A-Z Research guides
This is an overview of the guides available for carrying out different types of research using Scotland's People
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47 guides available
A-Z Record guides
This is the content guide to what records are on Scotland's People.
A-Z Topics
This guide provides a list of research topics for using Scotland's People.
Agricultural produce and livestock
This guide provides an overview of the common terms used to describe agricultural produce and livestock.
Census returns
The census provides a snapshot of the people at a particular address on a given night. This information can be used to further your search for direct ancestors, to broaden your knowledge of the local community and to act as a bridge between the statutory registers and parish records.
Church court records
Presbyterian churches in Scotland are organised into a hierarchy of church courts: kirk sessions, presbyteries, synods and the General Assembly. The records of these courts comprise a major source of information for researching many aspects of Scottish history from 1560 onwards.
Church registers
Churches have kept registers of baptisms (or births), marriages, burials (or deaths) and other events (such as people moving from one parish to another) for centuries. On Scotland's People you can search registers kept by the Church of Scotland, the Roman Catholic church and other churches.
Coal Board statutory working plans
National Records of Scotland (NRS) holds 4,865 National Coal Board statutory working plans of abandoned and current workings (NRS, RHP146000) created under requirements of the Mines and Quarries Act 1954.
Coats of arms
Scotland's People provides access to digital images from the Public Register of All Arms and Bearings in Scotland from 1672 until 1919.