For what it’s worth, here’s my 5 personal favourite Scottish websites for family history information.
Although we might have issues with the credit charging mechanism for online access, this is definitely the most important site for accessing a large range of primary records available nowhere else. If used smartly, then there is a large amount of information that can be obtained for no cost whatsoever. This is a Scottish Government site.
Graham and Emma’s site has gathered momentum over the last few years as they have added more and more indexed content which had previously only been available to those who had the time,opportunity and expertise to access the National Records of Scotland and other archives in person. It is now available to a worldwide audience which is wonderful. Access to the indexes is entirely free with charges only being made for copies of full records. Presentations on getting the most from some of the indexed content has been a feature of many of the popular Scottish Indexes Conferences held several times a year since 2020.
3. maps.nls.uk
I use maps for almost all my genealogical investigations as they hold so many clues about our ancestors’ lives. The range of maps available (not just for Scotland) and the technologies available for viewing them is truly remarkable. Totally free to access. Hard copies can be ordered. National Library of Scotland website.
4. https://catalogue.nrscotland.gov.uk/nrsonlinecatalogue/search.aspx
This is the Catalogue Search facility for Scotland’s most significant historic archive at the National Records of Scotland. I use this index search online a lot and may follow that up with a trip to Edinburgh to view the original complete record. I’ve used this for records dating back to the 15th century. Completely free to access. Digital images of most documents can be ordered remotely.
5. https://yourscottisharchives.com/
This is a lottery-funded project to index over 100 local archives across Scotland centrally. Includes local authorities, colleges and universities, museums and libraries , private clubs etc. At the time of writing it is a bit hit and miss as there are archives which have been completely integrated and others where there may just be a top level integration so far with the detailed item level descriptions not yet included. However this is definitely one to watch and I’m always interested to see what it turns up when I enter my search terms. Free to access.
