Colin Waters recalls a Scottish industry that once employed thousands of workers. Few people in Britain are aware of Scotland’s once massive oil shale Industry. For over a century, it was a major producer of oil and derivatives employing hundreds of Scottish and ‘incomer’ workers. At its peak in 1913, the industry employed an estimated … Read more
The first two Statistical Accounts of Scotland can help to bring your family history to life. Chris Paton explores how. If you have Scottish ancestry, the Statistical Accounts of Scotland are undoubtedly some of the most useful and interesting documents available for your research. Published in the late 18th and mid 19th centuries, they can … Read more
The National Library of Scotland has released more than 400 historic estate maps from Inverness-shire, Ross-shire and Cromartyshire online. The maps cover extensive areas west of Inverness, as far as Mallaig and Fort Augustus in the west and south, and range in date from the 1750s through to the 1960s. The earliest maps in the collection … Read more
New release from Findmypast: Scotland, Midlothian, 1834 Dalkeith Census Search for your ancestors in the 1834 census for Dalkeith, Midlothian. The collection contains over 5,000 transcripts that that will reveal a combination of your ancestor’s address, age, occupation, place of worship and corresponding details for their fellow household members. If they were a child at … Read more
New release from Findmypast: Scotland, Criminal Database 1801-1917 Search this database of more than 130,000 records of Crown Office Precognitions and High Court Trial Papers to find out if your ancestor was ever in trouble with the law or the victim of a crime. Each record includes a transcript of the original document that, depending … Read more
New release from Findmypast: Scotland, People of Banffshire 1334-1851 Explore more than 28,000 extracts that taken from original Kirk Session minutes. Responsible for parish business, and the morals of the parishioners, the Kirk Session was the lowest level of a church court and minutes typically contained a detailed account of the parish business. Banffshire is … Read more
New release from Findmypast: Scotland, Dundee & Forfarshire (Angus) Hearth Tax 1691 Did you have Scottish ancestors from Dundee and the county of Forfarshire (Angus)? Search over 50,000 Hearth Tax records from 1691 to find out the number of hearths found within their home. Details such as this will provide you with clues about the … Read more