ScotlandsPeople releases Napier Commission records

A major release from ScotlandsPeople (www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk) for those with ancestors in the Highlands and Islands:

Find your ancestors in the Highlands and Islands

Extraordinary records of Victorian crofting life are available to search online for the first time. They offer exciting new clues for your family history search. 

The new records list over 16,000 crofters and cottars on Scotland’s estates across the Highlands and Islands. 

They were collected for the 1883 Napier Commission, a public inquiry set up to investigate crofters’ claims of unfair treatment by landlords. 

Following the Highland Clearances, the records reveal how people survived and maintained traditional ways of life tied to the land. 

Discover fascinating details such as household names, extent of land, rents and animals kept. The records also reveal how families made a living through seasonal work like weaving and gathering whelks.

As those who attended my recent talk on "Gaelic Scotland for Family Historians" will have heard, the Napier Commission, which started in 1883, was officially known as The Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Condition of Crofters and Cottars in the Highlands and Islands), with the published returns freely accessible via www.uhi.ac.uk/en/research-enterprise/cultural/centre-for-history/research/resources/the-napier-commission/. 

The collection on ScotlandsPeople is oddly located under the Poor relief and migration records category (surely this needs to be renamed?!), and entitled Crofters and Cottars (Napier Commission). To view a record via the search box will cost 2 credits per return - although the records can also be browsed freely via the site's Virtual Volumes function. When using the search box, the More Info button will show brief details for a candidate, before you decide to purchase, to make sure you have the right person. 

There are three detailed collections available within the set:

• AF50/6: Returns by proprietors or factors of estates in the counties of Argyll, Caithness, Inverness, Ross and Cromarty, and Sutherland giving: rentals and areas of deer forest, farms, crofters' holdings, shootings, fishings and house property for the years 1853 and 1883. 
• AF50/7: Returns by proprietors or factors of estates in the county of Argyll respecting crofters and cottars. These include information such as the names of crofters/cottars, the number of families and dwellings, their rent, obligations in labour or service, the extent of holdings, arable, pasture and stock.  
• AF50/8: Returns by proprietors or factors of estates in the counties of Argyll, Caithness, Inverness, Ross and Cromarty, and Sutherland giving: names of cottars, whether they are resident on a croft or not, what their rent was and who it was paid to, and their occupation or other means of subsistence.   

A detailed guide on the records is available at https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/help-and-support/guides/napier-commission. 

To search the records visit https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/search-records/poor_relief/napier_commission.

The significance of the Napier Commission to history is that three years later, in 1886, the first Crofting Act came into being, effectively ending the Highland Clearances (Na Fuadaichean) by giving tenants security of tenure. For the family historian, they provide detailed insights into ancestors, as well as another effective census substitute.

10/10 to ScotlandsPeople for this one - happy hunting! 

(With thanks to ScotlandsPeople 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. For purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

Special Scottish GENES Webinar for Remembrance Day: Trapped in Brussels in the First World War - A Civilian Story

Pictured below is my grandfather Charles Paton, born in Brussels in 1905 to two Scottish parents from Blackford in Perthshire and Inverness. In the First World War he was trapped as a child in the city with his family as an enemy civilian, for four long years. You can find out about his story, and those of his family, in an extra special bonus Scottish GENES Webinar, Trapped in Brussels in the First World War: A Civilian Story, next Tuesday 11 November, at 7pm (UK time). 

Their story is simply extraordinary, with various moments of drama and hardship, and tragically not everyone made it out alive. I will discuss how I was able to research their story 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.  

Registration is £10 via https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_pdods8ZeQyeE2vpBATEDEg 

I hope that you can join me.

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. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

December 2025 edition of Who Do You Think You Are? magazine

I've just received a copy of the December 2025 edition of Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine, for which I have written the cover story on family tree software, both offline and online, pointing out the pros and cons of both.

In addition there'a a look at the story of a Glaswegian actress who made her name in Hollywood, the role animals played in the Second World War, how to research ancestors transported to Australia, how to find school records available online, and considerably more. 

The magazine should be available shortly in the shops, and to order online from https://www.whodoyouthinkyouaremagazine.com

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. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

TheGenealogist adds Burke's Landed Gentry 1871

From TheGenealogist (www.thegenealogist.co.uk):

TheGenealogist adds 1871 Burke’s Landed Gentry of Great Britain and Ireland to its online collections

TheGenealogist is pleased to announce the release of the 1871 Burke’s Landed Gentry of Great Britain and Ireland, now fully searchable online.

