Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet reprint

According to a site I can access showing the status of publications from my main publisher Pen and Sword, it looks like yesterday they ran off another print run of my recent book Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, so if you have been unable to obtain a copy, hopefully that should be you now sorted! 

Here's a bit of blurb about what to expect from the title:

Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet

Scotland is a land with a proud and centuries long history that far pre-dates its membership of Great Britain and the United Kingdom. Today in the 21st century it is also a land that has done much to make its historical records accessible, to help those with Caledonian ancestry trace their roots back to earlier times and a world long past.

In Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Chris Paton expertly guides the family historian through the many Scottish records offerings available, but also cautions the reader that not every record is online, providing detailed advice on how to use web based finding aids to locate further material across the country and beyond. He also examines social networking and the many DNA platforms that are currently further revolutionising online Scottish research.

From the Scottish Government websites offering access to our most important national records, to the holdings of local archives, libraries, family history societies, and online vendors, Chris Paton takes the reader across Scotland, from the Highlands and Islands, through the Central Belt and the Lowlands, and across the diaspora, to explore the various flavours of Scottishness that have bound us together as a nation for so long.

Chapter 1 – Gateways and Institutions

Recording information

Gateway sites

The National Records of Scotland (NRS)

Local archives

The National Archives (TNA)

The National Library of Scotland (NLS)

Other Libraries

Historic Environment Scotland

Family and Local History Societies

Commercial Vendors and Services

      Ancestry

      FindmyPast

      Scottish Indexes

      Old Scottish Genealogy & Family History

      TheGenealogist

      Forces War Records

      Deceased Online

      FamilySearch

      MyHeritage

Professional Researchers

Online Family History Courses

Networking and Communication

      Tree Building

      Discussion Forums

      Social Media

      Magazines

Languages and Handwriting

Chapter 2 – Who were they? ScotlandsPeople

The Home Page

Search for People

      Statutory Registers

      Church Registers

      Census Returns

      Valuation Rolls

      Legal Records

      Poor Relief and Migration Records

Search for Places

Image Library

Other Main Menu Options

      Help and Guidance

      Certificates and Copies

      Our Charges

      News and Features

Chapter 3 – Who were they? Further Sources

            Further Scottish vital records

            Other UK vital records

            Burials

            Confirmation and probate records

            Further census resources and population lists

            Directories

Land registration

Maps and gazetteers

Newspapers and books

Biographical resources

DNA testing

Chapter 4 – Occupations
            Farmers and Labourers

Crafts, Trades and Merchants

Businesses

The Church

Teachers and Students

Medical

Communications

Mining

Shipbuilding

Theatrical

Photographers

Architects

Pensions

Military Service

      Pre-Union

      Fencibles, Militias and Volunteers

      Jacobites

      The British Army

      First World War

      Domestic Tragedies

      Civilians at War

      The RAF

      The Royal Navy

Post-1945 Military Records

Merchant Seamen

Law and Order

The Poor

Chapter 5 – County by County

Aberdeenshire

Angus

Argyllshire

Ayrshire

Banffshire

Berwickshire

Buteshire

Caithness

Clackmannanshire

Dumfriesshire

Dunbartonshire

East Lothian

Fife

Inverness-shire

Kincardineshire

Kinross-shire

Kirkcudbrightshire

Lanarkshire

Midlothian

Morayshire

Nairnshire

Orkney

Peebles-shire

Perthshire

Renfrewshire

Ross and Cromarty

Roxburghshire

Selkirkshire

Shetland

Stirlingshire

Sutherland

West Lothian

Wigtownshire
The Western Isles

Chapter 6 – Scotland's Diaspora

Ireland

England and the British Empire

Europe

USA

Canada

            Jamaica and the Caribbean

South America

Australia

New Zealand

India

Further Reading

Index

The book can be purchased in the UK from publisher Pen and Sword at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Scottish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/17717, and from other booksellers. (I've just been notified by a friend in the US that Amazon is flagging up a stock issue for the book, hopefully that will be sorted soon!)

I have recorded a short introduction video providing an oversight on what to expect, which can be viewed at https://youtu.be/6oMmlObbLq8, and which is also reproduced below for convenience:

And some reviews...!

