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!
Bidh mi air falbh an ath sheachdain anns an Eilean Sgitheanach agus mi a' dèanamh cùrsa aig a' cholaiste Ghàidhlig, Sabhal Mòr Ostaig. Air sgath sin cha bhi mi a' blogadh fhad's a bhios mi ann, ach bidh mi air ais a dh' aithghearr!
I'll be away next week on the Isle of Skye doing a course at the Gaelic college, Sabhal Mòr Ostaig. Because of that I won't be blogging whilst there, but will be back soon!
Tìoraidh an-dràsta / ciao fer now!
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 purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.
Apologies, I've been a bit tardy with this one! From Daniel Horowitz at MyHeritage (www.myheritage.com), concerning a new collaboration between MyHeritage and Family TreeDNA (www.familytreedna.com):
I’m delighted to announce the launch of a new collaboration between the two companies. This collaboration, which includes integration between the MyHeritage and FamilyTreeDNA websites, enables FamilyTreeDNA customers to transfer their family trees to MyHeritage, and to continue building them on MyHeritage. FamilyTreeDNA users can now easily transfer their family trees to MyHeritage for free, after providing consent on both FamilyTreeDNA and MyHeritage.
This collaboration expands the two companies’ longstanding partnership, and will provide FamilyTreeDNA customers with access to MyHeritage’s robust suite of genealogy tools and features, many of which are not available on FamilyTreeDNA.
This strategic decision allows FamilyTreeDNA to focus on its expertise in DNA testing services and reporting, while providing its users with access to the powerful family tree tools and technologies offered by MyHeritage.
To facilitate this collaboration, MyHeritage and FamilyTreeDNA have developed a technical integration that now enables FamilyTreeDNA users to seamlessly transfer their family tree data to MyHeritage. This process is voluntary; however, transferring the tree data to MyHeritage is encouraged, as FamilyTreeDNA will officially sunset their family tree builder on September 9, 2024. At that point, all family trees on FamilyTreeDNA will become read-only. It will still be possible to transfer trees from FamilyTreeDNA to MyHeritage after this date, but this functionality may not be available forever, so the sooner the transfer is done, the better. Access to DNA results on FamilyTreeDNA will remain unchanged.
Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.
I normally don't run English-only themed stories on this blog (not its remit!), but this could be a useful census substitute for those with familes who moved south and were there after the 1921 census.
TheGenealogist (www.thegenealogist.co.uk) has added the following searchable directories for the following areas in England from the 1930s and the Channel Islands (bear in mind that unlike Scotland, England's 1931 census has not survived):
● Kelly's Directory of Bedfordshire and Huntingdonshire, 1931 ● Kelly's Directory of Bournemouth, Poole, Parkstone, Christchurch &c., 1932 ● Kelly's Directory of Brighton and Hove, 1932 ● Kelly's Directory of Cambridgeshire, 1933 ● Kelly's Directory of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, 1932 ● Kelly's Directory of Devonshire and Cornwall, 1930 ● Kelly's Directory of Dorsetshire, 1931 ● Kelly's Directory of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, 1931 ● Kelly's Directory of Hertfordshire, 1933 ● Kelly's Directory of Ipswich and Neighbourhood, 1930 ● Kelly's Directory of Kent, 1930 ● Kelly's Directory of Kent, 1934 ● Kelly's Directory of Kilburn Willesden, 1933 ● Kelly's Directory of Leicestershire & Rutland, 1932 ● Kelly's Directory of Norfolk and Suffolk, 1933 ● Kelly's Directory of Putney & Roehampton, 1930 ● Kelly's Directory of Somersetshire, Gloucestershire & the City of Bristol, 1931 ● Kelly's Directory of Suffolk, 1933 ● Kelly's Directory of Sussex, Chichester, Selsey and Neighbourhood, 1934 ● Kelly's Directory of the Channel Islands, 1931 ● Kelly's Directory of Warwick, Leamington Spa, Stratford-On-Avon and Kenilworth, 1932 ● Kelly's Directory of Warwickshire, 1932 ● Kelly's Directory of Westmorland, 1934
The directories are searchable in the site's Residentaila nd Trdae Directories Collection
(With thanks to Paul at TheGenealogist)
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 purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.
Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.
Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.
A new Aberdeenshire collection has been recently added to Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk):
Aberdeenshire, Scotland, Poor Law Applications and Registers, 1818-1923 https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/62686/ Source: Poor Law Applications, 1834-1943 and Poor Law Relief General Registers, 1812-1959. Aberdeenshire, Scotland: Aberdeen City Council.
About the Aberdeenshire, Scotland, Poor Law Applications and Registers, 1818-1923
This collection contains records relating to the relief of people living in poverty in the historic counties of Aberdeenshire, Banffshire, and Kincardineshire, Scotland. Most of the documents were created by the parochial boards and parish councils that were responsible for providing relief to impoverished people in their parish. Before 1921, only persons with disabilities and people of old age were entitled to relief.
The records precede 1929 when the responsibility to administer "poor relief" became a government function.
Records in this collection may include the following information:
Name
Birthplace
Date of birth
Names of parents or other relatives
Occupation
Marital status
Place of death
Date of death
Records may show the basis of the disability, which could include children, or pregnancy in cases where widows claimed relief.
Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.
Discover your Roots at The Really Useful Family History Show Europa Hotel, Belfast 10th August 2024 10am to 4pm.
Northern Ireland's first family history show in years is coming to Belfast, and everyone's invited!
This completely free event will feature 10 exhibitors ready to give advice about genealogy, research and DNA to beginners or more advanced family historians.
Visit in the morning and enter the free prize draw, with some fantastic prizes including DNA kits, society memberships, personal consultations with genealogy experts and more!
At 2pm there will be a presentation called “We know you are, Tim McGarry!” when we will be revealing to this much loved local comedian for the first time what DNA and research has uncovered about his ancestry.
Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.
An update on a collection that I first blogged about in 2012, the PT6 records featuring First World War Pension Apeals Tribunals, as held by the National Records of Scotland (www.nrscotland.gov.uk).
"The Pension Appeal Tribunal records (ref. PT6) were catalogued as a result of funding by the Wellcome Trust. This project didn’t quite complete cataloguing the whole collection, but work is currently underway to address this shortfall. Work to capture digital images was not included in the Wellcome Trust project, but imaging work is currently in progress. Discussions will soon be taking place regarding the potential for online release, though no decisions or timescales have yet been agreed."
General information
-Name of the soldier (+ name of the applicant, and relationship to soldier, if not the same)
-His address
-Age
-Pre-enlisting occupation
-Employer before the war (on later applications only)
-Employer after the war (on later applications only)
-Insurance society (on later applications only)
Military information
-Rank & unit
-Service no
-When first attested
-When discharged
-Reason for discharge
-Details on pre-war service (if applicable)
-Details on service 1914-1921 (when and where he served, and in what units)
Information on application
-Date of the hearing and in which courtroom it was held (the hearings were held at 3 Parliament Square, Edinburgh)
-Disability from which the man claimed to be suffering
-Whether the appeal was allowed or disallowed (many were in fact disallowed)
-If allowed, how much the applicant received, and whether he got a lump sum or a fixed rate, and for how long
Each file also has some information on the soldier's medical history.
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 purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.
My 5-week long course Progressing Your Irish Research Online, taught through Pharos Teaching and Tutoring Ltd (www.pharostutors.com),
kicks off again on Monday, August 19th 2024, and I am very much looking
forward to meeting the next group of students! If interested in joining in, there
are still spaces available, which can be booked via https://www.pharostutors.com/progressing-your-irish-research-online.
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.'
'Depth of knowledge. Expertise of tutor. Excellent Handouts.'
'Fantastic tutor. First class lesson materials. Top-notch quality learning programme.'
'The realization that there are more resources and information available than I first thought!'
And if it helps, a brief introductory video explaining what it will hopefully achieve!
Also please note that my new 5-week course, Researching Irish Land Records, starts its first run from Monday, October 21st 2024. Anyone can sign up, but it is expected that you will have either done the Progressing Your Irish Research Online course, or at least have the equivalent level of knowledge as covered by it. I'm really looking forward to getting stuck into teaching this, so once again, I hope you can join me!
Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.
The latest issue of Who Do You Think You Are? magazine, August 2024, inludes a Records Masterclass article from yours truly looking at Scottish civil marriage records, as well as a Q&A response concerning an apparent place in Scotland called 'Hadingley'.
Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.
Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.
The European maps include content for Austria, Balkans, Belgium, Bulgaria,
Central Europe, Croatia, Czechoslavakia, Demark, Finland, France,
Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands,
Poland, Portugal, Romania, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Spain, Ukraine,
and Yugoslavia.
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 purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.
The British Newspaper Archive (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk) is approaching 81 million pages of content, with 80,929,565 pages available at the time of writing.
The following have been added for Scotland and Northern Ireland in the last thirty days (there have been no additions for the Republic in that period):
Northern Chronicle and General Advertiser for the North of Scotland 1918-1919
Huntly Express 1918-1920
John o' Groat Journal 1952
Inverness Courier 1932-1938, 1942, 1957-1967
Daily Record 1980-1981
Stornoway Gazette and West Coast Advertiser 1994
Fraserburgh Herald and Northern Counties' Advertiser 1892
Northern Ireland:
Coleraine Times 2002
Portadown Times 2002
Londonderry Sentinel 1985, 2002
Belfast News-Letter 1801, 1805, 1807-1809
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 purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.
Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk) has published a new dataset for those with connections to the Irish city of Waterford (and possibly nearby Tramore, unclear from the guide):
About the Waterford, Ireland, Thompson's Funeral Books, 1874-1929
General collection information
This collection contains mortuary records associated with Thompson Funeral Directors in Waterford, Ireland between 1874 and 1929. Most records are handwritten in ledgers. Using this collection
Records in the collection may include the following information:
Name of deceased
Names of family members
Date
Whether or not the primary individual was alive at the time
Residence
Place of burial
Age at burial
Cause of death
Details about the funeral service
Funeral costs
This collection contains unique information that you aren't likely to find in other types of death records. These account ledgers list funeral essentials, including transportation, type of coffin, burial necessities, and even alcohol consumed by mourners for the wake. Records in this collection aren't standardised and the available information will vary from record to record. ...
Collection in context
The roots of Thompson Funeral Directors date back to 1786, making it one of the oldest businesses in Ireland. Thompson Funeral Directors has branches in Waterford City and Tramore in County Waterford. Records in this collection were digitised by the Waterford City and County Libraries.
For further details visit the link.
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 purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.
"After 14 years and 5,764 blogposts, Irish Genealogy News is taking
its leave. Kind of. There will be no new blogposts but those that have
already been published will remain online for a while... probably until
the domain name comes up for renewal.
"My website – Irish-Genealogy-Toolkit.com – will also be continuing
for the time being. It will be receiving some much-needed attention over
the next couple of months but should then be able to stand on its own
legs without taking up too much of my newly-discovered liberty."
A huge thanks to Claire for all her efforts over the last fourteen years, her blog will be much missed!
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 purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.
Other Historic Environment Scotland platforms, such as Canmore (https://canmore.org.uk), the heritage catalogue, are also back up and running.
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 purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.
Major National Lottery investment to unlock UK’s archives
A £5m investment into the archives sector will unlock collections across the UK and build the skills and resilience needed to care for them into the future.
The National Archives, the Pilgrim Trust and the Wolfson Foundation are delighted to announce that The National Lottery Heritage Fund has invested in the Archives Revealed funding programme, awarding £5 million to the partnership. This is one of the Heritage Fund’s biggest investments into archives this century and will increase the value of the programme to £6 million over three years, allowing many more archives to benefit from the fund.
Eilish McGuinness, Chief Executive of The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “Our archives are home to our stories. Records, collections and histories all shine a light on who we are, how we live and what is important to us. I am delighted that National Lottery funding will support Archives Revealed to unlock many more of these stories right across the UK and safeguard them for future generations.
