The Scottish GENES Blog (GEnealogy News and EventS): Top news stories and features concerning ancestral research in Scotland, Ireland, the rest of the UK, and their diasporas, from genealogist and family historian Chris Paton. Feel free to quote from this blog, but please credit Scottish GENES if you do. I'm on Mastodon @scottishgenes and Threads @scottishgenesblog - to contact me please email chrismpaton @ outlook.com. Cuimhnich air na daoine o'n d'thàinig thu!
We no longer offer DNA testing - but don't let that hold you back.
Our partnership with LivingDNA has come to an end, meaning you can no longer purchase a DNA test kit through the Findmypast site. Nevertheless, we are continually developing new ways to help you to connect with your roots. With billions of records at your fingertips and the help of our handy family tree builder, what will you discover?
Start your family tree for free today and uncover your family’s unique story.
Comment: I came across the story thanks to Andrew Martin on Twitter (@FamilyTreeUK), to whom thanks is given.
I don't think there will be a lot of disappointment about this announcement. When LivingDNA (https://livingdna.com) was first launched a few years back there was a lot of excitement, especially with its ethnicity breakdown, which could physically pinpoint specific regions in Britain where your DNA suggested potential origins. But although LivingDNA has a facility that allows you to contact potential relatives, it does not have an option to allow you to add a tree alongside your DNA results, making it extremely difficult to work out your genealogy connections amidst a sea of matches. I think a lot of us hoped that the partnership with FindmyPast would facilitate this, but it simply didn't. Recent announcements from LivingDNA seem to be concentrating on the medical side of things, whilst a note a few months ago offering me the option of upgrading to see if I had any 'Viking DNA' really did not impress.
It would be great to see FindmyPast be able to offer a full DNA service in the months and years to come, as its rivals Ancestry and MyHeritage do, hopefully this will clear the decks for something a little more fruitful down the line - if, indeed, it remains interested in offering a DNA service at some stage.
Chris
Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.
Talks I will be giving online in May 2023, on behalf of thr Guild of One-Name Stidies and the Society of Genealogists in London:
The Mount Stewart Murder of 1866, Scotland’s oldest official cold case with Chris Paton 10 May 2023 at 7.30pm BST https://one-name.org/mtstewart1866/ FREE, although registration is required
In March 1866, a Perthshire farmer returned to his farmhouse from a weekly market to discover that his sister had been brutally murdered whilst he was away. An investigation over the following year eventually led to a suspect charged and tried, only for the case against him found to be non-proven in Scots Law. The case is Scotland’s longest official cold case by a modern police force, with the victim being Chris’s three times great grandmother. He will discuss the many resources available to help his research, and the surprise discovery of a second victim, over twenty years after the original event.
Chris will discuss how he researched this Scottish murder investigation in the Victorian era, navigating his way through the investigation as carried out under Scots law, with its various processes, terminologies and sources which may be unfamiliar to those living outwith Scotland.
Straddling parts of Counties Antrim and Down, the city of Belfast has seen its fair share of history across the centuries. From its humble beginnings as a ford-based settlement between two tributaries of the River Lagan, it grew following its grant of a charter in 1613 to become a corporation town, and expanded dramatically when later made a city in 1888. Along the way it has experienced the darkest of times, including the Belfast Blitz and the recent Troubles, to some of the most enlightened developments across Ireland and the UK. In Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, genealogist and best-selling author Chris Paton provides an overview of resources for those wishing to trace their ancestors from the Northern Irish capital, both through online resources and within the city of Belfast itself – and with a wee bit of craic along the way!
I am also delighted to be chairing the following session for the UK's Family Tree magazine:
Discover what local parish records can tell us about provision for the poor and those who maintained them.
Learn
how to use parish poor law records for family history, local history,
and house history research, as well as where to find them locally,
nationally and online.
Gill Blanchard is a professional
genealogist, writer and tutor based in Norwich, as well as the author of
three genealogical guides: Tracing Your East Anglian Ancestors, Tracing
Your House History and Writing Your Family History. She is a full
member of AGRA and teaches and gives talks locally, nationally and
online.
This 45-minute talk by Gill
Blanchard, hosted by Chris Paton, will be followed by a 30-minute
Q&A. Starts 6.30pm UK time - for time in your time zone, visit
TimeAndDate.
