Old Scottish adds Registers of Deeds indexes for Sheriff and Commissary Courts

Old Scottish Family History and Genealogy (www.oldscottish.com) has added a welcome new collection of indexes for some of the most interesting records held at the National Records of Scotland, records from various Registers of Deeds as compiled by selected Scottish based Sheriff Courts and Commissary Courts. The recorded deeds are essentially copies of legal agreements, obligations or other arangements registered with a competent court, as transcribed from original documents called warrants.

Indexes are currently available for the following courts:

• Cromarty Sheriff Court (1806-1931, NRS references SC24/15/1-2)
• Cupar Sheriff Court (1809-1900, NRS references SC20/34/1-54)
• Dingwall Sheriff Court (1794-1889, NRS references SC25/59/1-4)
• Dunblane Sheriff Court (1809-1902, NRS references SC44/59/5-10)
• Dunoon Sheriff Court (1809-1888, NRS references SC51/50/3-8)
• Haddington Sheriff Court (1809-1895, NRS references SC40/58/1-16)
• Linlithgow Sheriff Court (1809-1899, NRS references SC41/68/22-28)
• Moray Commissary Court (1785-1823, NRS references CC16/9/7-12)
• Paisley Sheriff Court (1809-1899, NRS references SC58/59/1-30)
• Tain Sheriff Court (1812-1884, NRS reference SC34/19/2/1)

The indexes identify the names of the parties involved, their designation (occupation, residence), the type of deed involved, the date registered, and the court from which the record is sourced. The information returned can allow you to locate the original record yourself when the NRS opens, or you can order a copy directly from Old Scottish. In most cases records can be ordered straight away (although there may be a slight delay in the order being processed, as it is not an automatic service), whilst some records are available only as a pre-order, with the image itself not retrievable by Old Scottish from the NRS until it re-opens. The fee to order from Old Scottish is £10 per deed.

A handy guide to the types of deeds included, as well as the indexes themselves, is available at www.oldscottish.com/register-deeds.html. Fergus Smith from Old Scottish has also advised that there will be another tranche uploaded later this month, so if what you are looking for is not yet available, try again soon.

Note that other courts also carried registers of deeds, from burgh courts to the Court of Session's Books of Council and Session held at the NRS. A guide to further deeds held at the NRS is available at www.nrscotland.gov.uk/research/guides/deeds.

(With thanks to Fergis Smith via @oldscotbooks)

Chris

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