“Our £5million investment will not only amplify the impact of the fantastic Archives Revealed programme - a long running partnership between The National Archives, the Pilgrim Trust and the Wolfson Foundation - but will also share skills and knowledge, foster partnerships and build organisational resilience in the sector. All of this is vital for protecting the future of our archives and delivering our vision for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future.”
Archives Revealed is the only national funding programme dedicated to unlocking archival collections. The aim of the fund is to ensure that significant archive collections, representing the lives and perspectives of all people across the UK, are made accessible to the public for research and enjoyment.
This new investment from The National Lottery Heritage Fund will enable Archives Revealed to support more and larger grants, creating greater impact across the archives sector. The programme will also include funding for public engagement and participatory work for the first time. Archives Revealed will give around 160 grants to archives across the UK over the coming three years, and the Heritage Fund’s investment will ensure that over five times more funding is delivered in 2024-2027 than was possible in 2020-2023.
The programme will continue to offer Cataloguing Grants of up to £50,000 for archives to create catalogues of important archival collections. Catalogues enable people to find and explore archive collections – without them, there would be no access to these crucial records and the stories they tell. Archives Revealed Scoping Grants of up to £3,000 will also remain available to assess underexplored collections and support their development.
Additionally, the programme will start offering larger Consortium Grants of up to £150,000, for projects spanning multiple archives and collections that have the potential to create wider regional or thematic impact. The funding from the Heritage Fund will also allow The National Archives to create a new sector development and training programme, to build the skills of archive professionals and volunteers so that the funded projects and organisations can achieve even more.
Jeff James, Chief Executive and Keeper of The National Archives on behalf of Archives Revealed said:
“This is an exciting time to be involved in archives. This generous grant allows Archives Revealed to help more archives in the coming years, to get the very best out of their collections and make them more accessible, demonstrating that archives truly are for everyone. The addition of a new training programme allows us to continue to support the archive sector as a thriving, inclusive sector which places development and professionalism at its heart. Archives Revealed will continue to save archival heritage, equip archives for the future through skills and knowledge sharing, and significantly increase the reach of archives to diverse audiences across the UK.”
Archives are for everyone because they are about everyone – past, present and future. The new, expanded funding programme will support The National Archives’ work across the archives sector, as well as Heritage 2033, The National Lottery Heritage Fund’s 10-year strategy for investing in heritage for the future as well as the present.
Further details on each grant programme’s timeframe and application process will be published in August, and a webinar on Monday 2 September will provide comprehensive information for applicants.
Comment: I look forward to seeing how Scotland and Northern Ireland will benefit from this UK-wide initiative.
(With thanks to the National Archives at Kew's press office)
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 purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.
The Ulster Historical Foundation (https://ulsterhistoricalfoundation.com) has kindly sent me an updated list of the records that they have been adding to their new platform over the last few weeks. They include the following:
• Anti-Repeal Declaration, 1848 (24,782 records) • Church of Ireland Clergy Succession Lists (23,443 records) • The Ulster Muster Roll, c. 1630 (13,260 records) • The North Ulster Gravestone Collection (10,102 records) • A Directory of Ulster Doctors (5,840 records) • Electors of the Borough of Belfast, 1865 (3,508 records) • Names in seventeenth-century Belfast (2,288 records) • Rental of landgable rents, Dublin, 1665 (2,053 records) • Protestant Petition For Catholic Emancipation 1829 (1,890 records) • Newry Householders in 1836 (1,691 records) • Electors of the Borough of Belfast, 1832 (1,685 records) • Register of Milk Suppliers, Belfast, 1922 (1,590 records) • Voters at the General Election in Londonderry 1868 (1,446 records) • Muster roll of Sir Robert Stewart’s regiment, Raphoe, County Donegal, 1642 (1,233 records) • Subscribers to Poems on Several Subjects by John Anketell (1,129 records) • Londonderry Householders, 1837 (1,063 records) • The Ulster Port Books for Londonderry, Coleraine, Carrickfergus and Lecale, 1612-15 (1,034 records) • Tenants on the Beresford Estate County Londonderry Estate Records (917 records) • Subscription List for new church in Crossgar 1899 (847 records) • Subscribers to 'The Messiah' by John Cameron (814 records) • Freeholders in the Queen's County 1758 (798 records) • Belfast Charitable Society List of Subscribers, 1830 (688 records) • Lisburn Householders, 1837 (684 records) • Clergy and freeholders County Monaghan (666 records) • Crossle deeds, Newry (643 records) • Subsidy Roll 1663, County Down (626 records) • Names of voters in Dundalk taken from the 1847 general election (497 records) • Subscribers to Odes and Elegies by John Corry (491 records) • Subscribers to William Anderson of Saintfield’s Poetry Collection (438 records) • Churchwardens of Donaghcloney parish (390 records) • Dungannon Householders 1837 (359 records) • Valuation of houses in the town of Lurgan, 1782 (351 records) • A list of the Scots to be transplanted from the counties of Antrim and Down, 1653 (294 records) • Catalogue of the sale of the Caledon estate, Counties Tyrone and Armagh, 1775 (285 records) • Carrickfergus Burgesses and Freemen (280 records) • Compensation after the 1798 Rebellion Names of claimants in Counties Antrim and Down (278 records) • Caledon Estate Lease Book Index of lessees, 1752 (253 records) • Persons claiming burial rights, Dungannon, 1861 (205 records) • Members of the business community, Belfast 1798 (152 records) • Petition of the Catholics of Ireland to Parliament, 1805 (98 records)
Free to View Databases: • Contributors to the rebuilding of First Derry Presbyterian Church, 1781 (175 records) • Kilmorey Leases, Newry (156 records) • Marriages in Downpatrick in the eighteenth century (144 records) • List of voters in the Downpatrick election, 1797 (143 records) • Landholders and Leaseholders required to plant trees in Seagoe parish, County Armagh, 1708-09 (138 records) • Loyal address of the High Sheriff, Justices of the Peace, freeholders of County Donegal, 1682 (128 records) • North-East Farming Society Reports of Proceedings 1835 (93 records) • Roll Of Honour Balmoral (87 records)
Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.
About the Aberdeenshire, Scotland, Burial Registers, 1766-1983
This collection contains over two hundred years of records for cemeteries and churchyards across Aberdeenshire from between the years 1769 and 1983. The burial registers list all those interred in a certain burial ground, along with identifying information about them (age, address, etc.). In addition to the registers, this collection also has the sales papers for "lairs" (or burial plots) which include the owner's name, the date of purchase, and the amount paid. The contents of the burial registers and sales papers may vary based on year and location. The records are compiled by burial space and then arranged chronologically.
Using this collection
This collection can hold a wealth of information for those buried in Aberdeenshire. You may discover the following information about your ancestor:
Name
Age
Date of death
Name of spouse
Names of parents
Occupation
Address
The following cemetery registers are included:
Allenvale Cemetery
Cairnie Cemetery
Drumblade Cemetery
Essie Cemetery
Fettercairn Churchyard
Fordoun Churchyard
Forgue Cemetery
Gartly Cemetery
Garvock Churchyard
Glass Cemetery
Grove Cemetery
John Knox Churchyard
Marykirk
Nellfield Cemetery
Nigg Cemetery
Old Machar Churchyard
Rhynie Cemetery Cemetery
Ruthven and Cairnie
St. Clements Kirkyard
St. Nicholas Kirkyard
St. Peter's Cemetery
Trinity Cemetery
Ythanwells Cemetery
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 purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.
Scottish Indexes (www.scottishindexes.com) has expanded its land records collection with additional indexes to the sasines registers. The site now offers the following indexes:
General Register of Sasines covering all counties from 1 January 1777 to
31 December 1779.
Particular Register of Sasines for the counties of Stirling, Clackmannan
and the Stewartry of Menteith (part of Perthshire) covering from 30
November 1726 to 27 December 1734.
Particular Register of Sasines for the counties of Roxburgh, Selkirk and
Peebles covering from 14 February 1622 to 16 March 1622 and the year
1780, as well as entries from the General Register for the same counties
in 1780.
Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.