Registration fee £10 (free to Family Tree Plus
members). Booking includes access to the event recording for 7 days
after broadcast. This webinar is FREE to Family Tree Plus members.
I hope you can join us!
Chris
Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.
RootsIreland has added the following collection to its records for County Mayo in Ireland:
Aglish CI, 1840-1922 (380 records)
For further details on Mayo holdings, and for the rest of Ireland, visit www.rootsireland.ie.
Chris
Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.
The next 5 week long Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the Old Parish Registers course from Pharos Teaching and Tutoring Ltd commences shortly on May 8th 2023.
And the following is the course description, and how to sign up if interested!
Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the Old Parish Registers
This is an intermediate level course in Scottish family history for those who are going back beyond 1850. You should have some experience with research in the Old Parish Registers (OPRs) of the Church of Scotland and in using major websites for Scottish research.
This course discusses sources that fill the gap when the OPRs are uninformative or missing, such as the kirk session and presbytery courts records generated by the Kirk (Church of Scotland), as well as the records of dissenting and seceding Presbyterian congregations. From the forerunners of Scotlands modern towns and cities are the administrative records of the burghs, and the trades incorporations and merchant guilds, as well as other professions, which can enhance our understanding of our ancestors lives. And in the final two lessons the course turns up a notch and tackles two areas where the Scottish records, as generated through the feudal system, are truly unique, namely the various registers of land records known as sasines, and the separate legal processes in Scotland for the inheritance of both moveable and heritable estate.
Whilst some of the records discussed in the course are available online, many are available only in the archives, or in private hands, and a strong focus of this course will be in how to successfully employ the relevant catalogues and finding aids to locate such treasures.
Whilst not compulsory, it is strongly recommended that you complete the Pharos course Scottish Research Online before studying Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the Old Parish Registers, as it will be assumed that you are already familiar with the more basic resources available online for Scottish ancestral research.
Lesson Headings:
* Kirk Sessions records and parish poor * Burgh records and town poor * Occupations, taxation and early lists * Land transfer and the value of sasines * Land, inheritance and estates
Student feedback from the most recent run of the course in Noivember 2021: "The exercises helped you to explore new lesson concepts right away. Especially by directing students to apply new research aids to their own work."
"Very clear explanations of terminology and legal processes Really helpful exercises and comprenesive list of useful catalogues and other references Chat sessions very helpful and engaging."
"This being the second genealogy course I have taken, and the second with Pharos, I found these were detailed foundation courses which will permit me to search better and with less effort in my future research work."
"Great subject-matter and excellent tutor/written materials. It could not have been better."
Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.
This is the formal announcement from Orkney Islands Council for something I briefly mentioned earlier this week (see here) which is happening this weekend, on the Orcadian island of Hoy:
Hoy on Hoy
Hoy is set to enjoy a visit by champion cyclist and Olympian Sir Chris Hoy this weekend (29 April).
The special event, funded by EventScotland, will celebrate the treasures, past and future, of the island alongside Hoy’s glittering sporting legacy.
With a total of seven Olympic medals, six gold and one silver, Sir Chris is one of the most decorated Olympic cyclists of all time.
While in Hoy, Sir Chris will formally open the newly redeveloped
Scapa Flow Museum, which tells the story of the transformation of Hoy
from peaceful island community to nerve centre of the Royal Navy during
the world wars.
Highlights of Hoy’s visit will include a spotlight on the legacy of his success in his sport, with a fun short community cycling circuit led by Sir Chris at 1:30pm. He will also be presenting Bikeability certificates to pupils from North Walls Community School.
In another nod to Sir Chris’s legacy and the rising popularity of cycling in Scotland - as Glasgow hosts the World Cycling Championships in August this year - the Orkney Cycling Club will have members riding to Lyness from Moaness, with an anticipated arrival time of around 12.30pm.
During a private tour of the new Museum for Sir Chris and key funders of the redevelopment, staff from Orkney Islands Council’s Museums team will refer to the importance of bikes to military history and life at the Naval Base on Hoy.
At midday, after a welcoming speech by Orkney Islands Council Convener Graham Bevan and a speech by Liz Davidson from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Sir Chris will cut the ribbon to formally open the Museum.
That then marks the start of a community event showcasing the vibrant community in Hoy, starting with a Hoy Hounds display from 12:30.
