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
Surfing the Web…Archive!
Welcome to our blog! Over the course of few weeks, we will take Open Book readers on a tour of NRS’s new Web Continuity Service. Web archiving and Web Continuity represent an exciting new era for archiving at NRS, providing a digital tool that directly supports our mission to, “collect, preserve and produce information about … Continue reading Surfing the Web…Archive!
Digital Preservation for Local Authorities
For many archivists embarking on a Digital Preservation programme, the biggest challenge is knowing where to start. NRS has been helping local authority archivists to overcome this initial hurdle with two new tools to help archivists get started with digital preservation. Last summer, two Heritage Lottery-funded Skills for the Future trainees, seconded on year-long placements, … Continue reading Digital Preservation for Local Authorities
Getting started with digital preservation
Our Digital Records Unit is launching two new digital preservation tools this summer. These guidance and capacity planning tools have been specifically developed for Scottish local authorities. They are the product of a 12 month project and will assist local authority archivists and record managers get started with digital preservation. The guidance tool will help … Continue reading Getting started with digital preservation
WW1 and the Census
Preparations are now under way for Scotland's Census 2021 but a hundred years ago the First World War had a dramatic impact on the people who planned and delivered the census in 1921. This photo shows Census staff in 1911 in what is now the Archivist's Garden between General Register House and New Register House … Continue reading WW1 and the Census
White gloves
If you watched and enjoyed “The Hector: From Scotland to Nova Scotia” on BBC 2 yesterday (if you missed the programme it’s currently on the iplayer), you’ll have seen Neil Oliver viewing documents in our Historical Search Room. You may also have noticed he’s wearing white gloves – something we don’t generally require readers in … Continue reading White gloves
