ScotlandsPeople uncovers Christmassy names in the records

ScotlandsPeople (www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk) has published a festive article entitled Santa Baby Found in Scotland's Historical Records, noting various Christmassy themed names found by staff members in the archival collections of the National Records of Scotland. 

To read the article visit https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/news-and-articles/santa-baby-found-scotlands-history-books.

Chris 

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, 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. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

Townlands and Irish Land Divisions - How to Use the Townland Atlas of Ulster presentation by Andrew Kane

The Ulster Historical Foundation () has uploaded a great lecture onto its YouTube channel from Andrew Kane, entitled Townlands and Irish Land Divisions - How to Use the Townland Atlas of Ulster, based on the recent book written by Andrew and published by the Foundation. The presentation is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kb7BYuXZW8s, and also embedded below for your convenience.

The book, The Townland Atlas of Ulster, is available from the Foundation at https://ulsterhistoricalfoundation.com/shop/products/townland-atlas, priced £69.99, and is thoroughly recommended.

Chris 

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, 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. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

Family Tree magazine's Tracing Your Scottish Ancestors event in February 2026

I'm delighted to be participating once again in Family Tree magazine's annual Scottish family history month events in February 2026, where I will be both hosting and taking part as a presenter. The following are the details from the magazine for the event, which will be called Tracing Your Scottish Ancestors:  

Are you ready to take your Scottish family history research to the next level?

Whether you’re just starting out or want to break through a brick wall, our Tracing Your Scottish Ancestors series is designed to help you uncover the stories, records and techniques that will improve your research.

From unmissable online resources to expert tuition from National Records of Scotland, Scotland’s People, and leading genealogists, each session gives you practical tools you can use immediately in your own research.

The series consists of four sessions…

3 February, 6.30pm – Tracing Your Scottish Ancestors: Meet the Experts
Free introductory discussion panel

10 February, 6.30pm: Tracing Your Scottish Ancestors: Finding the Best Online Resources, with Chris Paton

17 February, 6.30pm: Tracing Your Scottish Ancestors: Develop Your Research Skills, with Tahitia McCabe, University of Strathclyde

24 February, 6.30pm: Tracing Your Scottish Ancestors: Searching the Records with National Records of Scotland & Scotland’s People

REGISTRATION NOW OPEN:

Tracing Your Scottish Ancestors
3 - 24 February 2026 | 6.30pm | Live on Zoom

How does the pricing work?

Book individual webinars or save with the bundle ticket and come to them all…

3 February: Meet the Experts – Free

10 February: Online Resources – Register for £25

17 February: Research Skills – Register for £25

24 February: Searching the Records – Register for £25


Best Value: Attend all four sessions for £60 (£50 for Family Tree Plus members)

What will I learn?

Across four expert-led sessions, you’ll learn how to:

•     Begin your Scottish genealogy with confidence
•     Use Scotland’s key online resources effectively
•     Strengthen your research skills
•     Search and understand Scottish records
•     Understand the social history behind your ancestors

What's included in the bundle ticket?

Access to all four sessions, a dedicated hub page with recordings of each session, available to you until 1 April 2026. 

For further details, and to sign up for sessions, please visit https://www.family-tree.co.uk/store/genealogy-tools/family-tree-magazine/tracing-scottish-ancestors-masterclass 

COMMENT: I hope to see you there, it's always great fun at Family Tree's Scottish February event!

Chris 

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, 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. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

Historic Environment Scotland to set up independent governance review following publication of Auditor General's report

The Scottish Government's heritage body, Historic Environment Scotland (https://www.historicenvironment.scot), is to set up an independent review into its governance in the new year, after the Auditor General labelled its performace as 'unacceptable', with allegations of a toxic workplace, racism, and financial management weaknesses. The review will look into HES's structure, efficiency and culture.

For more on the story visit https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgqzgj1v2yqo. The Auditor General's report is available at https://audit.scot/news/unacceptable-governance-at-historic-environment-scotland.