A range of community events and stalls aimed at the entire family will be set up in the Museum car park from around midday, including:
Lifeboat Guild who will provide teas and refreshments Peedie Bite Burger Van Lifeboat Crew - and lifeboat! Alpacas Lifeboat Museum – model of Thomas McCann to be on display Beach Gallery St Johns Church Craft Club Lego Club RSPB Youth Hub Blide Trust Dr Bike – free bike check ups and various cycles to try Carbon Neutral Islands stall
Cycling UK will also be on hand in the leadup to the fun community cycle with a selection of bikes to try out, including electric cargo bike, electric bikes, as well as balance and pedal bikes for children.
Cycle Orkney will also be available from 11am for anyone who wants a basic service or minor maintenance on their bike. Both of these activities are free of charge.
Anyone intending to take part in the community cycles are reminded to bring a helmet.
Leader of Orkney Islands Council and also Stromness and South Isles ward member, Councillor James Stockan, said: “I know the local community will be so proud to show Sir Chris the jewels of their island - among them the new Scapa Flow Museum, one of many beating hearts of Hoy and a bridge from a rich past to an equally vibrant future.
“We’re delighted to have Sir Chris Hoy on Hoy, to help us formally open this fantastic facility, and to celebrate with us his legacy and witness for himself the wonderful landscape of Hoy.”
Ward Councillor Lindsay Hall who has worked with the Hoy community to shape the event added: “We hope through this special visit and community event that people will be inspired by Sir Chris Hoy’s Olympic achievements and legacy to get out and enjoy the cycling delights Hoy and the wider Orkney landscape offers, and the physical and mental benefits being active brings."
Anyone intending to visit Hoy that day is asked to note that Scapa Flow Museum is closed to the public until 10.30am, with the café closed all day.
Public toilets are available within walking distance of the Museum at the Lyness ferry waiting room.
Comment: As mentioned in my write up of my visit to Orkney last week, this may well be Scotland's best museum, it is wonderfully put together, and there is more to come, with another outbuilding hosting additional resources currently being worked on. If you can get to Hoy tomorrow, fantastic; if you can't, do try to get to Hoy at some stage in the future, I'm sure they would be delighted to see you, and you won't regret it!
(With thanks to Jane Harris via Twitter @janeology)
Chris
Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.
Modern Scotland was once a series of smaller kingdoms that coalesced across time. The kingdom of Dal Riada merged with Pictland in the 9th century to form Alba, which later added the southern kingdoms of Strathclyde and part of Northumbria to form modern Scotland. Of all of these areas, the one offering the greatest mystery to history scholars is Pictland, with its inhabitants, the Picts (known as the Cruthin in Ireland), leaving virtually no written record, with just a few placename elements, and plenty of stone carvings (such as that below on display in Orkney Museum). It is often thought that they were a P-Celtic people, i.e. a people with a language similar to Welsh, Cumbrian and Cornish, andwith many origins theories about where they may have arrived from, including eastern Europe, and Thrace (north of the Aegean Sea).
A new genome study by Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) and the University of Aberdeen suggests the Picts were in Scotland a lot longer than people may have previously realised, with genetic links here dating back to the Iron Age. The
researchers used Identity-By-Descent (IBD) methods to compare two
high-quality Pictish genomes sequenced from individuals excavated
from Pictish-era cemeteries at Lundin Links in Fife (Southern
Pictland) and Balintore in Easter Ross (Northern Pictland) to those
of previously published ancient genomes as well as the modern
population. The findings also suggest that there was not one single homegnous people with variations between those in Northern and Southern Pictland.
Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.
This week's second new addition is the land ownership survey book pertaining to Scotland, which was carried out at the same time as the one for England and Wales. It similarly lists names, addresses, land sizes, and land valuations.
While the book for England and Wales is more precise with its land measurements, the Scottish counterpart recounts just acreage (meaning there's no acronyms to consider here).
NB: This is the Return of
Scottish Landowners as printed by the House of Lords in 1874, which
details the names and addresses of every landowner holding more than
one acre in Scotland. Arranged in counties, it details returns for
all those living outside of a burgh containing more than 20,000
individuals, and separately for those living within such a burgh. The
records also record how much land was owned, the annual value of the
land and the heritage derived from it, with the definition of an
owner including feuars, leaseholders of 99 years or more, and
liferenters.