This important reference work contains hundreds of thousands of names linked to the principal landed families of England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland, often tracing lines back several centuries. Researchers will find detailed pedigrees, family connections, heraldic information and references to estates, a rich resource for anyone with roots in the British and Irish gentry.

Adding these records further strengthens TheGenealogist’s growing collection of classic genealogical reference books, giving family historians more ways to bridge gaps in the civil and parish records.

TheGenealogist's Head of Content, Mark Bayley, commented: “Burke’s is one of those cornerstone sources that helps you understand not just who your ancestors were, but how they were connected. Making this available online and searchable will save researchers hours of work.” 

The new records are available now to Diamond subscribers at TheGenealogist.co.uk.

The Family of Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, the master of gothic suspense and author of Carmilla, the story of a mysterious female vampire that inspired Bram Stoker’s Dracula, can be found in these records - read his story here: https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/featuredarticles/2025/ghosts-in-the-family-tree-8783/ 

(With thanks to Paul Bayley)

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. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

A visit to Glasgow Cathedral

Earlier this week I wrote an article about Glasgow to tie in with a conference happening next year, and as a part of this I ventured into the city to take some photographs to help illustrate it. On my shopping list was the Kelvingrove Museum, and Glasgow Cathedral, and so it was a little disappointing to discover both covered in scaffolding! However, I ventured into the Cathedral, and I thought you might like to see some of the images from what is a stunning building. The cathedral was built in 1136 on a site beside the Molendinar burn (stream), and is dedicated to Glasgow's patron saint, St. Kentigern, better known as St. Mungo. It is also located adjacent to the Glasgow Necropolis, our city of the dead. 

 

 

For further details on visiting the cathedral, see https://glasgowcathedral.org.

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. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

Researching Irish Land Records course starts on November 10th

My next Researching Irish Land Records course, taught on behalf of Pharos Teaching and Tutoring Ltd, starts on Monday 10th November 2025, and lasts for five weeks. Here are the details:

Researching Irish Land Records

The issue of land ownership was a potent question in Ireland for centuries. In the 17th century vast swathes of land was settled by Protestant British colonists during the Plantations of Ulster, drawn mostly from Scotland, whilst the subsequent Cromwellian conquest led to mass confiscation of land across Ireland, to be conveyed to English soldiers and 'adventurers'. The Penal Laws had soon dispossessed the native Irish Catholic population of many rights, including land ownership and inheritance rights. At the same time, the first national land valuation survey in the world was carried out, and an elaborate system of land administration imposed. In the 19th century, Ireland's incorporation into the United Kingdom was followed by great tragedy with the Famine, but in its aftermath a new opportunity arose following the Land War to radically alter rental provisions and then to redistribute land away from an absentee landlord class.

Following on from the Progressing Your Irish Research Online course*, this course will look at the various types of records that can help with land research in Ireland from the period of the 17th century to the present day. It will examine the various forms of land tenure that existed, the records of ownership and rental, the valuation and conveyance of property, maps, and many other resources. Importantly it will show how to find the most useful land records, and how to use them for your family history research.

* Although not compulsory, it is recommended that students will have first completed the Progressing Your Irish Research Online course.

Lesson Headings:

• The Basics of Irish Land Research
• Colonialism and Conquest
• Managing the Land
• Valuation and Conveyance
• The Land War and Redistribution

Relevant countries: Ireland

What to expect:

Each lesson includes lesson notes, activities and forum exercises for students to complete during the week and a one-hour live tutorial (text chat or Zoom) with the tutor and the rest of the class. Times for the tutorials are set at the beginning of each course by the tutor. 

Tutor: Chris Paton   
Length: 5 weeks   
Start date: Monday 10 November 2025
Cost: £70

Feedback from previous students:

“I really liked how each lesson showed why it's important to understand and use different types of records. It helped me see how one record leads to the next, making it easier to trace family history. Land records, in particular, can be tricky, but this course gave me a much better understanding of how and why they were made, which is key to interpreting them.”

“The content was excellent. The instructor provided good contextual information for the suggested links and readings. I learned about resources I might never have discovered easily.”

“I enjoyed learning about new approaches to Irish land record research that were either unknown or forgotten to me.”

“The course notes were amazing and Chris is a very knowledgeable tutor.”

