Webinars

 

Trapped in Brussels in the First World War: A Civilian Story
Tuesday, 11 November 2025 at 7pm UK time

In this session Chris Paton will examine one of the most dramatic stories in his family history, when his Scottish civilian great grandparents remained trapped in Brussels, along with their family, throughout the German military occupation of Belgium from 1914-1918. Their extraordinary story has various moments of drama and hardship, and tragically not everyone made it out alive. He will discuss how he was able to research their predicament using records from The National Archives in London, from sources in Glasgow, and from Brussels itself, as well as touch on some other aspects of the military occupation. 
The session will be £10 to attend, and you can register at https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_pdods8ZeQyeE2vpBATEDEg 

 

The Godly Commonwealth: Discover Scottish Church Records
Saturday 29 November 2025, at 7pm (UK)

From 1560 until the mid 19th century, the Kirk was Scotland’s shepherd, moral guardian and disciplinarian, its records today providing one of the key resources for genealogical research. But in trying to establish a Calvinist Godly Commonwealth on Earth it defied the Stuart monarchs for well over a century, and through its democratic and Presbyterian zeal constantly split into denominational factions over endless points of doctrine. In the immediate aftermath of its greatest crisis, the ‘Disruption’ in 1843, its ancient theological enemy, Roman Catholicism, was once again back in force in Scotland, as a consequence of the Irish Famine. By this point the dream of the Godly Commonwealth was finally over, with the state taking many of the Kirk's former functions, including poor relief, policing, and the registration of vital events. 

In this session family historian Chris Paton will provide a broad sweep of three hundred years of church history in Scotland, and discuss its impact for the family historian in locating relevant records for research.

Registration is £10, via https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_enWsWNSfSeOZgNZlEmep9g (A recording will be available for a week after, and there will be a handout)