FindmyPast has also added similar records from England and Wales, and updated the following Irish collection from the same period:
Ireland, Return of Owners of Land 1876
In conjunction with the books for England, Wales and Scotland, we've also updated and improved our Return of Owners of Land book for Ireland, which was recorded in 1873 but not published until 1876.
The 33,627 records in this set contain the same information as the other books: the landowners' names and addresses, as well as the size and value of their land.
NB: This noted the number
and names of 32,614 people who held land of one statute acre or more,
whether it was built upon or not. This included lessees for terms
exceeding 99 years or with a right of perpetual renewal, as well as
the numbers of land owners with lands of less than an acre, but
without noting their names. Those recorded are listed alphabetically
by county, with the entries noting the size of their holdings and its
rateable value. The Fáilte Romhat
platform also hosts a free to access version online at
www.failteromhat.com/lo1876.htm.
Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.
From East Ayrshire Council, news about the ScotlandsPeople access at the Burns Monument Centre:
ScotlandsPeople Update
Please note that the ScotlandsPeople Centre will re-open week beginning 1st May 2023* and bookings can be made by calling 01563 576695 from 9am onwards on Friday 28th April 2023.
Please note it is now essential to book your PC in advance. Bookings will be taken on a Friday from 9am by calling 01563 576695 for the following week.
Opening hours are Tuesday to Thursday, 9am to 4pm (where available).
The session will end at 3:50pm when the computers shut down.
Be aware that restrictions may be placed on service delivery at short notice. Payments
We only accept payment by debit/credit card.
Chris
Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.
The buildings of the National Records of Scotland (www.nrscotland.gov.uk), including the ScotlandsPeople Centre at General Register House and New Register House, will be closed on the holidays of May 1st and May 8th.
Chris
Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.
From TheGenealogist (www.thegenealogist.co.uk), some news for those whose ancestors ventured south to be recorded in the 1851-1871 English and Welsh censuses:
See the census in greater detail than ever before TheGenealogist launches 3.4 Million brand new enhanced census images
Researchers using TheGenealogist will now have access to the highest resolution and quality 1851, 1861 & 1871 census images for England and Wales ever seen online with vastly improved readability revealing even faint writing in pencil.
Building on the success of their previously upgraded 1891 census image release, TheGenealogist has now significantly improved the image quality of all its 1851,1861 and 1871 census images as well.
Replacing the old bitonal images with high-resolution greyscale census images reveals the details in the census columns or margins and where previously faint writing, shadows or pencil marks could render an image unreadable.
Mark Bayley, Head of Development at TheGenealogist said: “We’re extremely proud to announce this tremendous leap forward in clarity and readability. Thanks to the latest technology and many years of hard work, we now have the best possible images for the 1851, 1861, 1871 and 1891 census for England and Wales. It’s remarkable just how much extra detail you can see in these images.”
TheGenealogist’s “Deep Zoom” images have over 5 times the resolution of previous images and yet are still fast to view, thanks to the technology used in their image interface. Writing appears sharper on the new images and allows you to zoom in to reveal what would otherwise be illegible words on other sites. In addition TheGenealogist has the benefit of searchable occupations and addresses on their census transcripts, making them quicker and easier to find.
Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.
My wife and I have just spent a thoroughly enjoyable week on the sunny islands of Orkney – yup, you read that right, blue skies every day, warm, a little wind, and only a haar (mist) on one morning! This was a postponed 50th birthday present for me, from two and a half years ago, but with Covid rampant at that time we decided we would rather visit the islands at a time when we would not have to wear masks and with everywhere closed. To say that I am glad we waited is an understatement. I've been to Western Isles many times in the past, but had never been north to Orkney or Shetland. During the week we packed in a lot, which was no mean feat considering we did not take the car over. Public transport on the island is excellent, and as such, we managed to visit the Mainland (we stayed for 5 nights in Kirkwall at an AirB&B), Glimps Holm, Lambholm, Burray, South Ronaldsay, and Hoy.
