings for the two hour taster sessions have increased dramatically. An additional 1300 visitors popped in next door to New Register House, to find out about the General Register Office for Scotland the Court of the Lord Lyon.

For the full story from the National Archives, see www.nas.gov.uk/about/080908.asp.

Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

New Lanark World Heritage Site in funding crisis

The 18th Century cotton spinning mill at New Lanark, one of Scotland's most iconic tourist attractions, and one of five UNESCO world heritage sites in the country, is in danger of becoming listed as 'a site in danger'. The credit crunch is impacting severly on its finances, potentially forcing major restoration work to be placed on hold.

For more on the story, visit http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/7683955.stm

Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

Useful photograph site for British family history

Looking for your ancestral homeland in Britain? Then have a peek at www.geograph.org.uk !

Lots of images taken by and submitted by enthusiasts across the country, with some excellent coverage, including Scotland.

Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

Scottish RNLI lifeboats 150th anniversary plea

This coming Sunday churches across Scotland will be commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Scottish lifeboat service, first established in Fraserburgh in 1858. At the same time, RNLI Scotland is taking the opportunity to launch a fundraising drive to raise a much needed £1 million to keep the service afloat.

For more on the story, visit http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/highlands_and_islands/7680530.stm , and for more on RNLI Scotland, visit www.rnli.org.uk/rnli_near_you/scotland .

Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

UK Incoming Passenger Lists now on Ancestry

Passenger lists for those travelleing to the United Kingdom between 1878 and 1960 are now available online at Ancestry.co.uk.

The records, from the BT26 collection at the National Archives in Kew, give details on all those who arrived in the country by ship in this period, and will prove to be one of the most important tools for those wishing o explore the immigration of their ancestors to the UK.

For more information on the story, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/news/stories/214.htm?homepage=news and http://content.ancestry.co.uk/iexec/?htx=List&dbid=1518&offerid=0%3a7858%3a0

Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

Homecoming Scotland takes on new importance

In an interview yesterday with Sky News journalist Adam Bolton, the Scottish National Party's Nicola Sturgeon was asked about next year's Homecoming Scotland initiative. In her response from her party conference in Perth, the SNP deputy mentioned that with the credit crunch about to hit as hard as it will within Scotland, the Homecoming Scotland initiative will be taking on a new importance, providing a major tourist boost just when the country looks set to head into a recession.

So if you have Scottish roots, a visit to Scotland will not just help you trace your ancestors next year - it will help some of their descendants as well...!

For more on Homecoming Scotland, visit www.homecomingscotland.com, and for news on the programme events, visit our blog entry at Homecoming Scotland 2009 programme unveiled . And of course, at Scotland's Greatest Story, we'll be only too happy to help you research your family history and to plan your trip in advance.

Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

National Museum of Scotland exhibition for November

A new exhibition entitled Treasured: Wonderful Things, Amazing Stories, opens on Friday 14th November at the National Museum of Scotland (Chambers Street, Edinburgh).

Featuring over 300 of the most extraordinary objects in the museum's collections, drawn from the four corners of the globe and spanning across centuries, the exhibition celebrates the wonder and diversity of the National Museums’ world-class collections.

From a Sumatran tiger to a Victorian corset, Treasured will be an eclectic mix of the spectacular, extraordinary, precious and personal. The exhibition, opening on 14 November, will provide a link to the Royal Museum collections during closure, casting new light on familiar objects and also giving a first glimpse of some of the objects which will feature in the redeveloped National Museum of Scotland when it re-opens in 2011.

The exhibition will focus on five main themes. Spectacular will look at spectacular highlights from the collections –from Roman glass through to 19th century ceramics. Precious examines items which are prized for their rarity, value or significance, from precious metals such as gold through to objects such as a carved ivory lantern, which highlight how precious materials are used in different cultures.

Personal looks at objects which reflect our identity, such as clothing and jewellery – with the chance to try on a Victorian corset and even some replica Samurai armour. Extraordinary covers those stories, natural and man-made, which have the capacity to amaze us – from a barometer used by James Watt to natural wonders such as a dinosaur footprint.

Amazing Stories, the final section of the exhibition, brings together objects which have fascinating stories, such as those of William Spiers Bruce, Scotland’s greatest polar hero, and Constance Gordon Cummings, the writer and painter who travelled the world in the late 19th century.