An invaluable tome for the serious researcher and amateur alike. If I had to choose one book to recommend to family historians with Scottish links, this would be the one. Absolutely invaluable. Glasgow and West of Scotland FHS, September 2020 

Having read Chris Paton's other book about tracing Scottish ancestors through church and state records, I was keen to add this book to my collection as I live a long way from Scotland and internet research is definitely the way to go for me. Having been encouraged to take up the study of my northern ancestors again by the previous book, this one has given me even more sources to follow. I found it useful to examine the shape of the Scottish population in terms of common occupations and scattered pockets of Scottish migrants in other parts of the world. The section detailing resources for each different Scottish county is particularly helpful, enabling me to search some indexes I was hitherto not aware of. As with the other book, I found the most help in immersing myself in the Scottish records and trying new avenues, resulting in pleasing strides forward on my family tree. Thank you Chris Paton. Amazon Customer, Jayne

Chris Paton is a genealogist and writer whose practical knowledge of researching Scottish records never ceases to amaze me – so I had high expectations of his latest book, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet: A Guide For Family Historians. I was not disappointed – it's a superb book from a researcher who has numerous books and countless magazine articles to his name. (He's also a brilliant speaker, as anyone who attended my Genealogy in the Sunshine conferences will know.)... Highly recommended, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet is available as a conventional paperback or as a Kindle e-book.  Lost Cousins 

The book is well laid out and explained, it’s just so simple to read and really does help especially as ancestry research can often be complicated at the best of times. Chris Paton writes these books so well they really do help you do what it says on the cover, because I use them for my own family research. The pictures in this book vary between pictures of old relatives, sites to visit for specific research and website images to help you along. I would definitely recommend these books to others and I think they are so good I would give this copy a 5 star rating.  UK Historian

I hope it helps!

Chris

My new book Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records is now available to buy at https://bit.ly/IrishLandRecords. Also available - 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. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Finding the gravestone that doesn't exist - Part 2

In June 2019 I wrote on my previous news blog, Britsh GENES, that I had been absolutely stunned to discover, thanks to MyHeritage, that a headstone for my great grandfather Robert Currie, and for his son of the same name, existed at Riddrie Park Cemetery in Glasgow. 

I was stunned for the simple reason that when I first started my family history research two decades ago I had contacted Glasgow City Council to enquire about where he was buried, and had been told that it was at the Eastern Necroprolis - I even met up with a council worker who took me to the spot, which had no headstone. An email from MyHeritage had suggested that they had a match on BillionGraves.com for Robert, and that the Council, and therefore I, had got it spectacularly wrong (See http://britishgenes.blogspot.com/2019/06/finding-gravestone-that-doesnt-exist.html)

It had been my intention to take my father to the grave, but as he was ill at the time, this could not immediately happen. Covid then hit in early 2020, and a year ago, my father passed away, having contracted the virus on top of other medical complciations.  

On Sunday I finally managed to make it to Riddrie Park Cemetery and paid my respects to both my great grandfather and great uncle, on behalf of myself and my father. Here's to ye lads...

Don't forget that you can access many Glasgow burial registers now for free via FamilySearch's catalogue - the following link should help: https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/results?count=20&query=%2Bkeywords%3AGlasgow%20%2Bkeywords%3Acemetery (make sure you are signed in first to see the collections!)

Chris

My new book Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records is now available to buy at https://bit.ly/IrishLandRecords. Also available - 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. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Progressing Your Irish Research Online course - still spaces available!

A reminder that my 5 week long course Progressing Your Irish Research Online, taught through Pharos Teaching and Tutoring Ltd (www.pharostutors.com), kicks off next week from April 4th 2022, with spaces still available! To book one a place please visit https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=260.

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 minimum of 1 one-hour 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.'

And if it helps, a brief introductory video explaining what it will hopefully achieve!

(Also available at https://youtu.be/aonRMQEnIFw) 

I hope to maybe see you there!  

Chris

My new book Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records is now available to buy at https://bit.ly/IrishLandRecords. Also available - 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. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

TannerRitchie announces The Scottish Record Society Online

From TannerRitchie Publishing (http://www.tannerritchie.com):

The Scottish Record Society Online

SRS Online will grow to contain the complete Scottish Record Society collection in one easily-searchable database, allowing use of these important sources in a new way. 

TannerRitchie Publishing, a leader in historical digital publishing, and the Scotish Record Society are pleased to announce SRS Online. This new database collection, built on TannerRitchie's trusted platform for historical sources, will bring all SRS's titles since its foundation together in a digital format for the first time. The entire database will be searchable with our advanced query structure, transforming historians' and researchers' ability to use these important works.
 
Remote learning is now a required feature for important library collections. SRS Online allows libraries to make an important collection available that was previous accessible only in hard copy.
Purchase of access to SRS Online includes a year's institutional or personal membership to the Scottish Record Society, entitling you to also receive its annual hard-copy volumes and new publications, along with the other benefits of membership. Subscribing to SRS Online ensures the continued success of the Scottish Record Society as it continues publishing into a third century of existence.

