R E S E A R C H   G U I D A N C E

Scotland
Research Outline
   

Table of Contents
Introduction
     Obtaining Copies Of Publications
     Using This Outline
Scottish Search Strategies
Records At The Family History Library
The Family History Library Catalog
     Records Selection Table: Scotland
Archives And Libraries
Biography
Cemeteries
Census
Church Directories
Church History
Church Records
     Nonconformist Church Records
Civil Registration
     General Historical Background
     Information Recorded In Civil Registers
     Finding Civil Registration Records
     Indexes To Civil Registration Records
Court Records
     Types Of Courts
     Finding Court Records
     For More Information
Directories
Emigration And Immigration
     General Background
     Emigration From Scotland
     Records Of Scottish Emigrants In Their Destination Countries
     Immigration Into Scotland
Gazetteers
Genealogy
Heraldry
Historical Geography
History
Land And Property
Language And Languages
Maps
Merchant Marine
Military Records
     Army
     Navy
     Militia
     Other Branches Of The Military
     Handbooks On Military History And Military Records
Names, Personal
Newspapers
Nobility
Occupations
Periodicals
Probate Records
     Determining The Court
     Finding Probate Records
     Indexes To Probate Records
     Difficulties In Finding A Probate Record
Poorhouses, Poor Law, Etc.
Schools
Societies
Taxation
Other Records For Scotland
For Further Reading
Comments And Suggestions

SCHOOLSLook this term up in the glossary.

If your ancestor went to one of Scotland’s colleges, universities, or schools, he or she may be in the institution’s enrollment records. Some of these records have been published, notably for the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries.

These records may contain valuable information about your ancestor, such as name, birthplace, residence, father’s name, and other biographical details.

The Family History Library has very few Scottish school records, but there are some records for larger cities such as Edinburgh and Glasgow. You can find school records in the Locality Search of the catalog under:

SCOTLAND - SCHOOLSSCOTLAND, [COUNTY] - SCHOOLSSCOTLAND, [COUNTY], [CITY or PARISH] - SCHOOLS

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SOCIETIESLook this term up in the glossary.

Scottish societies and organizations may have information of value to your genealogical research. Some are set up on a regional basis, others on a countywide basis, and others are only for a portion of a county. Most publish helpful journals, transcripts, and compiled genealogies. They may have ongoing projects searching and indexing records which are of genealogical value. Some publish queries about Scottish ancestors or maintain lists of member research interests.

You may want to join one of these societies and to support their efforts. This section of the outline discusses only Scottish societies, but do not overlook other societies in Great Britain and in the country to which your ancestors immigrated.

See the “Periodicals” section of this outline for more information about the journals and newsletters published by these societies.


Family History Societies

A coordinating organization for many societies is the Scottish Association of Family History Societies (SAFHS). The society publishes The Scottish Association of Family History Societies Bulletin, which contains news and updates on its member societies. For information about this organization, write to:

Scottish Association of Family History Societies
51/3 Mortonhall Road
Edinburgh EH9 2HN
Scotland

Local History Societies

Many societies study local history and publish journals on the subject. A coordinating organization for local history groups is the Scottish Local History Forum. They publish Scottish Local History Journal. You may write for information about this association to:

The Honourable Secretary
Scottish Local History Forum
c/o National Museums of Scotland
York Buildings, Queen Street
Edinburgh EH2 1JD
Scotland

One-Name Groups

Some organizations gather information about all individuals with a particular surname. If you are interested in such an organization, contact:

Guild of One-Name StudiesLook this term up in the glossary.
Box G
14 Charterhouse Buildings
Goswell Road
London EC1M 7BA
England

Finding Records at the Family History Library

The Family History Library has copies of many records compiled by these societies. To find them, look for the society’s name in the Author/Title Search of the catalog on microfiche. Or, look in the Locality Search under:

SCOTLAND - SOCIETIESSCOTLAND, [COUNTY] - SOCIETIES

The Locality Search also lists some records gathered by societies under the record type. For example, cemetery transcripts done by a local family history society are listed in the Locality Search under SCOTLAND, [COUNTY] - CEMETERIES.

You can also use the Locality Search to find lists and guides that describe societies’ collections. Search under:

SCOTLAND - ARCHIVES AND LIBRARIESSCOTLAND - [COUNTY] - ARCHIVES AND LIBRARIESSCOTLAND - [COUNTY] - [CITY, TOWN, or PARISH] - ARCHIVES AND LIBRARIES

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TAXATIONLook this term up in the glossary.

Various records exist for taxes levied throughout Scottish history. Originally, government revenues came from property owned by the crown. The government levied small-scale, national taxes during times of specific financial need. National taxes were separate from the local taxes, or ratesLook this term up in the glossary., which were collected by the parishes for local services and poor relief (see the “Church Records” or “Poorhouses, Poor Law, etc.” sections of this outline). Separate records may have been created for the assessment and collection of the taxes.

After England and Scotland unified in 1707, Scotland had many of the same taxes as England. However, not all English taxes were levied on the Scottish at the time of union.


Types of Tax Records

Some Scottish taxes include:

Apprenticeship Tax. From 1710 to 1811, a tax was assessed on the money a master received for an apprenticeship indentureLook this term up in the glossary.. The tax was due within one year after the term of indenture expired. ApprenticesLook this term up in the glossary. put out by a parish or charity were exempt from the tax.

The records contain the master’s name, address, and trade and the apprentice’s name and date of indenture. There are indexes for 1710 to 1774 only (FHL films 477624-477637). The original records are housed at the Public Record Office, Kew. For more information on apprenticeships, see the “Occupations” section.

Hearth TaxLook this term up in the glossary.. A tax of a shilling for each fireplace or stove (except those of paupers) was collected between 1690 and 1695. The records are housed at the Scottish Record Office. They give the name and number of hearths. This tax indicates the size of the house. Not all counties are represented in the available records. You can find these records in the Locality Search of the Family History Library under SCOTLAND, [COUNTY] - TAXATION.

Poll Tax. This tax was levied annually on all males except beggars and monks. The records exist between 1694 and 1699 and are housed in the Scottish Record Office. The records are arranged by county. The Family History Library has microfilm copies of these records (FHL film 559527-559528).


Records at the Family History Library

The Family History Library has microfilmed copies of some of the original tax lists. Look in the Locality Search of the catalog under:

SCOTLAND - TAXATIONSCOTLAND - [COUNTY] - TAXATIONSCOTLAND - [COUNTY] - [PARISH] - TAXATION

For more information, see the following sources:

Dowell, Stephen, and A.R. Ilersic. A History of Taxation and Taxes in England. 6 vols. London: Frank Cass & Co., Ltd., 1965. (FHL 942 R4d.) These volumes give a detailed history of taxation in England and Scotland and define the relationship between the two countries in terms of tax levying and implementation.

Gibson, Jeremy. The Hearth Tax and Other Later Stuart Tax Lists and the Oath Association Rolls. Solihull, England: Federation of Family History Societies, 1986. (FHL book 942 R43g.) This reference gives the types of taxes, dates covered, and repository catalog numbers for surviving tax records in Scotland, England, and Wales.


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OTHER RECORDS FOR SCOTLAND

Other types of records for Scotland are listed in the Locality Search of the Family History Library Catalog. Though not discussed in this outline, the following topic headings may be useful to your research:

BIBLIOGRAPHYLook this term up in the glossary.BUSINESS RECORDS AND COMMERCELook this term up in the glossary.DESCRIPTION AND TRAVELDWELLINGSLook this term up in the glossary.ENCYCLOPEDIAS AND DICTIONARIESLook this term up in the glossary.HANDWRITINGLook this term up in the glossary.HISTORYLook this term up in the glossary.FOLKLOREJEWISH HISTORYLAW AND LEGISLATIONLook this term up in the glossary.MANORSMEDICAL RECORDSMIGRATION, INTERNALMILITARY HISTORYMINORITIESLook this term up in the glossary.NAMES, GEOGRAPHICALNATURALIZATION AND CITIZENSHIPLook this term up in the glossary.OBITUARIESLook this term up in the glossary.OFFICIALS AND EMPLOYEESPOPULATIONLook this term up in the glossary.PUBLIC RECORDSLook this term up in the glossary.VISITATIONS, HERALDICLook this term up in the glossary.VOTING REGISTERSLook this term up in the glossary.


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FOR FURTHER READING

You may wish to consult other books that define genealogical terms, discuss research procedures, and explain records. Look in the Family History Library Catalog under SCOTLAND - GENEALOGY - HANDBOOKS. The following handbooks may be useful:

Burness, Lawrence R. A Scottish Genealogist’s Glossary. Aberdeen: Scottish Association of Family History Societies: Aberdeen and North East Scotland Family History Society, 1990. (FHL book 941 D27bL.)

Cory, Kathleen B. Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry. Edinburgh: Polygon, 1990. (FHL Ref. 941 D27c.)

FitzHugh, Terrick V.H. The Dictionary of Genealogy. 3rd rev. ed. Totowa, NJ: Barnes & Noble Books, 1991. (FHL book 942 D26f 1991.) In this work, genealogy terms are defined alphabetically.

Hamilton-Edwards, Gerald. In Search of Scottish Ancestry. Chichester, England: Phillimore & Co. Ltd., 1972. (FHL 941 D27ham.)

Irving, Sherry. Your Scottish Ancestry: A Guide for North Americans. Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 1992. (FHL book 941 D27is.) This guide explains how to do Scottish research from home in North America.

Moody, David. Scottish Family History. London: G.T. Batsford, 1988. (FHL book 941 D27md.)

Moody, David. Scottish Local History: An Introductory Guide. London: G.T. Batsford, 1986. (FHL book 941 D27m.)

Sinclair, Cecil. Tracing Your Scottish Ancestors: A Guide to Ancestry Research in the Scottish Record Office. Edinburgh: Her Magesty’s Stationery Office, 1990. (FHL book 941 D27s.)

Sinclair, Cecil. Tracing Scottish Local History: A Guide to Local History Research in the Scottish Record Office. Edinburgh: Her Magesty’s Stationery Office, 1994. (FHL book 941 H27s.)

Steel, D.J. Sources for Scottish Genealogy and Family History National Index of Parish Register. Vol. 12. London and Chichester: Phillimore & Co. Ltd., 1970. (FHL book 942 V26ste v.12.)


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COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS

The Family History Library welcomes additions and corrections that will improve future editions of this outline. Please send your suggestions to:

Publications Coordination
Family History Library
35 North West Temple
Salt Lake City, UT 84150-3400
USA
We appreciate the archivists, librarians, and others who have reviewed this outline and shared helpful information.

Paper publication: First edition November 1997. English approval: 11/97.

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