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. Cuimhnich air na daoine o'n d'thàinig thu!
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.