A list of the publications from the Scottish Record Society is available online at the National Library of Scotland website, at the following links:

Scottish Record Society, New Series https://digital.nls.uk/print/search/club/?id=30
Scottish Record Society, Old Series https://digital.nls.uk/print/search/club/?id=29

For more on this collection visit https://tannerritchie.com/databases/srso/

Chris

My new book Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records is now available to buy at https://bit.ly/IrishLandRecords. Also available - 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. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

New Register of Persons Holding a Controlled Interest in Land launches Friday 1st April

For those interested in land and property research in Scotland, a new public register is being launched from Friday 1st April 2022, entitled the Register of Persons Holding a Controlled Interest in Land. 

From Registers of Scotland (www.ros.gov.uk):

The Register of Persons Holding a Controlled Interest in Land (RCI) is a RoS register, required by law, that will be available from 1 April 2022 and will be free to use...

RCI shows who controls the decisions of owners or tenants (for more than 20 years) of land and property in Scotland.

It may not be clear who makes the decisions about land and property. The land register and the sasines register may not show this information. This can make contacting the correct people difficult.

For example:

If somebody wanted to contact an owner or tenant (for more than 20 years) about a piece of land, they could try to find this information from the land register or sasines register.

This will give details of the owner or tenant (for more than 20 years) of the land but not details of who can significantly influence or control their decision with that land.

RCI will help by showing those that influence or make decisions about land and property, and their contact details.

The register launches on Friday, and there will be a grace period of a year before those who need to register could be subject to fines if they fail to do so. 

For further details visit www.ros.gov.uk/our-registers/register-of-persons-holding-a-controlled-interest-in-land-rci

Chris

My new book Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records is now available to buy at https://bit.ly/IrishLandRecords. Also available - 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. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Researching Scottish Ancestors talks series from NEHGS

The US based New England Historic Genealogical Society (www.americanancestors.org) is running a series of weekly Scottish themed seminars for Americans with Scottish ancestry from March 30th-April 27th. The following is a description of the five sessions, which will be given by Rhonda R. McClure and David Allen Lambert:

Scots have been migrating to and settling in America and Canada for centuries. Today, there are an estimated 25 million Americans of Scottish descent. Tracing your Scottish heritage is rewarding, but not without its challenges. This five-session online seminar will provide you with key historical context, strategies, and resources setting you on the right path to trace your ancestry back several generations in Scotland.

The cost of the event is US$125. For further details, please visit https://www.americanancestors.org/events/researching-scottish-ancestors.

(With thanks to Hailey Philbin)

Chris

My new book Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records is now available to buy at https://bit.ly/IrishLandRecords. Also available - 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. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Moray Council resumes headstone stabilisation work in its cemeteries

Moray Council (www.moray.gov.uk) is resuming its inspection of headstones in cemeteries across the region from this month. From the Council's website, the following nformation has been made available:

The work ensures that cemeteries are safe places for visitors, staff and anyone working in them, following a pause in inspections during the covid-19 pandemic.

While responsibility for the overall safety within a cemetery lies with the Burial Authority (Moray Council), the owner of the memorial is responsible for maintaining the memorial in a safe condition.

Inspections should not prevent public access or use of the cemeteries, which will remain open throughout, and will be carried out with the greatest of respect and sensitivity.

Initial inspection assesses the condition of the memorial by carrying out a gentle ‘hand test’ to check for any movement. If the memorial headstone shows no signs of instability a record is made of the inspection having been carried out and the headstone recorded as safe.

If the memorial headstone is found to be unstable and imminently dangerous it will be made safe by the trained memorial safety team. The Council will try to notify the lair holder so they can decide to either leave the stone in its made safe position or to have it repaired at their cost by a suitably trained memorial mason.

Where a memorial is found to be unstable but not imminently dangerous, the Council will try to notify the lair holder by writing to them at the last known address.  In these cases it may be necessary to place a discreet cordon in the area around the headstone for safety reasons. If no action is taken after a maximum period of 12 months, arrangements will be made to make the headstone safe. In the event that the Council cannot make contact with the lair holder every effort will be made to make the memorial safe, usually by trenching the headstone up to one third of its height if it is feasible to do so.

For the full news release, including comments from Moray Council Open Spaces Manager, James Hunter, and information on how to contact the council, visit https://newsroom.moray.gov.uk/news/headstone-stabilisation-programme-resumes-in-moray.

