RHP7041 – Architectural drawing of Dalkeith Parish Church, 1848, W Burn and D Bryce, architects. ScotlandsPeople is our ancestry research service and Scotland's leading website for genealogical research. In addition to records of births, deaths and marriages in Scotland going back centuries, you can also find many more record sets from the National Records of … Continue reading Archives Online – Maps and Plans
The Declaration of Arbroath: HES and NRS education resources
The Declaration of Arbroath "As long as but a hundred of us remain alive, never will we on any conditions be brought under English rule. It is in truth not for glory, nor riches, nor honours, that we are fighting, but for freedom - for that alone, which no honest man gives up but with … Continue reading The Declaration of Arbroath: HES and NRS education resources
A Tumult in the City
Following the 'Glorious' or 'Bloodless' Revolution of 1689 , when William of Orange was crowned King of England and Scotland and displaced James VII and II , in Scotland, there was still resistance from the people. As fighting continued to break out, people were arrested and imprisoned for petty crimes, such as not praying for … Continue reading A Tumult in the City
Hellish Nell: Medium or Fraud?
On 25 November 1897 in Callander, Isabella Rattray and Archibald McFarlane welcomed a daughter named Victoria Helen Macfarlane. The birth entry for Victoria Helen Macfarlane, 25 November 1897Crown copyright, NRS, Statutory Register of Births 1897/336/44The above shows she was born at 3 am on 96 Main Street in Callander. Her father worked as a slater … Continue reading Hellish Nell: Medium or Fraud?
Doors Open Days 2021
The National Records of Scotland (NRS) is taking part in Doors Open Days (DOD) again this year, on Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th September. The aim of DOD is to give everyone the opportunity to explore some of the most architecturally and culturally significant buildings in Scotland, places which are not usually open to the … Continue reading Doors Open Days 2021
Ancestry Research: Lightbulb Moments and False Trails
A chance discovery last year, in one of our registers inspired NRS Registration casework officer Rachael Lloyd to investigate the life of Malvina Wells – born into slavery in Grenada, and later making a life for herself in Edinburgh in the 1800s. Little did Rachael know that while she was researching her article Frances Macdonald, … Continue reading Ancestry Research: Lightbulb Moments and False Trails
The “Radical Rising” of 1820
The “Radical War” or “Radical Rising” of 1820, also known as the Scottish Insurrection of 1820, was a week of strikes and unrest in Scotland that culminated in the trial of a number of ‘radicals’ for treason. National Records of Scotland (NRS) holds the trial records and to mark the 200th anniversary of this event, … Continue reading The “Radical Rising” of 1820
Christmas: Banned in Scotland!
Christmas is now well established in Scotland as a time for giving, enjoying the company of loved ones, decorating the Christmas tree and of course, indulging in some Christmas feasting! But until relatively recently, Scotland did not celebrate Christmas, at least, not openly. For over 400 years, Christmas was frowned upon in Scotland and its … Continue reading Christmas: Banned in Scotland!
Feline Christmassy?
This year's Christmas e-card from National Records of Scotland features one of the more light-hearted items from our Register House Plans series – a ballroom filled with cats enjoying a Christmas party, dancing, gossiping and having fun. We think that this could be the item containing the most cats in the NRS collections! In creating … Continue reading Feline Christmassy?
The NRS Web Archive and the NRS Web Continuity Service
So far in this blog series we have discovered government websites’ value as public records, and explored the world of web archiving. This week we combine these two threads, to introduce the NRS Web Archive and our Web Continuity Service. The NRS Web Continuity Service went live in February 2017. Delivered as part of NRS’s … Continue reading The NRS Web Archive and the NRS Web Continuity Service
Open Book 