Some of the highlights on show in Treasured are:

An Enigma machine, the famous de-coding machine used during the Second World War.
A 19th century headdress decorated with kingfisher feathers
A silver travelling service used by Napoleon’s sister, Princess Pauline Borghese
A sample of the oldest rock on earth.

For more information, visit www.nms.ac.uk

Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

Irish 1821 Census data online (Forkhill, Armagh)

The Irish Family History Foundation has made the 1821 census data for the Armagh parish of Forkhill online at https://brsgenealogy.com/armagh/login.php?viewIndex=1&redirect_url=quis.php . The 1821 census was the first census in Ireland to record any information of genealogical value, and very little of it has survived to this day.

Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

Scotland's History - major BBC multimedia event for November

The BBC has announced details of its major new Scotland's History multimedia event.

A new 10 part weekly television series entitled A History of Scotland, presented by archaeologist Neil Oliver, and first reported on in this blog in May (see BBC Scotland to celebrate Scotland's History), commences on Sunday November 9th on BBC 1, at 9.00pm. The transmission will be split into two blocks of five programmes, with the second block due to be broadcast at the end of 2009.

The series is accompanied by a series of radio programmes on Radio Scotland. The full programme for the TV and radio content is available online at www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/history/programmes/ , including synopses of each of the programmes.

Other activities include a series of four concerts throughout November at Stirling Castle, Culloden Visitor Centre, Fyvie Castle and Abbotsford Library, in addition to new online content. The full package is outlined at www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/history.

Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

Family history research in Paisley - article

The Paisley Daily Express recounts one reporter's attempts to research his family history in the town. Hopefully his family history research is better than his reporting skills - the records on the Scotland's People website are online at www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk, and not at the address listed in his piece!

For the article, visit http://www.paisleydailyexpress.co.uk/lifestyle/lifestyle-news/2008/10/13/i-never-knew-about-secret-buddie-roots-87085-22018125/

Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

A History of the Aberdeen Incorporated Trades

Those of you with Aberdeen based ancestors may be interested to know that Alastair McIntyre's Electric Scotland website is making rapid progress on a transcription of "A History of the Aberdeen Incorporated Trades" by Ebenzer Bain, first published in 1887. To view the book, visit www.electricscotland.com/history/guilds/index.htm.

The site is also working hard at uploading transcribed chapters of other books, including the New Statistical Accounts of Scotland (1845), with Lanarkshire currently being transcribed, "The History of Glasgow" by Robert Renwick and Sir John Lindsay (1927), "Reminiscences of a Highland Parish" by Norman Macleod (1871), and much more.

For more information on all of these, visit www.electricscotland.com.

Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

Scottish homecoming for Mary Queen of Scots?

Should the remains of Mary Queen of Scots be brought back to Scotland from Westminster? That's what Nationalist MSP Christine Grahame believes, supported by Lib Dem MSP Hugh O' Donnell and composer James MacMillan. As such, they'll be placing a motion on the matter before the Scottish Parliament later this week.

The world economy may be falling apart and a major recession about to hit us all, but at least our politicians are constantly on the look out for nice new tourist attractions for us all to visit...!

For more on the story, visit http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/south_of_scotland/7666291.stm

Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

Gaelic Royal National Mod underway in Falkirk

The Royal National Mod, the week long celebration of all things Gaelic in Scotland, has started today in Falkirk, with the First Minister Alex Salmond officially getting proceedings underway.

For more on the story, visit http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/tayside_and_central/7661744.stm

Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

Placename Database of Ireland

A new website should make it easier to work out the English equivalent of an Irish Gaelic placename and vice versa, and in many instances also help you to pronounce it correctly!

The Placenames Database of Ireland (Bunachar Logainmneacha na hEireann), a joint venture from Fiontar (DCU) and The Placenames Branch (Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs), is located at www.logainm.ie , is written bilingually in both English and Gaeilge, and is extremely simple to use. However, it is possible that demand may be quite high for the next few days, as I have found it to be quite temperamental.

Counties Waterford, Galway and Donegal are the first counties to have sound files recorded with their respective entries, these being Gaeltacht areas (Irish Gaelic speaking), with other counties expected to follow in the coming months.

A great resource!

(Thanks to Audrey Wyper for flagging up the site)

Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

Talking Scot forum

The Talking Scot forum at www.talkingscot.com is a wonderful forum for all matters Scottish and genealogical, the best in Scotland. Or I should say, it was. Unfortunately, in recent months it's management group has become increasingly authoritarian, and it now appears that several of those moderators are employed in open hostilities against each other on the site (see the General Discussion thread).

