Scotland Newspapers

Scotland Wiki Topics
Beginning Research
Guided Research Research Strategies Record Finder Finding Town of Origin Online Learning
Record Types
Cemeteries Census Records Church Directories Church Records Civil Registration Court Records Crime & Punishment Directories Emigration & Immigration Genealogies Heraldry Land & Property Merchant Marine	Military Records Newspapers Nobility Occupations Online Records Periodicals Poorhouses, Poor Law, etc. Probate Records Religious Records Schools and Education Records Taxation
Scotland Background
Biography Church History Gazetteers Handwriting Historical Geography History	Jurisdictions Languages Maps Naming Customs Social Life & Customs For Further Reading
Cultural Groups
Scots Irish
Local Research Resources
Archives & Libraries Societies FamilySearch Centers

The first Scottish newspapers of any significance and continuance were the Edinburgh Evening Courant (1718) and the Caledonian Mercury (1720), which were national papers and gave little local news.

The first regional papers were the Glasgow Journal (1741) and the Aberdeen Journal (1748). The first paper that gave substantial coverage to local news was the Glasgow Mercury (1778).

Online Databases

• Perth, Scotland Newspaper index Cards, 1809 - 1990 ($)
• Fife, Scotland, Cupar Library Newspaper Index Cards, 1833 - 1987 ($)
• Edinburgh Advertiser (Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland), 1771 - 1909 ($)
• Edinburgh weekly Journal, Edinburgh Midlothian, Scotland, 1801 - 1808 ($)
• Edinburgh Evening Courant (Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland, 1867 - 1869 ($)
• Edinburgh Courant, Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland, 1884 ($)
• Scotsman Newspaper, Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland, 1945 ($)
• British Newspaper Archives, Obituaries, Index and images
• The Scotsman Digital Archive, 1817-1950, index.
• Scottish Newspapers on the Internet, British National Library
• onlinenewspapers
• world-newspapers
• abyznewslinks
• globalgenealogy/globalgazette

Many more newspapers came into being after the French Revolution. You may find information such as;

• Local Events
• Births
• Marriages
• Deaths
• Obituaries of local worthies
• Advertisements.

Information taken from newspapers may be indexed to varying extents.

You can find copies of newspapers in the collections of the Newspaper Library section of the;

• British Library
• National Library of Scotland
• Scottish history libraries

For a comprehensive list of Scottish newspapers and their locations, see:

• Ferguson, J.P.S. Directory of Scottish Newspapers. Edinburgh, Scotland: National Library of Scotland, 1984. (Family History Library book 941 B3f.)

Other lists of holdings of Scottish newspapers include:

• Catalogue of the British Newspaper Library, Colindale. 8 vols. London, England: British Museum Publications, 1975. (Family History Library book Q 942 A5cn.)

• Ferguson, Joan P. S. Scottish Newspapers Held in Scottish Libraries. Edinburgh, Scotland: Scottish Central Library, 1956. (Family History Library book 941 B3f; film 924676 item 4.)

• North, John S. The Waterloo Directory of Scottish Newspapers and Periodicals, 1800-1900. 2 vols. Waterloo, Ontario: North Waterloo Academic Press, 1989. (Family History Library book Ref. 941 B33n.)

• Crane, R.S., and F. B. Kaye. A Census of British Newspapers and Periodicals, 1620-1800. 2nd ed. London: Holland Press, 1966. (Family History Library book 942 B3ce.) This lists holdings in major U.S. libraries.

The Family History Library has no Scottish newspapers, but it does have some indexes and other related materials. You can find them in the Locality Search of the FamilySearch Catalog under:

SCOTLAND - NEWSPAPERS

SCOTLAND, [COUNTY] - NEWSPAPERS

Modern newspapers can be helpful for finding living relatives or obtaining the services of someone to make searches in the locality from where your ancestors came. To obtain addresses for current newspapers use:

Benn’s Press Directory. Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England: United Newspapers Ltd, 1996. (Family History Library book Ref 942 B3n.)

This website requires a paid subscription for full access. Some subscription websites are available for free at your local FamilySearch Center or Affiliate Library.