A video demonstrating the inspection process is available at https://youtu.be/FwJXpaFin0I and is reproduced below for convenience:

(With grateful thanks to Doug Stewart at Moray and Nairn Family History Society, http://www.morayandnairnfhs.co.uk)

Chris

My new book Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records is now available to buy at https://bit.ly/IrishLandRecords. Also available - 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. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

History For Ukraine fundraising event this coming weekend

Historians to raise funds for Ukraine

Historians from around the world are banding together in solidarity to raise funds for Ukraine with a unique 24-hour livestream event – History For Ukraine.

A host of famous faces will be speaking during the event, including Prof. Suzannah Lipscomb, Dr Fern Riddell, Prof. Kate Williams, Dr Janina Ramirez, and Earl Charles Spencer. They will be joined by professional historians and genealogists from around the world to stage a programme of informative talks and discussions on a huge variety of topics.

The event is supported by the National Archives, the Royal Historical Society, the Family History Federation, and the Society of Genealogists, along with over 200 volunteers and local history groups.
History For Ukraine was the idea of genealogist Natalie Pithers, who describes the event as “a combination of Live Aid and Red Nose Day, but for history”. Natalie added: “The people of Ukraine can't afford for us to wait! They need this help right now, and this unique event provides the history community with an opportunity to come together and help in the best way they can”.

Attendees will be asked to make donations to the Disasters Emergency Committee Ukraine Appeal via a special JustGiving page.

The event will take place on Saturday 26th to Sunday 27th March 2022.

The livestream will be broadcast online via social media platforms. More information about the event is available at https://historyforukraine.co/ and on Twitter @History4Ukraine.

(With thanks to Natalie Pithers)

Chris

My new book Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records is now available to buy at https://bit.ly/IrishLandRecords. Also available - 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. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Burns Monument Centre closed for another week due to Covid

From the registrars service at the Burns Monument Centre in Kilmarnock:

Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances the ScotlandsPeople Centre at the Burns Monument Centre will be closed week beginning 28th March 2022.

Please call again on Friday 1st April 2022 for bookings week commencing 4th April 2022.

Comment: The centre was closed all last week and again this week, hopefully things will be back to normal again for the 4th, and that the staff are all well.

 

Chris

My new book Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records is now available to buy at https://bit.ly/IrishLandRecords. Also available - 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. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Dumfries and Galloway FHS Research Centre to re-open

From Dumfries and Galloway Family History Society (https://dgfhs.org.uk):

NOTICE OF RE-OPENING

We are re-opening our Research Centre on Tuesday 12th April. Our opening times will be 10:00am to 4:00pm on a Tuesday and a Friday but visits will be by appointment only.

To book an appointment please email secretary@dgfhs.org.uk. Should anyone wish to visit on other days we will endeavour to fit you in if volunteers are available. These opening times will be kept under review.

(With thanks to DGFHS via email)

Chris

My new book Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records is now available to buy at https://bit.ly/IrishLandRecords. Also available - 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. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Alloa based ScotlandsPeople access update

I've just noticed this on the Clackmannanshire Council genealogy page at https://www.clacks.gov.uk/culture/genealogy/:

ScotlandsPeople search facilities and the Family History Centre will be closed until at least 1st April 2022.  Further discussion about the re-opening will take place with Health and Safety before this date.  Thank you for your continued patience as we continue to face the challenges of our services with our limited resources.  

Clackmannanshire is the only council to have completely closed down its genealogy service, based at the Speirs Centre in Alloa, over the last two years. It would be useful to see it opening up again.

Chris

My new book Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records is now available to buy at https://bit.ly/IrishLandRecords. Also available - 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. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Waterford County burials and Irish landscape photos added to FindmyPast

FindmyPast (www.findmypast.co.uk) had added the following Irish collections:

Waterford County Burial Records 1850-1950

This brand new index is an online exclusive, and contains over 17,000 burial records from the county of Waterford, south east Ireland. It details burials from three different cemeteries - St. Carthage's Cemetery, St. Declan's Cemetery, and St. Otteran's Cemetery. The information varies between records, but you may be able to discover death date, burial date, age, and more.

Views of Ireland

Entirely free to view, Views of Ireland is a collection that transports you to the stunning scenery of Ireland's most picturesque landscapes. Containing 117 images, it comprises both colourised photos and illustrations between 1800 and 1900.