Chris 

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, 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. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

Recent online maps additions from the National Library of Scotland

The mapping department of the National Library of Scotland (www.nls.uk) has added several collections over the last two months, including:

• Additional Ordnance Survey One-Inch Ireland maps and layers, 1856-1900
• OS Six-inch England and Wales first edition - earlier states (1840s-1880s)
• Second Land Utilisation Survey, Great Britain, ca. 1958-1974
• Early maps of Great Britain and Ireland, 1570s-1960s

Further details on all of these new additions can be found at https://maps.nls.uk/additions/

Chris 

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, 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. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

Will the British Newspaper Archive reach 100 million pages of content by the end of this year?

I mentioned last week that the British Newspaper Archive (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk) was fast approaching 98 million pages of content, and noting the additions for Scotland and Ireland over the previous thorty days - see https://scottishgenes.blogspot.com/2025/11/british-newspaper-archive-approaches-98.html.

The BNA has passed that mark now, with  98,175,654 pages at the time of writing, and with some additional Irish content added over the last week:

Ulster Gazette 
1878

Connaught Telegraph 
1876-1913

Athlone Times 
1889-1902 

With the speed at which content is now being added, I'm wondering if the BNA can make 100 million pages of content available by January 1st 2026?! Bear in mind that it took nine years to achieve 40 million pages, a goal reached in late 2020 after nine years (https://scottishgenes.blogspot.com/2020/11/british-newspaper-archive-reaches-40.html) - just five years later, it has added almost 60 million more pages of content.

Watch this space! 

Chris 

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, 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. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

FindmyPast adds Merchant Seamen's Campaign Medal Records 1939-1945

FindmyPast (www.fundmypast.co.uk) has added a new merchant seamen wartime collection:

Merchant Seamen's Campaign Medal Records 1939-1945

Discover the campaign medals awarded to Britain’s Merchant Navy during the Second World War. These records list the men and women who kept Britain supplied across dangerous wartime seas, detailing their name, birth information, rank, and medal entitlement. Use this set to trace your ancestor’s wartime service and recognise the vital role merchant seafarers played in the Allied victory.

For a link to the record set, and for other news from the company, visit https://search.findmypast.co.uk/search-world-records/merchant-seamens-campaign-medal-records-1939-1945

Chris 

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, 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. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

FindmyPast adds more Fermanagh burial records

Amongst the additions to FindmyPast (www.findmypast.co.uk) this week is the following:

Fermanagh Cemetery Records

We've added 1,170 more records to this Irish collection. They can reveal where and when your relatives were buried in County Fermanagh, their ages, and how to locate their graves in the listed cemetery. 

For the link, and other additions, visit https://www.findmypast.co.uk/blog/new/dorset-poll-cards

Chris 

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, 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. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

ScotlandsPeople adds new maps and plans

From the latest ScotlandsPeople (www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk) newsletter via email:

New maps and plans

Over 1,000 new maps and plans are now available to search. They range from historic town layouts to architectural designs of iconic buildings like Arbroath Abbey and the National Gallery of Scotland. Discover churches, prisons, railways, estates and industrial sites from Scotland's past. 

The new maps and plans are accessible via https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/search-records?tab=maps_plans#search_records, but I can't see a listing anywhere of what has actually been added.

Chris 

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, 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. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

TheGenealogist releases Fully Searchable National Probate Calendar 1858-1879 for England and Wales

TheGenealogist (www.thegenealogist.co.uk) is releasing its own version of the English and Welsh National Probate Calendar, with the first fully searchable trance covering the period from 1858-1879. Although dealing with English and Welsh probate records, Scottish and Irish folk often appear in the records also, whether because they lived in England or Wales when they died, or if records were resealed between jurisdictions of the UK, if assets existed in more than one country. 

The following is the press release.

TheGenealogist launches National Probate Calendar, covering 1858 to 1879

TheGenealogist today announced the release of their new Fully Searchable National Probate Calendar for 1858 to 1879, giving access to one of the most useful sources for discovering family connections and personal stories from the Victorian era.

