In every exhibition there are documents and items that we have to leave out. We’re usually sad to do so, since each one tells another piece of a story that we couldn’t tell you about. One story that features in our WWI Prisoners of War exhibition is that of Private George Davidson, a soldier captured … Continue reading Voices From Our Archives: George & Elizabeth Davidson, 1918
For You The War Is Over
Our new exhibition at General Register House, Edinburgh, reveals previously untold stories of Scottish soldiers who were captured on the battlefields of World War I and imprisoned in Germany. On display for the first time from Monday 22 October, soldiers' personal letters and photographs tell their stories from "behind the wire" in their own words, including … Continue reading For You The War Is Over
No Vote, No Census – Ruth Boreham on the 1911 Census suffrage protests
…I begged her not to interfere with me in the performance of my duty and told her I would listen only to her father, and that I would go whenever he asked me. Then she ran off to another room and almost instantly returned with a large brass bell which she kept constantly clanging … Continue reading No Vote, No Census – Ruth Boreham on the 1911 Census suffrage protests
Rogues Gallery: Faces of Crime 1870-1917
25 October - 1 December 2017 General Register House, Matheson Dome Free Thieves, confidence tricksters, pickpockets and more… Our new exhibition of photographs and criminal records from the Victorian and Edwardian eras will bring you face-to-face with Scotland’s criminal past. National Records of Scotland will display previously unseen mug shot albums alongside official trial records … Continue reading Rogues Gallery: Faces of Crime 1870-1917
Doors Open Day – General Register House and New Register House
Once again, that time of year is approaching when the National Records of Scotland throws open its doors and invites the public into the splendour of the General Register and New Register House, and offers a tantalising glimpse behind the scenes. General Register House Before records were officially stored in the archive, there was no … Continue reading Doors Open Day – General Register House and New Register House
Robert Burns (1759-1796) – the Poet
Robert Burns is the last of the four Famous Scots from the Past featured in our Fringe Festival exhibition this year. With limited space available, the challenge has been to choose a single document that helps us get closer to Scotland’s national poet. We started by considering how the official records, in which NRS is so … Continue reading Robert Burns (1759-1796) – the Poet
Mary, Queen of Scots (1542-1587)
“The daughter of debate that discord aye doth sow” Elizabeth I, from her sonnet ‘The Doubt of Future Foes’ referring to Mary Queen of Scots During her lifetime Mary Queen of Scots was a highly controversial monarch and she continues to divide opinion today. When we consider her reign, we often focus on the … Continue reading Mary, Queen of Scots (1542-1587)
Sir William Arrol (1839-1913) – The Engineer
A titan of engineering and construction, William Arrol established his company in the early 1870s, when Glasgow was developing as an industrial city and the revolutionary Siemens Martin process was enabling the mass production of cheap steel. Arrol made his name with the construction of the Forth Bridge (1890), and is also known for the … Continue reading Sir William Arrol (1839-1913) – The Engineer
Madeleine Hamilton Smith (1835-1928) – The Accused
On 30 June 1857 the trial of Madeleine Smith began. A young woman from a prosperous Glasgow family, Smith was charged with, on three separate occasions, administering arsenic or other poison to Pierre Emile L’Angelier with intent to kill, twice in February and once in March 1857. It was this accusation and the subsequent … Continue reading Madeleine Hamilton Smith (1835-1928) – The Accused
Open Book 