Further details are available at https://www.findmypast.co.uk/blog/new/views-of-ireland

Chris

My new book Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records is now available to buy at https://bit.ly/IrishLandRecords. Also available - 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. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Dr Sophie Kay awarded John Burt Bursary from AGRA

From AGRA (www.agra.org.uk) in England:

AGRA PRESS RELEASE: AGRA ANNOUNCES THE RECIPIENT OF THE INAUGURAL AWARD OF THE JOHN BURT BURSARY

Following the announcement last year that AGRA had instituted an annual bursary award in memory of Associate Dr John Burt (see https://scottishgenes.blogspot.com/2021/10/agra-creates-bursary-in-memory-of.html), we are delighted to reveal the first bursary under the scheme has been awarded to Associate Dr Sophie Kay (pictured). She will use the money towards funding her studies with the IHGS.

Dr John Burt was an Associate of AGRA, based in Scotland. His sudden death last year came as a great shock to all at AGRA. His enthusiasm and willingness to help made a huge impact on the organisation and all his colleagues. Well-loved and much respected in both the medical and genealogical communities, AGRA wished to recognise his work in the form of an annual bursary. This £250 award is made to an AGRA Associate progressing to full membership. It goes towards the expenses of furthering their genealogical education.

Dr Sophie Kay, this year’s bursary award winner, said: “I’m honoured to have been chosen as the inaugural recipient of AGRA’s John Burt Bursary.”

“I never had the chance to meet John, but I do know he was held in high esteem by so many in our family history research community.”

“I’m keen to do justice to this generous award in his name through my studies for the IHGS Higher Certificate in Genealogy.”

“My thanks to AGRA for this wonderful support in my professional development.”

Congratulations from all at AGRA to Sophie on her achievement.Applications from Associates for the next award will need to be submitted by 31 December 2022. AGRA will issue details in due course.

(With thanks to Jane Roberts at AGRA)

Chris

My new book Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records is now available to buy at https://bit.ly/IrishLandRecords. Also available - 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. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

The NRS was wrong to deny access to historic records - Information Commissioner

There's been an interesting development with regards to the appalling level of access for researchers to historic records at the National Records of Scotland (www.nrscotland.gov.uk) during the Covid pandemic. 

In mid June 2021, an unnamed applicant, unable to gain access to the NRS site to view some sheriff court records due to the NRS's Covid restrictions, wrote to the archive to ask for access under the Freedom of Information Scotland Act (FOISA). The NRS responded saying that it was unable to do so, citing an exemption under Section 25 of the Act, and advising the applicant that an appointment could be booked to view the records on site. 

Unable to get an appointment due to the restrictions in place, the applicant requested a review of the decision, believing that this FOISA exemption did not apply. In response, the Keeper of the NRS admitted that Section 25 did not in fact apply, but advised that it was not possible to provide access to the records in question as priority was being given to academic researchers only at that point. Copies could not be provided either due to restrictions on the copying services in play. The applicant was advised to basically check back in August when it hoped the archive would re-open access further to some extent from September. 

Unhappy with this response, the applicant wrote to the Information Commissioner, asking for a review under section 47 of the FOISA, challenging the Keeper's reasoning for the decision given. Confirming this to be a valid application, the Commissioner wrote to the Keeper of the NRS advising of an investigation, and inviting comment (as per section 49 of the FOISA). In the NRS response, the Keeper advised that there were seventy FOI cases 'on hold' due to restrictions at the facility during the Covid pandemic, due to "difficulties in securing access to its buildings and the records stored in them". The Keeper also advised that there were other factors such as the fact that access to the the records required consent of the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service, citing Section 22 of FOISA.

Following the investigation, the Information Commissioner has concluded the following:

The Commissioner finds that the Keeper of the Records of Scotland (the Keeper) failed to comply with Part 1 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA) in responding to the information request made by the Applicant.

The Commissioner finds that the Keeper failed to comply with section 21(4) and (5) of FOISA, by failing to conduct a compliant review and communicate the outcome to the Applicant. The Commissioner now requires the Keeper to carry out a review (or secure the conduct of such a review, in terms of section 22(4) and (5) of FOISA) meeting the requirements of section 21(4) and notify the Applicant of the outcome (disclosing information or, as appropriate, providing reasons for not doing so) in terms of section 21(5).

The Commissioner requires the Keeper to do this by 31 January 2022.

The deliberations behind these conclusions are noted in paragraphs 15-21, including the fact that "although the Keeper highlighted the challenges of the request being subject to section 22, no indication was given that section 22 had actually been complied with in relation to the request" - and that with regards to the provisions offered under Section 1 (1) of the FOISA, "At the time of the Keeper's review in this case, none of these qualifications appear to have been considered relevant by the Keeper".

The full decision notice is available at https://www.itspublicknowledge.info/ApplicationsandDecisions/Decisions/2021/202100883.aspx, which adds that either party can appeal the decision within 42 days.