On Monday, we decided to concentrate on Kirkwall itself, visiting the magnificent 12th century St. Magnus Cathedral, the ruins of the Earl's Palace and the Bishop's Palace, and Orkney Museum. I was half expecting to see the place overplaying its Viking and Norse heritage, but was really surprised to see that this was not the case. It was present, but as a part of the DNA of the place, not overhyped for tourist purposes, and as such, it gave the place a real sense of authenticity, with layer upon layer of history from various phases in the past equally treated with respect. (I used to live in Largs, Ayrshire, where a small band of Vikings once landed in 1263, got beaten in a skirmish, and where today you would think it was Norway's long lost colony with all the Viking signs, statues, gardens and helmets!). I made a point of visiting the Orkney Library and Archive, and had a great wee chat with Lucy Gibbons, archivist, as well as a taking a chance to explore the library's extensive holdings on local history.
Kirkwall is a great wee modern town, a bit pricey, and in many ways feeling quite like a part of the Scottish mainland, despite being the largest settlement on the Orkney mainland, but it certainly has its own history. The divisions between the historic bishopric and the earldom were ever present, and I was surprised to see a memorial to 200 Covenanters in front of the Cathedral, who drowned off the coast at Deerness in 1679, as they were being shipped to the American colonies as indentured servants. There is a further memorial at Deerness also, which we unfortunately did not have tome to see on this trip. To end the day, we visited the Highland Park distillery for a tour and tasting, and I even had a wee Gaelic conversation – Gaelic is not spoken on Orkney, but the staff member leading the tour was a Leòdhasach (from the Isle of Lewis)!
On Tuesday morning we took the X1 bus to see the magnificent Italian Chapel, constructed by Italian POWs in the Second World War. The prisoners were sent to Lambholm island to construct causeways between the islands. These were actually the 'Churchill barriers' built to stop U-Boats gaining access to the area, but calling them that would have meant the UK breaching the Geneva Convention.
We then had lunch in the quiet village of St. Margaret's Hope on the island of South Ronaldsay, with its own ferry port to the Scottish mainland, before jumping on the X1 and travelling to the far side of the Mainland, to Stromness. This is a large settlement with a strong connection to the Hudson's Bay Company in Canada, and a long standing rivalry with Kirkwall. Despite being packed with history, very well displayed on plaques throughout, and in the town's really excellent museum, it did sadly feel as if the place had seen better days.
On the way back to Kirkwall, we stopped off at the prehistoric Stones of Stenness, and walked up to the Ring of Brodgar, where Billy Connolly once danced naked, paying tribute to him in the only way possible!
I've previously visited Avebury, Stonehenge and Callanish, but the Ring of Brodgar is perhaps the most impressive stone circle I have ever seen, it really did feel like we had done an Outlander and travelled back in time!
On Wednesday we visited the Scapa Flow Museum, and without a doubt, I think this may be the best museum in Scotland. It takes a bit of an effort to get there – bus from Kirkwall to Houton, and then a ferry to the island of Hoy, but it was well worth the effort. I had completely underestimated Scapa Flow's importance to the First World War, other than it being where the German fleet was scuttled after, for it was here that the Royal Navy's main base was located, with some further activity in the area during the Second World War. The museum, only recently opened (with an official opening due to take place in the coming week by Sir Chris Hoy), does not overcomplicate the narrative, it explains all the key events that happened in an easy, digestible, and well presented display, based in the former fuel pump house. Just brilliant.
After our visit we also had time to make it to Lyness Royal Naval Cemetery, wonderfully maintained by the CWGC, before we had to return to the Orkney mainland. Hoy is an extraordinary island, with much of the buildings and infrastructure from its military period lying everywhere around Lyness slowly turning to ruin, but giving an epic sense of scale to what was once there as you walk around it. The landscape itself is a monument to the Navy's previous occupancy, as much as the museum, so if visiting, allow time for a dander around!
On Thursday we then took a trip up to Skara Brae, the oldest village excavated in Europe, which was the main reason for my wishing to visit Orkney, and it absolutely did not disappoint. Whatever thoughts and misconceptions we might have about prehistoric times are truly laid to rest by a visit here, our ancestors from 5000 years ago were not a bunch of savages, but a highly organised community with complicated skills and pursuits. The museum was again laid out well, and just for good measure, its cafe at Skara Brae does the best lunch on the island! We also visited Skaill House, home to the Scarth family as the Lairds of Breckness for many generations, and then took a dander up to St. Peter's Kirk at Sandwick, recently restored in a beautiful landscape.
