Scotland Archives and Libraries

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  • Archives collect and preserve original documents of organizations such as churches or governments. Libraries generally collect published sources such as books, maps, and microfilm.
  • If you plan to visit a repository, contact them and ask for information about their collection, hours, services, and fees. Ask if they require you to have a reader’s ticket (a paper indicating you are a responsible researcher) to view the records, and ask how to obtain one.
  • Although the records you need may be in an archive or library, the FamilySearch Library may have microfilmed and/or digitized copies of them.

Archives[edit | edit source]

Scottish Archive Network[edit | edit source]

Scottish Archive Network. Thorough alphabetical listing of archives throughout Scotland.

Scotlands People ($)[edit | edit source]

ScotlandsPeople is one of the largest online sources of original genealogical information. Scotlands People is the official research service of the National Records of Scotland. If you are researching UK genealogy, your Scottish ancestry or building your Scottish family tree, there are almost 90 million records to look through. Indexes are free. There is a reasonable fee to see full records.

National Records of Scotland[edit | edit source]

National Records of Scotland
H M General Register House
2 Princes Street
Edinburgh EH1 3YY
Scotland
Tel: +44(0)131 535 1314
E-mail: historical_enquiries@nrscotland.gov.uk
Website
Family History Guide
Researching Online
National Records of Scotland online catalogue

Scottish Documents[edit | edit source]

Scottish Documents The National Archives of Scotland (NAS) uses the Scottish Documents website to carry out testing for online access to digital images of historical records. The service is currently limited to certain archives in Scotland and to designated Church of Scotland officials.

The National Archives of the UK[edit | edit source]

The National Archives
Ruskin Avenue, Kew
Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU
England
Internet: Website

This office collects records of the British government (such as parliamentary papers) and law courts from 1086 to the present. It is in England but has many Scottish records. You need a reader’s ticket to use its collection.

A guide to this repository is:

Bevan, Amanda, and Andrea Duncan. Tracing Your Ancestors in the Public Record Office. 4th. ed. London, England: Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, 1990. (FamilySearch Library book 942 A5p no. 19 1990.)

Regional, District, and Cultural Archives[edit | edit source]

Regional and district archives collect records about the areas they cover. These archives have valuable records to help you in your search for your ancestors. To find a full list of Scotland Archives and association with their addresses, go to the website of the Scottish Archive Network.

Scottish Catholic Archives[edit | edit source]

Scottish Catholic Archives
(moving to new address on Orr Street April 2023)
Columba House
16 Drummond Place
Edinburgh EH3 6PL, Scotland

Telephone: +44(0) 131 556 3661
Email: archivists@scottishcatholicarchives.org.uk Website

Scottish Catholic Archives
University of Aberdeen
Museums and Special Collections
Sir Duncan Rice Library
Bedford Road
AB24 3AA
Scotland

Website
Collections

The Historic Archives of the Scottish Catholic Archives predominantly relate to the Catholic Church prior to the restoration of the Scottish Catholic Hierarchy in 1878. The collection contains material of regional, national and international significance and provides evidence of the survival of Catholicism both in Scotland and abroad through the archives of its missions, seminaries and colleges. There are also extensive collections relating to prominent Catholic families, complementing the important family and estate papers held by the Special Collections Centre.[1]

Libraries[edit | edit source]

National Library of Scotland[edit | edit source]

National Library of Scotland
Department of Manuscripts
George IV Bridge
Edinburgh EH1 1EW
Scotland
Internet: Website

NLS Internet Archive
NLS eResources

National Library of Scotland, Edinburgh
This library houses manuscript material relating to Scotland, such as:
  • Historical documents
  • Family papers
  • Archives of organizations
  • A reader’s ticket is required.

Scottish Genealogy Society Library[edit | edit source]

The Scottish Genealogy Society Library and Research Centre
Scottish Genealogy Society
15 Victoria Terrace
Edinburgh
EH1 2JL Scotland

Phone:0131 220 3677
E-mail: editor@scotsgenealogy.com
Website

"Over the years the Society has built up a diverse, fascinating and unique collection of books and manuscripts including local histories, military, trades and profession lists, directories, Scots outwith Scotland, peerage and heraldry, school and university rolls and individual family histories. The Library also has: -

  • Monumental Inscriptions, burial, death and mortcloth records - the largest collection in Scotland
  • Old Parish Registers [ OPRs] with the orginal in microfilm for every parish in Scotland with OPR and IGI indexes
  • Over 4000 books and CDs on family history and related subjects
  • Censuses - a large collection of originals in microfilm, and indexes and transcriptions in print
  • Journals from all major Scottish family history societies and some from abroad
  • Internet access including a world subscription to ancestry.com"[2]

University Libraries[edit | edit source]

University libraries house:

  • Family papers
  • Estate records
  • Other historical Material
  • Genealogical material

Three main university libraries are:

Aberdeen University Library
Manuscripts and Archive Section
King’s College
Aberdeen AB9 2UB
Scotland
Website

University of Edinburgh Library
George Square
Edinburgh EH8 9LJ
Scotland
Website

University of Glasgow
Archives
The University
Glasgow G12 8QQ
Scotland
Website

Local Public Libraries[edit | edit source]

Find your nearest library Local history library staff collect and write histories of the people and places in their locale. Some libraries collect completed indexes and published materials from the local family history societies. Public libraries collect many published sources such as:

  • Local histories
  • City directories
  • Maps
  • Newspapers
  • Family histories
  • Parish registers

Museums[edit | edit source]

Record Offices[edit | edit source]

The Registrar General
General Search Unit
New Register House
3 West Register street
Edinburgh EH1 3YT
Scotland
Website

This office's collection contains:

  • Records of births
  • Marriages
  • Deaths from 1855 to the present
  • Census
  • Old Parochial Registers.



v • d• e
Links to Scotland-related articles
  1. ↑ "Scottish Catholic Archives", University of Aberdeen, Special Collections. https://www.abdn.ac.uk/collections/our-collections/scottish-catholic-archives-91.php, accessed 5 February 2023.
  2. ↑ Scottish Genealogy Society, http://www.scotsgenealogy.com/, accessed 12 September 2022.

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