With the greatest of respect, whatever the reasons or influences may be behind such hostilities at the top, I would implore the TSAG, which runs the forum, to seriously get its act together.

Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

Your Family Tree issue 70

The latest issue of Your Family Tree is on sale in the next few days, and as usual packed with goodies. The main article is a comprehensive 90 tips for WW1 research to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the armistice, along with two World War One themed case studies. Other features include an article on papermakers and rag sorters, railway records, Westminster voting records, the history of Hallowe'en, and an area guide on Bradford. Yours truly has also contributed an article on how to get started with the brilliant family history centres of the LDS church.

Scottish content this month includes news on Angus council's burial records digitisation initiative (see Angus Council to Digitise Burial Records), a book review on Alexander Fenton's new book Country Life in Scotland: Our Rural Past, and a reader's reply to last issue's piece on the new ScotlandsPeople Centre.

Stonkingly outrageous value at £4.99...!

Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

Wolf trap added to Highland historic sites database

A wolf trap that existed between the 16th and 18th centuries has been listed in the Highland Historic Environment Record database. Based at Moy, Invernessshire, research into the trap by Glasgow Zoo (now closed) included a consultation of the second Statistical Account for the area dating to 1838.

For more on the trap story, visit http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/highlands_and_islands/7655172.stm and to see the Highland Historic Environment Record visit http://her.highland.gov.uk/.

The Statistical Accounts for Scotland provide fascinating glimpses into each individual parish in Scotland in the 1790s and the 1830s. For anyone researching their family history in Scotland, they are an absolutely essential tool, and can also be viewed online at http://edina.ac.uk/stat-acc-scot/ and at Google Books, at http://books.google.com/ .

Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

Scottish Heraldic records now online

The Public Register of all Arms and Bearings from 1672 - 1907, which has previously been digitised and made available at the ScotlandsPeople Centre in Edinburgh, is from today also available online. The records can be downloaded at a cost of £10 each from the Scotland's People website at http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/. As with the wills and testaments on the site, there is a free search facility.

The Register, which consists of more than eighty volumes of parchment, records all the coats of arms ("personal achievements") as granted by the Lord Lyon King of Arms since 1672, with the first arms depicted being those of Sir Charles Erskline, Baronet. Alongside a beautifully painted version of the design is recorded the "blazon" (a specific word description of the design as denoted in specific heraldic language) and a narrated pedigree, as could be proved at the time of the Grant of Arms.

Bear in mind, a coat of arms in Scotland is not a "family coat of arms" - here, there is no such thing. It is illegal for anyone in Scotland to use a set of arms that has been granted to a particular individual, even within the same immediate family. If a head of family has a set of arms, other members of the family have to apply to the Court of the Lord Lyon to have a "differenced" version designed or "matriculated" for them - in other words, a version of the coat of arms with a deliberate change in some aspect of its design, as decided by the Lord Lyon, the rules for which in Scotland are fairly scientific (i.e. a first son will have one particular standardised difference added, a second son another specific change made etc).

To use someone else's coat of arms is considered theft, as a grant of arms is considered to be heritable property. In other words, don't download an image and start plastering it all over your nice new front door as the so-called "family coat of arms" - the Court of the Lord Lyon's procurator fiscal just might have a few words to say, and you could find yourself in a lot of legal trouble! It is a real working court, with real working laws, with nice people happy to work you over legally if you break them!!! It should be noted that in Scotland, you do not have to be a member of the nobility to be entitled to a coat of arms, you merely have to be a "virtuous and well deserving person".

Rather than misusing someone else's coat of arms, if you wish to show some degree of fealty to a clan, it is however acceptable and perfectly legal to use a clan crest, the symbol as taken from the crest of a clan chief's coat of arms and encircled in a belt image.

For more information on Scottish heraldry, visit the website of the Court of the Lord Lyon at www.lyon-court.com , and for specific information on the Public Register visit www.heraldry-scotland.co.uk/register.html.

Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

Forth Valley history tourist initiative

Set in the historic heartland of Scotland, museums, galleries and heritage sites in the Forth Valley have launched a new way for visitors to unravel the area's rich past. Created by 16 participating attractions themselves, Forth's Timeline uses a new website - www.forthstimeline.net - and visitor brochure (available for download) to highlight exhibits and link the collections and buildings together using three themes.