COMMENT: What more can be said? I don't know if the NRS has appealed this ruling (and am happy to update this post with the outcome if so), but when you compare the NRS service response to Covid with that of PRONI in Belfast, and TNA down south in London, it has been the difference between night and day. 

There are some great records held at the NRS, and there are some great, dedicated archivists working there - but as an institution, Scotland deserves a much better service provision from those running our taxpayer funded national archive.

Chris

My new book Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records is now available to buy at https://bit.ly/IrishLandRecords. Also available - 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. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Ken Nisbet elected chair of SAFHS

Congratulations to Ken Nisbet on being elected chair of the Scottish Association of Family History Societies, and to Ali Murray on becoming deputy chair.

For further deatils on SAFHS, visit www.safhs.org.uk. You can also follow the orgnaisation on Twitter at @SAFHS, and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/safhs.

Chris

My new book Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records is now available to buy at https://bit.ly/IrishLandRecords. Also available - 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. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

British Newspaper Archive passes 49 million records

The British Newspaper Archive (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk), having reached 48 million records in mid-February, is currently going at a rate of knots, having now passed 49 million records (currently at 49,154,423).

The following are the releases for Scotland and Ireland in the last 30 days (I'm particularly delighted to see Ireland's Saturday Night, a Belfast based newspaper with sports results from Northern Iteland, having spent a few years delivering these every saturday night as a kid back in Carrickfergus!):

Scotland:

Banffshire Advertiser
1914

Blairgowrie Advertiser
1987

Bridge of Allan Gazette
1885-1886

Dumfries and Galloway Standard
1987

Edinburgh Evening News
1909

Galloway News and Kirkcudbrightshire Advertiser
1987

Paisley Daily Express
1990, 1992

Rutherglen Reformer and Cambuslang Journal
1880, 1883-1884, 1891


Ireland:

Dungannon News
1893-1906

Ireland's Saturday Night
1874, 1895-1922, 1924-1929, 1931-2005, 2007-2008

Leitrim Journal
1850-1872

Limerick Gazette
1804-1820

Limerick Reporter
1890, 1892-1894

Lurgan Times
1886

COMMENT: 20th century Glasgow still remains one of the final frontiers - a huge gap for Scotland's largest city, which I hope will be addressed at some point in the near future.

Chris

My new book Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records is now available to buy at https://bit.ly/IrishLandRecords. Also available - 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. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Scottish Indexes releases more Prison Records indexes

From Scottish Indexes (www.scottishindexes.com):

Scottish Indexes releases more Prison Records
10 March 2022

Glasgow, Scotland – In a continuation of their Scotland's Criminal Database project, Glasgow based genealogists Emma and Graham Maxwell have released an index to a further 43,000 historical Scottish Prison records. These have been added to www.scottishindexes.com. Their ongoing project to open up historical criminal records to help people trace their family history is moving on apace and opening up more stories to the global research community.

These latest prison records are predominantly from the prisons of Aberdeen, Dundee, Glasgow and Paisley, with some updates to other prisons around Scotland. Scotland's Criminal Database now includes over 30 prisons from across Scotland. You can see a detailed breakdown of coverage here: https://www.scottishindexes.com/coveragescd.aspx

Emma Maxwell, genealogist at www.scottishindexes.com says, “I love the stories people uncover in these records. These missing pieces of the jigsaw give us the details that help us picture the lives of our ancestors. During this indexing project, we found entries for Dumfries civil prisoners relating to the aliment of children. These could be the clue you’re looking for to discover the father of an illegitimate child. Another entry we found related to James Gunning, a medical student in Annan, Dumfriesshire, Scotland, who was convicted in 1852 for ‘Violating Sepulchres’; better known as ‘body snatching’.”

Join Emma and Graham at the Scottish Indexes Conference to hear more about their
exciting projects: www.scottishindexes.com

NB: The conference is tomorrow (Sat 12th March) - see https://scottishgenes.blogspot.com/2022/03/scottish-indexes-conference-on-march.html

(With thanks to Emma)

Chris

My new book Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records is now available to buy at https://bit.ly/IrishLandRecords. Also available - 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. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

New Lord Lyon Society established to promote heraldry

A new body, The Lord Lyon Society, has been established to promote Scottish heraldry, to tie in with the 350th anniversary of the creation of the Public Register of All Arms and Bearings (the records of which from 1672-1921 are available on ScotlandsPeople).

From the society's website:

The Society’s aim is to promote Scots heraldry, genealogy and the related arts, heritage and culture, and to continue to make the Court of the Lord Lyon relevant in our time.

