Scottish resources
Scottish civil registration (birth, marriage and death certificates) began 1855, before that see Old Parish Records(OPR) for baptisms, marriages and (a small number of) burials, some back to 16th century.
Essential Scottish sources
- Scotland's People – http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk (BMD, parish registers, 1841-1901 censuses, will index- costs)
- GENUKI Scotland – http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/sct/ (contains info & is also a gateway - info about all Scotland as well as individual counties)
- Lewis Topographical Dictionary – http://www.british-history.ac.uk/source.aspx?pubid=308 (1846 - detailed "topographical accounts of places")
- Libraries Scotland – http://www.scotlandinter.net/libraries.html
- National Archives of Scotland – http://www.nas.gov.uk/ (government, church, courts, land records & more)
- National Library of Scotland Digital Library – http://www.nls.uk/digitallibrary/index.html (books, documents, photos - much yet to be digitised)
- National Library of Scotland maps 1560-1928 – http://www.nls.uk/maps/scotland/index.html
See also http://geo.nls.uk/ - Royal Commission on the Ancient & Historical Monuments of Scotland – http://www.rcahms.gov.uk/search.html (digital photos, maps & more)
- Scotland's History – http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/scotlandshistory/
- Scotland's Places – http://www.scotlandsplaces.gov.uk/
- Scottish Archives Network (SCAN) – http://www.scan.org.uk ("internet access to the written history of Scotland", includes knowledge base FAQ)
SCAN Scottish Glossary – http://www.scan.org.uk/researchrtools/glossary.htm (archaic words & phrases, mostly law terminology) - Scottish Gazetteer – http://www.scottish-places.info/ (geographical encyclopaedia, historical & modern, also photos & links)
- Scottish Origins – http://www.origins.net/SOWelcome.aspx (includes IGI baptisms & marriages, plus family history articles)
- Scottish Occupations – http://scotsfamily.com/occupations.htm
- Scottish Post Office directories – http://www.nls.uk/family-history/directories/post-office (1773 to 1911)
or http://digital.nls.uk/directories/
Other 'All Scotland' sources
- Ancestral Scotland – http://www.ancestralscotland.com/ (Genealogy website of the Scottish Tourist Board)
- Birthlink – http://www.birthlink.org.uk/ (for people separated by adoption, with a Scottish connection)
- Births, Deaths & Marriages Exchange Scotland – http://www.sctbdm.com/index.php
- British History Online, Scottish Documents – http://www.british-history.ac.uk/place.aspx?region=7 (historic documents, maps, burgh records)
- Clan Mackenzie Society – http://www.clan-mackenzie.org.uk/
- Celtic Guide – http://www.celticguide.com/ (free electronic magazine about Scotland and Ireland)
- Dictionary of the Scots Language – http://www.dsl.ac.uk/ (words used 12th century to 1970s)
- Deceased Online – https://www.deceasedonline.com/servlet/GSDOSearch
- Discover My Past Scotland – http://scotland.discovermypast.co.uk/issue (electronic magazine, by subscription)
- Edinburgh Gazette – http://www.edinburgh-gazette.co.uk/ (government newspaper from 1699, complete since 1793)
- Electric Scotland – http://www.electricscotland.com/ (clans, tartans, history, pictures, online books)
- FamilyRelatives.com – http://www.familyrelatives.com/ (trade directories, land owners, costs)
- General Register Office of Scotland – http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/
- Happy Haggis – http://www.happyhaggis.co.uk/counties.htm (by region, links to databases & history & family history info)
- Heraldry Society of Scotland – http://www.heraldry-scotland.co.uk/
- Land inheritance in Scotland – http://walkingineternity.blogspot.com.au/2012/02/land-inheritance-in-scotland.html (Chris Paton, blog post)
- Museum of Scottish Lighthouses – http://www.lighthousemuseum.org.uk/
- National War Museum of Scotland – http://www.nms.ac.uk/our_museums/war_museum.aspx
- Online images and maps – http://www.buildinghistory.org/images2.shtml (sorted by county)
- Paradox of Medieval Scotland 1093-1286 – http://www.poms.ac.uk/
- Poor Law records – http://www.nas.gov.uk/guides/poor.asp
- Rampant Scotland – http://www.rampantscotland.com/ (links to "all things Scottish", also photos & feature articles )
- Scotland BDM Exchange – http://www.sctbdm.com/index.php
- Scotland Genealogy Links – http://www.genealogylinks.net/uk/scotland/index.html (by region, links to databases & history & family history info)
- Scotland GenWeb – http://www.scotlandgenweb.org/news.php (gateway to information & links by county)
- Scotland Mailing Lists – http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~jfuller/gen_mail_country-unk-sct.html
- Scotland's Family – http://www.scotlandsfamily.com/deaths.htm (deaths, burial records & monumental inscriptions)
- Scottish Catholic Archives – http://www.scottishcatholicarchives.org.uk/
- Scottish Collections Network – http://www.scotlandsinformation.com/scone/ (links to Scottish collections including digital)
