The National Register of Archives for Scotland (NRAS) was set up in 1946 to compile a record of collections of private papers in Scotland, to encourage their care and to make information about them available to researchers and others. Today, Dr Alison Rosie of NRAS provides some helpful advice on how you can preserve your … Continue reading #LockdownLearning – Preserving Your Papers
1320-2020 – 700 Years of the Declaration of Arbroath, by Dr Alan Borthwick
6 April 2020 is the 700th anniversary of the Declaration of Arbroath - perhaps the most famous and important of Scotland's historic documents. Drafted in 1320, the Declaration is a powerful call for recognition of the Kingdom of Scotland's sovereign independence and it's a key treasure in the National Records of Scotland archives. The Declaration … Continue reading 1320-2020 – 700 Years of the Declaration of Arbroath, by Dr Alan Borthwick
From Arbroath to Edinburgh – The Declaration of Arbroath at 700
On 6 April, National Records of Scotland is celebrating the 700th anniversary of the most famous and iconic document in their collections – the Declaration of Arbroath. Linda Ramsay is responsible for preserving the Declaration of Arbroath for future generations. She told us that this world-famous document has been a constant in her life since … Continue reading From Arbroath to Edinburgh – The Declaration of Arbroath at 700
What is the Declaration of Arbroath?
On 6 April, NRS is celebrating the 700th anniversary of the Declaration of Arbroath one of Scotland’s most iconic and famous historic documents and a key treasure in our archives. Ahead of the anniversary Dr Alan Borthwick – NRS head of medieval and early modern records - looks at the document’s long and surprising history and … Continue reading What is the Declaration of Arbroath?
Voices from our Archives: Malvina Wells, c.1805 – 1887
NRS Registration casework officer Rachael Lloyd looked more deeply into intriguing entries in our registers and uncovered a surprising tale of slavery, service and freedom in nineteenth century Scotland... Malvina Wells was born around 1805, on the Island of Carriacou in Grenada. She was born into slavery, and although she will have been far … Continue reading Voices from our Archives: Malvina Wells, c.1805 – 1887
Statistics on homeless deaths in Scotland
Today NRS published experimental statistics on homeless deaths in Scotland for the first time, in response to user demand. Similar information was produced by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) for England and Wales in 2018, and there has been considerable demand since then from a wide range of stakeholders for comparable Scottish figures. We … Continue reading Statistics on homeless deaths in Scotland
Web Archiving & Web Continuity
National Records of Scotland is today celebrating World Digital Preservation Day. We caught up with our web continuity assistant Barbara Fuentes at West Register House, who told us about her work on archiving websites, helping to ensure that digital records are captured and preserved for the future… Digital Records NRS has been archiving paper records for … Continue reading Web Archiving & Web Continuity
Talking obsolescence in Oban: 2019 Community Archive Workshop Tour of Scotland
We’re constantly surrounded by digital material – tweets, photos, videos and much more – but stored information is surprisingly vulnerable and easy to lose, with community archives’ content particularly at risk. World Digital Preservation Day is an annual celebration of efforts across the globe to secure and preserve our digital record. In this blog post, … Continue reading Talking obsolescence in Oban: 2019 Community Archive Workshop Tour of Scotland
Tulloch, Burke and Brook
On 2nd August 1847, a young man named Archibald Burke allegedly attacked and raped Elspeth Duffus, the wife of the local carter, on a quiet country road in Couper-Angus. Under normal circumstances, once any physical evidence of wrongdoing had been gathered and once the proposed list of witnesses had been finalised and their declarations duly … Continue reading Tulloch, Burke and Brook
The Dummy Dodge – Part 2
While awaiting his trial for assault in 1853, David Brook was temporarily incarcerated at Kirkcudbright Prison where he evidently took great care to secure the good opinion of the Prison Keeper, James Clark. Of his charge Clark wrote: ‘His general conduct is good. He is quite willing to work. He can write and that is … Continue reading The Dummy Dodge – Part 2