For more information, visit https://lordlyonsociety.org.uk. You can join the society as a supporter, at £30 annually - further details on this are at https://lordlyonsociety.org.uk/join/.

(With thanks to Lorna Kinnaird)

Chris

My new book Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records is now available to buy at https://bit.ly/IrishLandRecords. Also available - 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. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Scottish Indexes conference on March 12th

The latest Scottish Indexes genealogy conference is on Saturday, March 12th 2022, with the following sessions scheduled (times given are for the UK and Ireland):

First Session
07:00 Introduction
07:10 ‘Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Will? – why Scottish wills and testaments are not
that scary and how they can help you with your family history’ by Robert
Urquhart
08:10 ‘Your Scottish Archives’ by John Pelan
08:40 ‘Breach of Promise of Marriage Cases’ by Kate Keter
09:25 ‘Reading Old Scottish Handwriting' by Rachel Hart
11:05 ‘“One wants you at home to think it’s all heroic & splendid” - Part 2 of a journey
through the Waring of Lennel papers’ by George MacKenzie
12:00 Genealogy Q & A hosted by Graham and Emma Maxwell
13:00 ‘Using Aberdeen City & Aberdeenshire Archives’ by Phil Astley
14:00 'Records of the Scottish Poor' by Emma Maxwell

Second Session
15:00 Introduction
15:10 ‘Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Will? – why Scottish wills and testaments are not
that scary and how they can help you with your family history’ by Robert
Urquhart
16:10 ‘Your Scottish Archives’ by John Pelan
16:40 ‘Breach of Promise of Marriage Cases’ by Kate Keter
17:25 ‘Reading Old Scottish Handwriting' by Rachel Hart
19:05 ‘“One wants you at home to think it’s all heroic & splendid” - Part 2 of a journey
through the Waring of Lennel papers’ by George MacKenzie
20:00 Genealogy Q & A hosted by Graham and Emma Maxwell
21:00 ‘Using Aberdeen City & Aberdeenshire Archives’ by Phil Astley
22:00 'Records of the Scottish Poor' by Emma Maxwell

For equivalent times worldwide, and for further details on how to sign up, visit www.scottishindexes.com

Chris

My new book Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records is now available to buy at https://bit.ly/IrishLandRecords. Also available - 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. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Scotland's First Minister issues witchcraft convictions apology

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has issued a formal apology to the almost 4000 women who were convicted of witchcraft from 1563-1736. 

In the Scottish Parliament, the FM said: "Today on International Women's Day, as first minister on behalf of the Scottish government, I am choosing to acknowledge that egregious historic injustice and extend a formal posthumous apology to all of those accused, convicted, vilified or executed under the Witchcraft Act of 1563."

It is now up to the Scottish Parliament to decide whether it wishes to legislate to issue pardons to all of those who were prosecuted and executed. 

For more on the story visit https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-60667533. 

For more on historic Scottish witchraft trials in the period, visit http://www.shca.ed.ac.uk/Research/witches//

Chris

My new book Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records is now available to buy at https://bit.ly/IrishLandRecords. Also available - 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. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

MyHeritage introduces a Family Tree Timeline

From MyHeritage (www.myheritage.com):

We’re happy to introduce a new feature on MyHeritage: the Family Tree Timeline. The Timeline is a visual representation of one individual from your family tree, that you select, and his or her direct ancestors. The lifespans of these individuals (from year of birth to year of death) are mapped on the same axis to allow you to see them in relation to each other, which can provide refreshing insights into your family history.

The Timeline is a bright and attractive display, with each branch of the family displayed in a different color. The Timeline shows the ages of your ancestors at various points in their lives: how old they were when they had children, how long they lived, and how their lifespans overlapped with those of other family members or major world events. The Timeline can be downloaded and shared easily with your family and friends.

For the full story visit https://blog.myheritage.com/2022/03/introducing-the-family-tree-timeline/

Chris

My new book Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records is now available to buy at https://bit.ly/IrishLandRecords. Also available - 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. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

PRONI forum news, and plans to fully re-open soon

There is some great news from the latest stakeholder forum meeting of the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (www.nidirect.gov.uk/proni) – PRONI is hoping to re-open very shortly on pre-Covid terms, with the dispensing of the on-site two meter social distancing provision, and the removal of the need to pre-book a place*. The final timeline for this is subject to a final go ahead from its parent government department, but we were advised that this is likely to be in the very near future indeed. The only likely major restriction to stay in place, for the time being at least, will be no late night opening provision on a Thursday. The on-site cafe, which is run by a private contractor, has already re-opened. (As soon as this is confirmed I'll blog an update!)

