A partnership between the General Register Office for Scotland, the National Archives of Scotland, The Court of the Lord Lyon and brightsolid (formerly Scotland Online), ScotlandsPeople is the official online source of parish register, civil registration, census and wills & testaments records for Scotland.
Containing over 50 million records, the ScotlandsPeople database is one of the worlds largest resources of genealogical information and one of the largest single information resources on the Web. We provide a fully searchable index of Scottish births from 1553-2006, marriages from 1553 to 2006 and deaths from 1855 to 2006. In addition, indexed census data is available from 1841 to 1901 as well as Scottish Wills & Testaments from 1513 to 1901 and Coats of Arms records from 1672 to 1907. To respect privacy of living people, internet access has been limited to birth records over 100 years old, marriage records over 75 years, and death records over 50 years.
From the results of an index search made on this site you may view, save and print images of many of the original documents, and order extracts of any register entries of interest. Such requests are forwarded automatically to New Register House, and the requested extracts are mailed to you (airmail in the case of overseas orders).
General Register Office for Scotland
The General Register Office for Scotland (GROS) administers the registration of events such as births, deaths, marriages, divorces and adoptions, and is responsible for the statutes relating to the formalities of marriage and conduct of civil marriage. They take the decennial census of Scotland's population and prepare and publish demographic and other statistics for central and local Government, for medical research, and for the private sector. They also make available to customers public records about individuals, and maintain for the Scottish Executive the National Health Service Central Register. GROS is headed by the Registrar General for Scotland, Duncan Macniven.
National Archive of Scotland
The National Archive of Scotland (NAS) is an Executive Agency and Associated Department of the Scottish Executive. NAS has one of the most varied collections of archives in the British Isles. It is the main archive for sources for the history of Scotland as a separate kingdom, her role in the British Isles and the links between Scotland and many other countries over the centuries. NAS holds records spanning the 12th to 21st centuries, touching on virtually every aspect of Scottish life. As well as being the repository for the public and legal records of Scotland, NAS also holds many local and private archives. It also advises Scottish government departments, institutions, businesses and private individuals on the care of their records. The Scottish Archive Network (SCAN) project was set up by NAS and a consortium of local and other archives in Scotland, with funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) in 1999 to improve access to Scottish archival resources over the Internet. The most relevant part of the project was digitising and indexing of Scottish wills and testaments 1513-1901.
Court of the Lord Lyon
The Lord Lyon King of Arms, on behalf of the Sovereign, exercises the Royal Prerogative to grant Arms to virtuous and well deserving persons. The Court of the Lord Lyon is a court of law, part of the Justice Department of Scottish Executive, and deals with petitions for grants of Arms. The Court holds the Registers of Arms and of Genealogies as well as other collections.
Scottish Catholic Archives
The Scottish Catholic Archives (SCA), the National Archives of the Catholic Church in Scotland, is a national agency of the Roman Catholic Bishops' Conference of Scotland. Founded in 1958, and based at Columba House in Edinburgh, the archive preserves, selects and makes available the archives of the Catholic Church in Scotland and abroad. Holding over 800 years of documentary evidence of the Catholic Church in Scotland and the wider world, the Scottish Catholic Archives is a major resource for understanding Scottish and European history. From letters of Mary, Queen of Scots; baptismal records for individuals such as Arthur Conan Doyle; and papers relating to Oscar Wilde, the collections held relate to five continents and are written in at least 12 languages. Family history holdings include parish registers and other sources which provide valuable family history and genealogical information.
brightsolid (formerly Scotland On Line)
brightsolid is a business critical ISP. We manage our clients information availability and online presence through hosting, internet access, applications and business continuity products and services. Find out more at www.brightsolid.com.