TheGenealogist has transcribed every field within these records. This unique feature allows researchers to search not just by name, but also by spouse, occupation, place of death or residence, and executor details, offering new ways to identify ancestors even when a name is common or the spelling is uncertain.

At launch, the collection comprises  849,412 searchable probate records and names 2,021,928 individuals. This includes not only the deceased but also the executors, often revealing close relatives, in-laws, business partners, or trusted friends that other sources miss.

Probate material from this period can reveal far more than a name and a date. Entries frequently include details such as the deceased’s address, occupation or status, the date of death, the court where probate was granted, the value of the estate (to which TheGenealogist has added the value in today's terms).

TheGenealogist’s Head of Content, Mark Bayley, commented: 

"Anyone who has tried to find an ancestor with a common surname knows the frustration of sifting through hundreds of identical names. That’s why we have transcribed the full entry for each person. Researchers can now instantly filter by trade or town and more, turning a 'needle in a haystack' search into an instant discovery."

The National Probate Calendar (1858–1879) records are available now to Diamond subscribers at TheGenealogist. The company plans to release subsequent years in the coming months. 

Featured Article: Read the story of Stephens Lyne-Stephens, ‘the richest commoner in England’, found in these records: https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/featuredarticles/2025/fortune-scandal-and-legacy-8822/

(With thanks to Paul Bayley via email)

Chris

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, 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. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

UK National Archives to raise fees and introduce new Request A Military Service Record service

The National Archives based at Kew, England, which has charge of records common to the four nations of the UK, is to raise its fees in February 2026 for the first time since 2019, and to introduce a new Request A Military Service Record service. The following is the announcement:

From 2 February 2026, The National Archives will increase fees for some services as we bring charges in line with current delivery costs. This is the first increase since 2019.

The changes affect fees for document copies, research and search services, and authentication, and also introduce a new fee for accessing recently transferred historic Ministry of Defence service personnel records.

Saul Nassé, Chief Executive of The National Archives said:

‘We are introducing updated fees that reflect the costs of providing services to meet the high standards our users rightly expect. We have worked hard to keep the costs as low as possible, while introducing new offerings that we believe the public will value. A visit to view records at our reading rooms in Kew remains free, while these charges allow us to invest in the additional services we know people want.’

Since the last review in 2018, the operational costs involved to deliver our services have increased significantly. Improvements in our processes have enabled us to keep the majority of increases below inflation over the six-year period.

The one charge which has increased more than inflation is for naturalisation certificate copies. The certification process for naturalisation certificates is more complex than the general record copying service. This multi-stage process ensures the integrity and authenticity of certified naturalisation certificates, which are often required for legal and official purposes, and the new charge reflects the full costs involved.

The fee structure now also includes two new routes for access to historic Ministry of Defence service personnel records via a bespoke digital service, Request A Military Service Record. This new offer, starting on 2 February 2026, will provide a speedier and better-quality service and will allow us to address the high demand for access since the service personnel records began arriving at The National Archives in 2021. To date we have received 8.2 million personnel records with approximately 2.6 million already available to search on our catalogue.

The National Archives does not make a profit from charging, as the fees reflect how much it actually costs to deliver our services today.

The vast majority of the records in our collection which are open and searchable on our catalogue can still be viewed for free in our reading rooms at Kew.

The new Fees Regulations can be viewed at legislation.gov.uk

Read more information on the new Fees Regulations

Read more information on the new Request a Military Service Record service 

The Request a Service Record service will cost a whopping £42.25 for digital copies and £47.16 for print copies, standard service, plus postage and packing. The rate includes a search fee and copying fee. 

Note the following:

The implementation date is Monday 2 February 2026. Any requests received prior to this date will go into the current system and will not be charged. Requests received on or after 2 February 2026 will go into the new service and if requesting the standard service, users will receive their information within 30 working days. 

(With thanks to TNA via email)

Chris 

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, 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. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.