In due course, it is hoped that some limited on-site events may happen again in the next two months or so, for example workshops, but PRONI fully intends to adopt a hybrid model of on-site attendance and online attendance via Zoom, at least for the foreseeable future. It was noted that in the last year PRONI has held 80 Zoom events, with some 5000 attendees, a level of success not usually replicated with on-side attendance alone. (An attendee from Historic Environment Records for Northern Ireland noted a similar success rate for its online events)

(*Although pre-booking for most will be dispensed with, it is envisaged that some form of pre-booking service may remain in place for those seeking much larger orders of material.)

On latest records releases, some 565 files from 1998 have been released (132 have some redactions), covering a range of topics, including the NI Assembly, parades, Drumcree, peace lines, the Omagh bomb, etc. It was noted that because of Covid there has been some disruption in trying to bring the 30 years releases rule down to 20 years – the initial plan was to try to be at 20 years by 2023, this may be delayed by a short period, but they are hoping to catch up again asap. See https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/proni-annual-releases for further details.

PRONI has also added a further 500 or so documents to the Conflict Archive on the Internet (CAIN) (https://cain.ulster.ac.uk), for the period from 1995-1996, with a total of some 3500+ documents from the archive now available. Amongst the topics featured are President Clinton's visit to Derry.

As part of the centenary of the foundation of the Northern Irish state, PRONI is also releasing materials that have 'fallen through the cracks' in the past from the period from 1921-1923. So far, 350 files have been identified, with 219 released from these, and a further 223 files are currently being looked at to see what might be released from these also. They cover a variety of topics and departments, including a substantial tranche at HA/60/2/2-153 (various urban district council files), additional HA files, and some additional materials within FIN/18/3/146-212, FIN/20/1/2-8, 33, 41, 47 (Ministry of Labour, Ministry of Agriculture).

Stephen Scarth also advised that a series of cabinet conclusion papers from 1921-1972, previously digitised and transcribed by Cengage, and available on-site only, will now be made more widely available for institutions in Ireland; Libraries NI is already in discussion with Cengage on securing access.

Community Engagement Officer & Creative Producer Laura Aguiar outlined a new 'Collab Archive' initiative, as a follow up to the recent successful 'Making the Future' project, with this new initiative funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. This will be a volunteer based digital skills project, targeting 50 volunteers to address topics such as women's themes, LGBT issues, emigration, citizenship, etc, by engaging with a theme and resources at PRONI to fully explore it. There will be two phases - engagement workshops held online, and then in-person volunteering opportunities to work on particular projects. The first project will look at diaries recorded by Roberta Hewitt, wife of the poet John Hewitt, with an end goal to be to produce an animated film on finds made from that. It is hoped that in due course volunteers may continue to work with PRONI beyond the scope of the project once completed. One particular aspect of the initiative is to develop a digital model to help volunteers transcribe material from home, and there was a wide ranging discussion about the potential benefits of such a tool if they are successful in its creation.

Olwen Purdue, Director of the Centre for Public History at Queen's University, also advised of an exhibition at St Mathews' Church from next week, entitled 'St. Matthews at War', which is an anniversary exhibition that will feature a variety of subjects and exhibits, from a crozier found in the grounds of the church to part of a car bomb!

Paddy Fitzgerald advised that on March 26^th there will be an event looking at the history of Omagh at the Centre for Migration Studies (https://mellonmigrationcentre.com).

Roddy Hegarty from the Cardinal Tomás Ó Fiaich Memorial Library & Archive advised that their spring series of talks kicks off shortly, with an online talk on March 8th 2022 by Daithí Ó Corráin on 'The Archbishops of Armagh and the Partition of Ireland' – details at www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-archbishops-of-armagh-and-the-partition-of-ireland-daithi-o-corrain-tickets-278237374477

Gillian Hunt also advised that the Ulster Historical Foundation's latest US talks tour kicks off soon, from March 12th - full details at https://www.ancestryireland.com/tour-march-2022/.

Finally, PRONI has released a limited print run of a book entitled 'Ireland 1900-1925:
Crisis, War and Revolution', which has already been made freely available online at https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/sites/default/files/publications/Ireland-1900-1925-Crisis-War-Revolution-A-Resource-for-A-Level-Students.PDF. The book is a resource for A-level students, covering the period leading up to the establishment of Northern Ireland.

(With thanks to all on the forum, and to Gavin McMahon at PRONI)

Chris

My new book Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records is now available to buy at https://bit.ly/IrishLandRecords. Also available - 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. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.