On Friday, we finished our stay with a tour at the Scapa Distillery, a visit to the Orkney Wireless Museum in Kirkwall, and another visit to the Cathedral, because one visit was simply not enough! It's very easy as a genealogist or family historian to fall into a trap of simply thinking of, and treating, Scotland as one entity. Scotland is as diverse a nation as England and Ireland, and Orkney is as different to the mainland of Scotland as the Western Isles are, sharing much in common with mainland Scots, and yet having so much that is unique. As a consequence of this, I made a point of returning to the library in Kirkwall on Friday to do some more reading on Orcadian land records, including the payment of skat and the udal system, because Orkney did things slightly differently, despite using some of the same records systems generated through the feudal system on the Scottish mainland.
We had a wonderful and much needed break in a stunning part of Scotland. Thank you Orkney for your hospitality, thanks to those with suggestions on what to do and where to stay (including a big thanks to Jane!), thanks to our wonderful hosts Ian and Fiona, and to my wonderful wife for being my travelling companion! We will most definitely be returning in the not too distant future, and also making a trip out to Shetland at some point, as well as further trips back to the Western Isles.
Alba gu bràth!
Chris
Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.
Scottish Indexes (www.scottishindexes.com) has announced some new records additions to their site. In summary:
A new volume from the register of deeds, from 1652-1653.
An update to their prison records collection of a further 104,369 records. This includes material from the following prisons: Edinburgh Lock-up House 1848-1850 (2,919), Fort William 1849-1880 (949), Ayr 1893-1897 (8,577), Paisley 1866-1875 (9,198), Aberdeen 1896-1908 (20,198), Dundee 1911-1914,1922 (8,906), and Glasgow (Duke Street) 1850-1864 (53,623)
A new collection, Pardoned or Ticket of Leave on New Charges 1855-1895 - this will include information on relevant trial papers.
Graham and Emma will be announcing more detail about these collections over the next week - check out their main website, and their social media channels, including Twitter (@ScottishIndexes) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/scottish.indexes).
* The next Scottish Indexes conference will be on September 9th 2023.
Chris
Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.
So this is an interesting development flagged up to me earlier today by Emma Maxwell from Scottish Indexes! The National Library of Scotland (www.nls.uk) is offering a virtual reading room experience for people who cannot attend the library in person. The following are key parts from the service description:
Virtual Reading Room
The National Library of Scotland can host online sessions to view
collection items. We call this a ‘virtual reading room’, like the
reading rooms at our buildings in Edinburgh.
The sessions use visualisers for live, online viewing of collection
items, supported by Library staff. These sessions can be an alternative
if you cannot visit the Library in person.
This is a pilot service, and we are making changes in response to
what you tell us about your experience. You will be sent a feedback
survey and will be asked if you are happy to take part in an audience
research interview after the session.
The service is available Monday to Friday, 09:30am to 12 noon and 2pm to
4:30pm, subject to staff availability. Requests should be made at least
one week in advance to ensure the requested items are available and are
suitable for an online session. Same day requests will not be possible.
It is not possible to make recordings or take screen shots during the session due to copyright restrictions.
I am sure this will be a welcome development for folk who cannot get to the library, perhaps due to the distance being too far to visit, or for disability issues, and I absolutely applaud the NLS's ambition in trying to push its services further beyond Edinburgh. It truly is the national library service for Scotland - nice one Team NLS...!
(With thanks to Emma)
Chris
Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.
The British Newspaper Archive (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk) has now passed 67 million pages of content, with 67,079,676 pages available to search at the time of writing.
However, of the 155 titles added or updated in the last 30 days, the additions for Scotland and Ireland have been, well, how shall we say it... minimal?
Scotland
Rutherglen Reformer 1890, 1986, 1996
Airdrie & Coatbridge World 1996, 1998-1999
Ayrshire World 1998-1999
Stirling Observer 1999
Clyde Weekly News 1999
Galloway News and Kirkcudbrightshire Advertiser 1998
Strathearn Herald 1997
Wishaw World 1997, 1999
Ireland
Weekly Examiner (Belfast) 1872, 1886-1887
Dublin Sporting News 1897-1901
Louth Standard 1950
With Scotland, there seems to be a policy now of just adding scraps from the 1990s each week, from local titles (and to be fair, that applies to some of the English content also). While all additions can be useful, I did query this with the BNA last week, asking when we will see some more deeply historic content again. I have been told more is on its way, but I have to admit, it did feel like a bot provided the answer.