The first theme, 'Crucible of Industry', links museums examining the industrial revolution. The 'Power Struggles' theme considers 2000 years of conflict, athome and abroad. The final theme 'Landscape of Inspiration' delves into the architecture and art which the Forth Valley has inspired.

Each theme creates a different route to explore this geographic and historic centre of Scotland. By following a theme, visitors can discover some of the unique smaller collections and visitor sites the Forth Valley has to offer while unravelling over 2000 years of history.

The project includes the world heritage site the Antonine Wall, works of art depicting Sir William Wallace and the Clackmannanshire Tower Trail,a historic look at five buildings once home to Scottish nobles. The Bo'ness and Kinneil railway and Birkhill Fireclay Mine are favourites with older children and can be combined with visits to other museums in the area.

The Forth Valley is less than an hour's drive from Glasgow and Edinburgh and the 16 museums, galleries and historic sites are all within a 20-mile radius. FirstScotRail services and local bus routes are available throughout the vicinity.

Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

Scottish Family History Fair - April 2009

The Scottish Family History Fair and Conference 2009 is to be held at King's College Conference Centre, Aberdeen, on Saturday 25th April 2009, from 9.30am to 16.30.

The following is the programme as currently scheduled:

09.30 Registration and Stalls open
10.00 Welcome from the Chair of Aberdeen and NE Scotland FHS
10.20 "Women in family History" by Lesley Diack
11.20 "Digging Deeper: NAS Services to support family History" by Margaret McBryde
12.30 Lunch
13.30 "Hospital Records for Genealogists" by Fiona Watson
14.30 "Military History Records" by Malcolm Ross
15.30 Raffle Draw and closing speeches
16.30 Close of conference and fair

For more info, contact ANESFHS at 01224 646323, by e-mail at safhs2009@anesfhs.org.uk, or view the website at www.scothist.org

Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

Ancestors magazine 75th issue competition

Ancestors magazine, produced by The National Archives in Kew, is celebrating its 75th issue, and as a part of its celebrations, it is running a major competition with literally dozens of prizes up for grabs.

Here at Scotland's Greatest Story we have got into the spirit of things, and have contributed a full day's free research in Edinburgh as one of the prizes - that's seven hours research at the General Register Office for Scotland and/or the National Archives of Scotland, with a full research report and CD with a constructed tree (supplied as both GEDCOM and PDF files).

Remember folks, you have to be in it to win it - good luck!

Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

United Irishmen paintings on display in Belfast

Four paintings to commemorate the Society of the United Irishmen have gone on display in Belfast's Cathedral Quarter. The society was set up in the 1790s to overthrow English rule in Ireland, temporarily uniting both the Presbyterian and Roman Catholic communities of the island, and was paralleled in Scotland through the United Scotsmen movement, founded in Perth. The Irish movement culminated in the disastrous rebellion of 1798, the failure of which directly saw the assimilation of Ireland into the United Kingdom in 1801.

For artist Michael O' Neill, the paintings "reflect the breadth of thinking of the United Irishmen and their full legacy in the fields of knowledge, culture, radical liberalism and sheer human courage".

For more on the story, visit http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/7646268.stm.

(By the way, an interesting historical fact that ties in - the Orange Order in Scotland was not set up by Ulstermen settling in Scotland as is commonly thought, but by returning Scottish fencible soldiers, who had been to Ireland to put down the 1798 rebellion. So now you know!)

Chris

http://www.scotlandsgreateststory.co.uk/
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

Irish "Who Do You Think You Are" series

Ireland has commenced the broadcast of its own version of celebrity family history television series "Who Do You Think You Are" on Monday eveenings on RTE1, with episodes so far featuring Charlie Bird and singer Dana. The rest of the run will include programmes on Ardal O' Hanlon, Pamela Flood and Linda Martin.

Irish newspaper the Herald has picked up on the success of the series, and on the effects it has had on those in Ireland wishing to research their ancestry. Another recent programme to help with the trend has been "Where Was Your Family During the Famine?".

The article can be read online at www.herald.ie:80/lifestyle/now-were-all-barking-up-family-trees-1486715.html

Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

Ancestry to open its platform up

Tim Sullivans, the CEO of Ancestry, part of the Generation Network, has pledged in an interview with The Industry Standard to open up his website's platform to outside developers - though he hasn't said how or when it will happen, only that it will not be in the next six months.

The story is at www.thestandard.com/news/2008/09/30/tgn-ceo-promises-open-ancestry-com-developers

Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving