Scotland Gazetteers: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 10:25, 26 July 2009

A gazetteer is a dictionary of place-names. Gazetteers describe towns, villages, parishes, counties, rivers, mountains, population, and other geographical features. The place-names are generally in alphabetical order, similar to a dictionary.

Gazetteers may provide more information about towns, such as:

Distance from nearby places.
Religious denominations.
Major manufacturing works.
Canals, docks, and railroad stations.
Seats of landed-gentry families.

You can use a gazetteer to find the places where your family lived and to determine the civil and church jurisdictions over those places. Gazetteers are also helpful for determining the county jurisdictions used in the Family History Library Catalog.

A sample gazetteer entry might be "Burrelton, a village in the parish of Cargill, near the Woodside railway station, 13½ m. NE of Perth. It has a post office under Coupar-Angus, and a Free church."

Many places in Scotland have the same or similar names. A gazetteer can help you identify the most common spellings and the counties that have a place by that name.

Online Gazetteers[edit | edit source]

There are some really good online gazetteers that are helpful in finding your family or the place where your ancestors lived. They are:

Vision of Britian[edit | edit source]

http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk

To use this resource, click on the link and then on the first page. Then go to Step one: Select a location. In the location you need to identify the city. It will come up with one or more choices to choose from. Next you have your choice as to what you want to know. At the bottom on the right hand side it gives you a choices of maps.

For instance, by putting in "Paisley," the following choice of kinds of maps was displayed:

20 Century: New popular
19th Century: OS First Series (Ordnance Survey)
1930's: Land Utilisation
2003: Digital Chart of the World

Undiscovered Scotland[edit | edit source]

http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk

This site has an interactive map and a clickable map. You can click on any of the areas and it will take you to that area. It will give you information on the area as well. You can also go to the Alphabetical Listing and choose from the place listings there.

Gazetteer for Scotland[edit | edit source]

http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk

On this site, by clicking on the link, an interactive map is displayed. You have the following choices:

Maps and Places
History Time-line
Search pages

When you can click on any area of the map, it will take you to that area. If you click on the Maps and Places option, it takes you to a map where you click until you locate your area of interest.

For example, if you want Paisley, click on the Orange area and it will take me to that area. Next, by clicking on Renfrewshire and then Paisley, it will tell you about the place. The explanation is similar to the Ordnance Survey discription for the place.

For other information on maps see the "Scotland Maps" section of this outline.

Other Helpful Gazetteers[edit | edit source]

Groom, Francis H. Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland. 6 vols. Edinburgh, Scotland: Thomas J. Jack, Grange Publishing Works, 1883-6. (Family History Library book Ref 941 E5g; fiche 6020391-411.) This set of gazetteers alphabetically lists place names as they appeared during the 1880s. A brief description includes distance from other nearby places, name(s) of the church denomination(s) in the area, historical background, and the civil district.

Wilson, John. The Gazetteer of Scotland. Edinburgh, Scotland: W. & A. K. Johnson, 1882. (Family History Library book Ref. 941 E5j; film 990430 item 14; fiche 6026374.)

The Place Search of the Family History Library Catalog lists gazetteers and similar place-name guides under:

GREAT BRITAIN - GAZETTEERS

SCOTLAND - GAZETTEERS

SCOTLAND, [COUNTY] - GAZETTEERS

In 1974, Scotland’s county boundaries were realigned, and many counties were renamed. For some research purposes, such as correspondence, you may need to identify modern county names for the area where your ancestors lived. Knowing the modern names is also helpful if you wish to find an ancestor’s town on a modern map. A good atlas and gazetteer showing modern county names is:

Mason, Oliver. Bartholomew Gazetteer of Places in Britain. Edinburgh, Scotland: John Bartholomew & Son, 1986. (Family History Library book Ref 942 E5ba 1986.) Places are in alphabetical order. The town descriptions in the gazetteer will tell you where to find each locality on the maps included in the book.

External Links[edit | edit source]

http://www.genealogical.com/products/Lewiss Gazetteers of England Ireland and Scotland/7270.html
http://www.loc.gov/rr/genealogy/bib_guid/scotlandmaps.html

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-{{CountrySidebar
+A gazetteer is a dictionary of place-names. Gazetteers describe towns, villages, parishes, counties, rivers, mountains, population, and other geographical features. The place-names are generally in alphabetical order, similar to a dictionary.
-|Country=Scotland
-|Name=Scotland
-|Type=Topic
-|Topic Type=Background
-|Background=Gazetteers
-|Rating=Acceptable
-}}{{breadcrumb
-| link1=[[Scotland Genealogy|Scotland]]
-| link2=
-| link3=
-| link4=
-| link5=[[Scotland Gazetteers|Gazetteers]]
-}}
-==Why Use Gazetteers==
+Gazetteers may provide more information about towns, such as:
-A gazetteer is a dictionary of place-names. Gazetteers list or describe towns and villages, parishes, states, populations, rivers and mountains, and other geographical features. They usually include only the names of places that existed at the time the gazetteer was published. Within a specific geographical area, the place-names are listed in alphabetical order, similar to a dictionary. You can use a gazetteer to locate the places where your family lived and to determine the civil and religious jurisdictions over those places.
+* Distance from nearby places.
+* Religious denominations.
+* Major manufacturing works.
+* Canals, docks, and railroad stations.
+* Seats of landed-gentry families.
-There are many places within a country with similar or identical place-names. You will need to use a gazetteer to identify the specific town where your ancestor lived, the state the town was or is in, and the jurisdictions where records about the person was kept.
+You can use a gazetteer to find the places where your family lived and to determine the civil and church jurisdictions over those places. Gazetteers are also helpful for determining the county jurisdictions used in the Family History Library Catalog.
-==Online Gazetteers==
+A sample gazetteer entry might be "Burrelton, a village in the parish of Cargill, near the Woodside railway station, 13½ m. NE of Perth. It has a post office under Coupar-Angus, and a Free church."
-*'''1900''' [https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/62577/ UK, Imperial Gazetteer Maps, 1900] at Ancestry — index & images ($)
-*The National Library of Scotland's [https://maps.nls.uk/geo/boundaries Boundary Maps] show parish and county boundaries of the 1840s-1880s, and 1950s. The underlying maps can be changed from historic to modern.
-*[https://www.familysearch.org/research/places/?reqParents=10579050&reqParentsLabel=Scotland%2C%20United%20Kingdom&reqParentsType=580 FamilySearch Places]
-*[https://scotlandsplaces.gov.uk/places ScotlandsPlaces] a collaboration between Historic Environment Scotland, National Records of Scotland and the National Library of Scotland.
-*[https://stataccscot.edina.ac.uk/static/statacc/dist/exhibition/osa The Statistical Accounts of Scotland 1791-1845]
-*{{FSC|36668|item|disp=Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland}} Francis H Groome, Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland, Edinburgh, Scotland : Thomas C. Jack, Grange Publishing Works, 1883-1886
-*{{FSC|193914|item|disp=The Gazetteer of Scotland}} John Wilson, The Gazetteer of Scotland, Edinburgh, Scotland : W. & A.K. Johnston, 1882
-*[https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/ A Vision of Britain Through Time]
-*[http://www.electricscotland.com/history/gazetteer/index.htm Electric Scotland]
-*[http://www.british-history.ac.uk/topographical-dict/scotland Topographical Dictionary of Scotland], by Samuel Lewis, originally published in 1846. (British History Online)
-*[http://digital.nls.uk/gazetteers-of-scotland-1803-1901/ Gazetteers of Scotland, 1803-1901] 20 volumes of descriptive gazetteers of Scotland, providing a comprehensive geographical encyclopedia of Scotland in the 19th century. Principal places in Scotland, including towns, counties, castles, glens, antiquities and parishes, are listed alphabetically.
-*[http://www.loc.gov/rr/genealogy/bib_guid/scotlandmaps.html Scotland Maps, Atlases and Gazetteers], bibliography
-*[http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/ Undiscovered Scotland]
-*[https://www.scottish-places.info/ Gazetteer for Scotland] Gazetteer for Scotland, a vast geographical encyclopedia, featuring details of towns, villages, bens and glens from the Scottish Borders to the Northern Isles
-*{{FSC|241969|item|disp=Onomasticon goedelicum locorum et tribuum Hiberniae et Scotiae}} Edmund Hogan, Onomasticon goedelicum locorum et tribuum Hiberniae et Scotiae : an index, with identifications, to the Gaelic names of places and tribes, Dublin, Ireland : Hodges & Figgis, 1910
-*{{FSC|41189|item|disp=A Genealogical Gazetteer of Scotland}} Frank Smith, A Genealogical Gazetteer of Scotland : an alphabetical dictionary of places, Logan, Utah : Everton publishers, 1971, Providence, Utah : Keith W Watkins & Sons, 1979
-*[https://archive.org/details/scotland00moncuoft/page/n11/mode/2up Scotland Painted by Sutton Palmer Described by A R Hope Moncrieff] A F Hope Moncrieff, Scotland, London : A & C Black, 1922
-*[https://archive.org/details/scotland00grieiala/page/n7/mode/2up Peeps at Many Lands - Scotland] Elizabeth Grierson, Peeps at Many Lands - Scotland, London, Adam and Charles Black, 1907
-*[https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/101677463?type%5B%5D=subject&lookfor%5B%5D=Scotland%20Gazeteer&ft= The Topical, Statistical, and Historical Gazetteer of Scotland] The Topical, Statistical, and Historical Gazetteer of Scotland v 1&2, Glasgow[etc.] A. Fullarton & Co., 1843
-==Parish Information==
+Many places in Scotland have the same or similar names. A gazetteer can help you identify the most common spellings and the counties that have a place by that name.
-*Descriptions of parishes can be found at:
-**[http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/sct/ Genuki.org.uk]
-**[https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/ VisionofBritain.org.uk]
-**[https://electricscotland.com/history/gazetteer/index.htm Scotland Ordnance Gazetteer]
-*Lists of neighboring parishes can be found at:
-**[http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/sct/ Genuki.org.uk]
-*Parish outline maps are also available online at:
-**[https://maps.nls.uk/geo/boundaries/#zoom=9.4&lat=55.75802&lon=-3.07184&dates=1880&point=56.1791,-4.1523 maps.nls.uk/geo/boundaries]
-*Atlas and index to parish registers can be found at:
-**[https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=8830 Great Britain, Atlas and Index of Parish Registers] ($)
-*Printed Resources:
+=== Online Gazetteers ===
-**Books detailing the overall dates of old parochial records in civil parishes or counties in northeast Scotland (by the Aberdeen & North-East Scotland Family History Society) ({{FSC|941 E7c|call number-id|disp=FS Library Map Case 941 E7c pt. 4}})
-**Parish Maps of Scotland. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1991. ({{FSC|6036350|Fiche-id|disp=FS Library Book 941 E7ch}})
-**Phillips’ Handy Atlas of the Counties of Scotland 1881. London, England: G. Phillip, 1881. ({{FSC|941 E7p|call number-id|disp=FS Library Book 941 E7p}})
-==Gazetteer Contents==
+There are some really good online gazetteers that are helpful&nbsp;in finding your family or the place where your ancestors lived. They are:
-Gazetteers may also provide additional information about towns, such as:
+==== Vision of Britian ====
-*Different religious denominations
+[http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/ http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk]
-*Schools, colleges, and universities
-*Major manufacturers, canals, docks, and railroad stations
-*The population size.
-*Boundaries of civil jurisdiction.
-*Ecclesiastical jurisdiction(s)
-*Longitude and latitude.
-*Distances and direction from other from cities.
-*Schools, colleges, and universities.
-*Denominations and number of churches.
-*Historical and biographical information on some individuals (usually high-ranking or famous individuals)
-==Print Only Gazetteers==
+To use this resource, click on the link &nbsp;and then on the first page. Then&nbsp;go to Step one: Select a location. In the location&nbsp;you need to identify the city. It will come up with one or more choices to choose from.&nbsp;Next you&nbsp;have your choice as to what you want to know. At the bottom on the right hand side it gives you a choices of maps.
-*{{FSC|590204|item|disp=Bartholomew Gazetteer of Places in Britain}} Oliver Mason, Bartholomew Gazetteer of Places in Britain, Edinburgh, Scotland : John Bartholomew & Son, c1986.
+For instance,&nbsp;by putting in "Paisley," the following choice of kinds of maps was displayed:
-*{{FSC|251365|item|disp=Illustrated Road Book of Scotland}} Illustrated Road Book of Scotland, London, England : Automobile Association (Great Britain), 1971
-*{{FSC|352909|item|disp=Description of the Western Isles of Scotland called Hybrides}} Sir Donald Monro, Description of the Western Isles of Scotland called Hybrides : with the genealogies of the chief clans of the Isles, Glasgow, Scotland : Thomas D Morison, 1884
-*{{FSC|224257|item|disp=The Place-names of Aberdeenshire}} William M Alexander, The Place-names of Aberdeenshire, Aberdeen, Scotland : Third Spalding Club, 1952
-*{{FSC|230094|item|disp=Places and Place-names round Alyth}} James Meikle, Places and Place-names round Alyth, Paisley, Scotland : A Gardner, 1925
-*{{FSC|241471|item|disp=The Place-names of West Lothian}} Angus Macdonald, The Place-names of West Lothian, Edinburgh, Scotland : Oliver & Boyd, 1941
+* 20 Century: New popular
+* 19th Century: OS First Series (Ordnance Survey)
+* 1930's: Land Utilisation
+* 2003: Digital Chart of the World
-[[Category:Scotland]]
+==== Undiscovered Scotland ====
+[http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/ http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk]
+This site has an interactive map and a clickable map. You can click on any of the areas and it will take you to that area. It will give you information on the area as well. You can also go to the Alphabetical Listing and choose from the place listings there.
+==== Gazetteer for Scotland ====
+[http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk/ http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk]
+On this&nbsp;site, by clicking on the link, an interactive map is displayed. You have&nbsp;the following&nbsp;choices:
+* Maps and Places
+* History Time-line
+* Search pages
+When you can click on any area of the map, it will take you to that area. If you click on the Maps and Places option, it takes you to a map where you click until you locate your area of interest.
+For example,&nbsp;if&nbsp;you want Paisley, click on the Orange area and it will take me to that area. Next, by clicking on Renfrewshire and then Paisley, it will tell&nbsp;you about the place.&nbsp;The explanation&nbsp;is&nbsp;similar to&nbsp;the Ordnance Survey discription for the place.
+For other information on maps see the "[[Scotland Maps]]" section of this outline.
+=== Other Helpful Gazetteers  ===
+Groom, Francis H. ''Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland.'' 6 vols. Edinburgh, Scotland: Thomas J. Jack, Grange Publishing Works, 1883-6. (Family History Library [http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=titlehitlist&columns=*%2C0%2C0&callno=941+E5g book Ref 941 E5g; fiche 6020391-411].) This set of gazetteers alphabetically lists place names as they&nbsp;appeared during the 1880s. A brief description includes distance from other nearby places, name(s) of the church denomination(s) in the area, historical background, and the civil district.
+Wilson, John. ''The Gazetteer of Scotland''. Edinburgh, Scotland: W. &amp; A. K. Johnson, 1882. (Family History Library [http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=titlehitlist&columns=*%2C0%2C0&callno=941+E5j book Ref. 941 E5j; film 990430 item 14; fiche 6026374].)
+The&nbsp;Place Search of the Family History Library Catalog lists gazetteers and similar place-name guides under:
+GREAT BRITAIN - GAZETTEERS
+SCOTLAND - GAZETTEERS
+SCOTLAND, [COUNTY] - GAZETTEERS
+In 1974, Scotland’s county boundaries were realigned, and many counties were renamed. For some research purposes, such as correspondence, you may need to identify modern county names for the area where your ancestors lived. Knowing the modern names is also helpful if you wish to find an ancestor’s town on a modern map. A good atlas and gazetteer showing modern county names is:
+Mason, Oliver. ''Bartholomew Gazetteer of Places in Britain''. Edinburgh, Scotland: John Bartholomew &amp; Son, 1986. (Family History Library [http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=titlehitlist&columns=*%2C0%2C0&callno=942+E5ba+ book Ref 942 E5ba 1986].) Places are in alphabetical order. The town descriptions in the gazetteer will tell you where to find each locality on the maps included in the book.
+===External Links===
+*http://www.genealogical.com/products/Lewiss Gazetteers of England Ireland and Scotland/7270.html
+*http://www.loc.gov/rr/genealogy/bib_guid/scotlandmaps.html
+{{Place|Scotland}}
+[[Category:Scotland|Gazetteers]]