- Scottish Cultural Resources Network (SCRAN) – http://www.scran.ac.uk/ (digitised images & media from museums, archive & media)
- Scottish Emigration Database – http://www.abdn.ac.uk/emigration/
- Scottish Genealogy Society – http://www.scotsgenealogy.com (includes online information articles)
- Scottish Glossary (SCAN) – http://www.scan.org.uk/researchrtools/glossary.htm (Scottish words found in documents)
- Scottish Gypsies – http://www.scottishgypsies.co.uk/
- Scottish Independence – http://walkingineternity.blogspot.com/2012/01/scottish-independence.html (Blog post by Chris Paton about implications of possible Scottish independence)
- Scottish Jewish Archives – http://www.sjac.org.uk/
- Scottish Mining – http://www.scottishmining.co.uk/
- Scottish National War Memorial – http://www.snwm.org/
- Scottish Occupations – http://scotsfamily.com/occupations.htm
- Scottish Place-Name Society – http://www.spns.org.uk/ (articles about places, also list of parishes in Scotland)
- Scottish Screen Archive – http://ssa.nls.uk/ (historic films & film clips, many downloadable)
- Scottish War Graves Project – http://scottishwargraves.phpbbweb.com/
- Scottish War Memorials Project – http://warmemscot.s4.bizhat.com/
- Scottish Way of Birth and Death – http://www.gla.ac.uk/departments/scottishwayofbirthanddeath/
- Statistical Accounts of Scotland 1791-1845 – http://edina.ac.uk/statacc/ (historical descriptions of places, can be browsed for free)
- Talking Scot – http://www.talkingscot.com (discussion group and information)
- The Scotsman Digital Archive 1817-1950 – http://archive.scotsman.com/ (newspaper, free to search, costs to see articles)
- Tracing Scottish ancestors at Kew – http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documents/tracing-scottish-ancestors.mp3 (large audio file)
Regional websites
- Aberdeen & North East Scotland Family History Society – http://anesfhs.org.uk/
- Alloway & Southern Ayrshire Family History Society – http://www.asafhs.co.uk
- Am Baile (Highland History & Culture) – http://www.ambaile.org.uk/
- Ancestral Orkney – http://www.ancestralorkney.com/
- Angus Scotland GenWeb – http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~sctans/
- Argyllshire Scotland GenWeb – http://www.scotlandroyalty.org/argyll/argyllshire.html
- Ayrshire Roots – http://www.ayrshire-roots.co.uk/ (databases - newspapers, poor relief, surnames & more)
- Ayrshire Roots – http://www.ayrshireroots.com
- Borders Family History Society – http://www.bordersfhs.org.uk/ (for border counties of Scotland and England)
- Bute Sons & Daughters – http://www.butesonsanddaughters.co.uk/index.shtml
- Caithness Family History Society – http://www.caithnessfhs.org.uk/
- (Caithness) Badbea Clearance Village – http://www.badbeafamilies.com/
- Central Scotland Family History Society – http://www.csfhs.org.uk/
- Dumfries & Galloway Family History Society – http://www.dgfhs.org.uk/
- Edinburgh City Libraries 'Capital Collections' – http://www.capitalcollections.org.uk/
- Fife Family History Society – http://www.fifefhs.org/
- Glasgow & West of Scotland Family History Society – http://www.gwsfhs.org.uk/
- (The) Glasgow Story – http://www.theglasgowstory.com (Illustrations, history, maps)
- Gretna Green marriages – http://www.achievements.co.uk/services/gretna/index.php (free to search, details cost)
- Highland Family History Society – http://www.highlandfhs.org.uk/
- Inveraray Jail – http://www.inverarayjail.co.uk/ (includes database of prisoners & also of transported prisoners)
- Inverness-shire Scotland GenWeb – http://www.jansdigs.com/Inverness/index.html
- Kildrummy Families – http://www.kildrummyfamilies.org/ (in Aberdeenshire)
- Lanarkshire Family History Society – http://www.lanarkshirefhs.org.uk/
- Largs & North Ayrshire Family History Society – http://www.largsnafhs.org.uk/home.htm
- Lothian Health Services Archive – http://www.lhsa.lib.ed.ac.uk/family/index.htm (patient, nurse, doctor, hospital employee records)
- Lothians Family History Society – http://www.lothiansfhs.org/index.php
- Midlothian Genealogy Links (Edinburgh) – http://www.genealogylinks.net/uk/scotland/midlothian/index.html
- Moray Burial Ground Research Group – http://www.mbgrg.org/
- Moray Local Heritage – http://libindx.moray.gov.uk/mainmenu.asp
- North Pershire Family History Group – http://www.npfhg.org/
- Orkney Family History Society – http://www.orkneyfhs.co.uk/ (Sib folk)
- Orkney Genealogy – http://www.cursiter.com/
- Raasay Heritage Trust – http://www.angelfire.com/il2/raasayheritagetrust/genealogy.html (Isle of Raasay, Ross-shire)
- Renfrewshire Family History Society – http://www.renfrewshirefhs.co.uk/
- Shetland Family History Society – http://www.shetland-fhs.org.uk/
- Shetland Museum & Archives – http://www.shetland-museum.org.uk/
- Skye Roots – http://www.skye-roots.co.uk/ (Isles of Skye and Raasay)
- Sutherland – http://www.countysutherland.co.uk/
- Three Towners – http://www.threetowners.com (Ardrossan, Stevenston & Saltcoats in Ayrshire)
- West Lothian Family History Society – http://www.wlfhs.org.uk/
- Wigtownshire Pages – http://freepages.history.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ainsty/index.html