Fingers crossed that Scotland will become relevant again soon!
Chris
Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.
Just a quick update that my new book Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors is now available to buy in the UK from Amazon at £12 (with free delivery), with a Kindle edition available at £5.99 from July 7th 2023. (Note that the paperback version on the Pen and Sword site is now £11.99, but there will be postage on top of that).
Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.
Britain, Royal and Imperial Calendars 1767-1973 Browse
If you've got ancestors who worked in the civil service or other state institutions between 1767 and 1973, these Calendars may provide you with more information.
You can now browse images of our collection of 207 Royal and Imperial Calendars, which are exclusive to Findmypast. This new browse function allows you to search by year, and access images for each page, including the detailed indexes at the beginning which help you to navigate the book.
Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.
A new Friends of Maryhill Road Graveyard group has been formally established to help preserve the site in Glasgow, following a public meeting in January to gauge interest (see http://scottishgenes.blogspot.com/2023/01/new-friends-of-maryhill-road-graveyard.html). The site is close to Maryhill train station, by the site of Maryhill Old Parish Church, and was originally donated to the public in 1826 by Lilias Graham, daughter of Mary Hill, and owner of the Gairbraid Estate.
Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.
Source: Kirkpatrick Index of Biographical files. Dublin, Ireland: Royal College of Physicians of Ireland.
About Ireland, Kirkpatrick Index of Physician Biographical Files, 1826-1952
This collection includes biographical information about members of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland. The collection contains images of the original records that include personal and professional information about each physician. The Royal College of Physicians of Ireland began as an educational institution and a professional society dedicated to the improvement of medical care and the licensing of physicians in Ireland.
Using this collection
Records in this collection may include the following information:
Name
Maiden name
Alias
Birth date and place
Marriage date and place
Age at marriage
Spouse name
Parents’ names
Place of residence
Education year
Death date and place
Age at death
This collection can be used to confirm that your ancestor was a physician and a member of the Royal College of Physicians at a specific point in time. The records also may allow you to compare your ancestor’s birth, marriage, and death information with other vital records.
For further details on the collection, click on the link above.
Chris
Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.
Pen and Sword currently have a book offer, with some serious discounts, 30% on all titles. Most of my Scottish and Irish family history titles are reduced from £14.99 (RRP) to £10.49, whilst my Sharing Your Family History Online title is dropped from £12.99 to just £9.09. Postage is on top of this. It's not just my books though, all of their family history and military titles are similarly on offer, and there is a fair range there!
Elsewhere, I finally received my author's copies of Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors (which is included in the offer), and am delighted with how it has been laid out. Very excitingly, it got to number 2 this week on Pen and Sword's best-sellers list, but I am also delighted that my re-released Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd edition) has also hit the top ten again, at number 9! A huge thanks to all of you who have purchased copies of these and my other titles (see below), and as always, I hope they help!
Remember, the Pen and Sword offer sale ends April 13th!
Chris
Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The S'cottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.
Some 2785 headstone inscriptions have been added to RootsIreland (www.rootsireland.ie) for the following graveyards:
Abbey: 1078 records;
Ballinafad: 406 records;
Ballygar: 714 records;
Boyounagh: 587 records;
Total: 2785 records
(With thanks to Roots Ireland via email)
Chris
Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.
Over 56,000 individuals and 20,802 further aliases from The Police Gazette have been released by TheGenealogist covering the years 1901, 1911, 1921 and 1931 and are now available to Diamond subscribers in their Court and Criminal Records Collection.
Searchable by name, alias, offence among other keywords, these records have been transcribed by volunteers from UKIndexer to provide an effective resource for discovering descriptions of our wayward ancestors.
These newly released Police Gazette records (sometimes known to researchers by its historic name of Hue and Cry) are a part of the MEPO 6 criminal records on TheGenealogist that also include Habitual Criminals Registers and Miscellaneous Papers.
The images of the pages from the Police Gazette publication on TheGenealogist were originally published by the Metropolitan Police and circulated to Police forces in the British Isles. They include a number of portraits of the offenders and always give descriptive written details of the individuals. Expect to see the names of persons charged who were known but not in custody, and also the description of those who were not known, their appearance, dress, and every other mark of identity that could help identify the person. Also included in the Police Gazette were the names of accomplices and accessories, with every other particular that may lead to the apprehension of the individuals.
Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.