To register, please visit https://www.pharostutors.com/researching-irish-land-records

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. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

Ancestry releases Tipperary Coroners Inquests index

Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk) has added another Irish collection:

Tipperary, Ireland, Coroners' Inquests Index, 1832-1836
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/63088/
Source: Ancestry is citing itself as the source, which is remarkable as it didn't exist in the 19th century. It states the collection to be from Tipperary, Ireland, Coroners' Inquests Index, 1832-1836 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2025.

This collection may include the following details:

• Name
• Maiden name
• Age
• Occupation
• Inquest date
• Parish
• Barony
• Death information
• Death date and place
• Parents' names 

I always find it a bit arrogant when a records site cites itself as the source - hoew about some clarity Ancestry? 

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. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

British Newspaper Archive passes 97 million pages - and adds Jackie!

The British Newspaper Archive (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk) has passed 97 million pages of content, with the current total at the time of writing being 97,036,307 pages, making it quite possible, perhaps even likely, that the platform will reach the notable 100 million pages mark at the turn of the year.

The following are the latest Scottish and Irish additions:

Scotland

Montrose Review 
1994-1999

Ayrshire Express 
1879, 1884-1886

Aberdeen Bon-Accord & Northern Pictorial 
1951-1959

Stornoway Gazette and West Coast Advertiser 
1995-2004

Musselburgh News 
1989, 1994-2004

Kirkintilloch Herald 
1995-2004

Kilsyth Chronicle 
1938-1943, 1946-1947, 1949-1950, 1994-2004

Helensburgh News 
1887-1891

Forfar Dispatch 
1995-2004

Dundee Weekly News 
1989, 1991

Daily Review (Edinburgh) 
1861, 1865, 1868, 1885

Bellshill Speaker 
1995-2004

Buchan Observer and East Aberdeenshire Advertiser 
1986

The Highlander 
1877


Ireland:

Irish Golfer 
1899-1900

Irish Church Advocate 
1886-1889, 1891

Illustrograph (Dublin) 
1894-1899

Belfast News-Letter 
1749, 1826

Longford Leader 
1916-1917

And for readers of a certain era, there's also a new title that I am sure will go down well - Jackie, the weekly girls paper launched in 1964, with coverage available from 1964-1993! You can read a free edition of this at https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/titles/jackie.

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. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

New permanent Shinty's Story exhibition opens in Inverness

A new permanent exhibition has opened in Inverness telling the story of one of Scotland's national sports, shinty (known in Gaelic as iomain or camanachd). The exhibition, entitled 'Shinty's Story - Sgeul na Camanachd', is based at the Bught Park Pavilion, Inverness (the home of Inverness Shinity Club), and was part-funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund with a grant of £544,000.

'Shinty's Story' builds on four key pillars - Foundation, Community, Competition and Future, wih the exhibition featuring medals and other shinty memorabilia, digital displays and stories from players - both past and present. 

The exhibition is free to attend and open from Friday to Tuesday from 9.00am to 5.00pm. 

A BBC article in Gaelic about the opening is available at https://www.bbc.co.uk/naidheachdan/sgeulachdan/c0jdzj15v0no. The project has its own dedicated Facebook page in English at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61582280150903. 

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. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

Scottish Indexes 30th anniversary conference

The 30th Scottish Indexes Conference will take place on Saturday 22 November 2025, with the following speakers and talks lined up for the event:

• Introducing the Ordnance Survey Name Books and historical tax rolls on Scotland's People by Tessa Spencer, Head of Learning at the National Records of Scotland
• An Arran Jigsaw: some records relating to people and places between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries by Robert Urquhart of Abbotshall Palaeography
• 5th Duke of Buccleuch: a forward thinking landed aristocrat by Craig Thomas, Assistant Archivist at Buccleuch Living Heritage Trust
• The Doctor will see your ancestors now by Fiona Musk NHS Grampian Archivist
• Weaving the threads of time: exploring the lives of Dundee textile workers by Caroline Brown, University Archivist and an Assistant Director in the Library Academic and Cultural Services at the University of Dundee
• Scottish Genealogy Q&A hosted by Graham and Emma Maxwell  

Congratulations to Graham and Emma on reaching this milestone event. The conference is free to attend, and you can find out more details on how to do so at their conferences page at https://www.scottishindexes.com/conference.aspx.

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. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.