Detail: Ilan Dun from the Village, showing the cragsmen of St Kilda (NRS: GD41/598) Sir Thomas Dick Lauder was an administrator in manufacturing and fisheries during the 1840s, required to travel extensively around Scotland’s coasts. In his journeys, he sketched detailed scenes of the coastlines and fishing villages he visited. NRS Conservator Jackie Thorburn has … Continue reading Conservation of a Sketchbook
Food and Family
Food is a collective human need, and meals are symbolic of sharing and nurturing each other. Food stimulates all of our senses, evokes experiences of childhood, special occasions and can be a source of excitement and comfort. In this article we look at recipes found in National Records of Scotland's archives and how they represent … Continue reading Food and Family
Conserving Christmases
Conservator Gloria Conti looks at a fun item from our archives and tells us about the challenges of conserving a poster that would have been designed for use for only a short period of time... Sometimes jobs can feel like a treat, and what’s better than a fun job just before Christmas? In preparation for … Continue reading Conserving Christmases
Tartan on TV
Today, Ross Truslove looks at tartan designs in the Scottish Register of Tartans, which was created by the Scottish Parliament in 2008 as a single independent register to promote and preserve information about historic and contemporary tartans from Scotland and throughout the world… This design is the MacDuck tartan - recorded with a predecessor of … Continue reading Tartan on TV
What’s in an archive?
For this year’s Explore Your Archive (#EYA, #exploreyourarchive) campaign, Outreach archivist Jocelyn Grant explains what an archive is, what makes them unique, and explains some of the terms and techniques archivists use to make records accessible... “The outstanding feature of the Archive, putting this also at its simplest, it… by its nature… represents some measure … Continue reading What’s in an archive?
What is Conservation?
Today, NRS Head of Conservation Linda Ramsay explains what her team's role is and looks back at the history of paper conservation in Scotland... Public interest in objects and their conservation and preservation has never been stronger. ”Before and afters“ are endlessly fascinating, connecting us to our past and history, and next to cookery and … Continue reading What is Conservation?
National Records of Scotland – Remembrance and the Roll of Honour
11 November marks Armistice, also known as Remembrance Day, where those who lost their lives lost during the First World War are commemorated. Over 16 million people died during the war and although there is no accepted total of Scottish war dead, estimates vary between 100,000 and 135,000. The sheer scale of the conflict mobilised … Continue reading National Records of Scotland – Remembrance and the Roll of Honour
We Don’t Just Do Paper: Depositing Digital Records
On World Digital Preservation Day, archivist Eve Wright (below right, with NRS digital capacity planning lead Joanne Watson) tells us how NRS is working to record Scotland's records for the future - both records that are created on paper and in other formats... Today marks World Digital Preservation Day where institutions around the world advocate … Continue reading We Don’t Just Do Paper: Depositing Digital Records
“Oh! Rowan Tree, thou’lt aye be dear to me”
“Oh! Rowan Tree, thou’lt aye be dear to me” Hallowe’en, or All Saints’ Eve, is considered the time of year that the physical and supernatural realms are at their closest, and magical (or spooky) occurrences are possible. It is also a time of celebration; the end of summer and the thanksgiving of the harvest. This … Continue reading “Oh! Rowan Tree, thou’lt aye be dear to me”
Out Guising
It is once again the tail end of the year, where the clocks go back, the days get darker, and spirits come ever closer to the waking world. In the Celtic calendar the year was divided into two halves: the dormant and dark winter; and the bright and vibrant summer. This was split again into … Continue reading Out Guising
Open Book 