Introduction If your Ancestral Roots are in Scotland and you can provide Birth or
Marriage or Death details of an Ancestor in Scotland we can research your Family Tree from
the many Genealogical Sources in Scotland -
A Quality Genealogy Service.
Proprietor:- Angus M. Coutts
10/8 Duddingston Mills, Edinburgh, EH8 7TU, Scotland.
Telephone:- 0131-659-6249
e-mail:- enquiries@scottishfamilyresearch.co.uk
"Breathes there the man, with soul so dead, Who never to himself hath said, 'This is my own, my native land!' " - Sir Walter Scott
Introduction Researching your family tree is a rewarding experience and can produce a fascinating picture of your ancestors' lives and the times in which they lived.
Most people are curious about their forefathers - who they were, where they lived, what they did for a living, or even whether the family cupboard contains a skeleton.
An investigation into Scottish records of the past may be difficult or even impossible for those living at a distance from Edinburgh (although some records are held locally, the main record depositories for the whole of Scotland are held in Edinburgh).
Civil registration did not start in Scotland until 1855, 18 years after England, but the Scottish certificates normally contain more information.
Birth Certificates contain District Name and Number; Entry Number; Date, Place and Time of Birth; All given Names of Child; Names of Parents and Occupation of Father; Date and Place of Parents' Marriage; Informant's Name; Usual Address if different from Place of Birth; Date of Registration and Name of Registrar.
Marriage Certificates contain District Name and Number; Entry Number; Date and Place of Marriage; Name, Occupation, Address and Marital Status of both Bride and Groom; Names of Parents of both Bride and Groom and Fathers' Occupations: Ages of Bride and Groom; According to Which Church the Wedding Took Place and Name of Clergyman Officiating; Names of Witnesses and sometimes Their Addresses; Date of Registration and Name of Registrar.
Death Certificates contain District Name and Number; Date, Time, Place and Cause of Death; Name of Doctor who certified Death; Name of Informant; Occupation of Deceased; Names of Parents, whether or not they are Deceased and Occupation of Father; Sometimes Name of Spouse but always Age and Marital Status; Date of Registration and Name of Registrar.
Cenuses have been taken every 10 years since 1841 and consist of a survey of every household. The information contained in The Census Returns gives, for each person staying at each individual address in Scotland on the night of The Census, the following information:-
Name, Age, Relationship to the Head of Household, Occupation and Place of Birth.
The latest Census Returns open to public access are those for 1901.
The OPR's which were compiled by the Session Clerks of the individual parishes are the prime source of information prior to 1855 and the start of Statutory Registration. The amount of information for each event recorded in each parish is variable and is sometimes barely legible and some registers are missing altogether.
There are many other sources of information which, combined with the above, can help to fill in the picture.
All that is needed to commence research is the NAME, DATE of BIRTH or MARRIAGE or DEATH and preferably PLACE of any or all of these events of one person IN SCOTLAND, preferably after 1855.
However, the more information you can provide the better (provided it is accurate) before research commences. Please use the APPLICATION FORM for this purpose if you decide to go ahead.
Note that all costs and prices are stated in £ (UK Pounds Sterling - GBP). If necessary, please convert to the appropriate value in your local currency.
The rate for research is £18 per hour with a full day costing £144, including all fees payable to New Register House (currently £10 per day) for access to their records.
However, it is strongly recommended that the first stage of research should be in the form of an Initial Search into the post 1855 period covering either the Male or Female lines at a cost of £90. This, subject to the time available, has the effect of establishing the Trunk of the Family Tree back towards The Early 1800's (although compulsory Registration didn't commence until 1855 it will provide the Death Certificates of those who died post 1854 which contain the details as previously described).
The results of this would be presented to you in the form of a typed Narrative Report together with computer printed Ancestor and Descendant trees. You may of course start by commissioning Initial Searches on both male and female lines at a cost of £170.
On receipt of the above results, it will be up to you whether or not you wish to proceed with further in depth research at the above hourly rate. You will also receive suggestions as to the direction(s) of further research.
Additional research is normally commissioned in stages (so many hours or full days at a time) and at each stage you will be advised of progress made, provided with print-outs of the information gathered to date and invited to proceed further until such time as you wish to have the research terminated.
You may of course wish to by-pass the Initial Search and start off by commissioning a set number of hours or days research - this is no problem.
Payment in advance is required for all Searches.
All information gathered will be input to computer using the latest Genealogical Research Software and the reports and charts printed on a Laser Printer. The information will be held on file and will be available for update and production of further reports should you commission additional research.
The information provided by the Initial Search is as stated above.
The detailed results of other research come in the form of a Narrative Report, Ancestor & Descendant Trees & Kinship Report. Within these reports, the depth of detail contained for each individual is naturally dependent on what the research discovers, but the software is sufficiently flexible to record and report on practically any information that is found.
It should normally be feasible get back to the early 1800's without any great difficulty (It is of course governed by the time allocated to a Search, which may on occasion run out before reaching that point. e.g. Identifying a person with an uncommon name in a small parish is much easier and less time-consuming than identifying a person with a common name in a large city).
Once we get beyond the period of Statutory Civil Registration i.e. pre 1855 and are dependent on the Non-Statutory Records, the success or otherwise of the search and the time involved in acquiring information is very much dependent on the quality and comprehensiveness of the records for that part of the country at which we are looking. As stated previously, the quality of the information in the Old Parish Registers varies from Parish to Parish.
However, you should expect on average to get back beyond 1800.
If, at any time, it becomes clear that little further progress will be made or that the prospect of further progress will involve significant additional expenditure on your part, you will be notified and will have the option to terminate the research. If you decide to terminate the research, you will only be charged for the work already carried out.
You should normally expect to receive the results within 6 weeks of receipt of your Application Form. Dependent on the pressure of work this may of course vary either way but if there is going to be a delay much beyond 6 weeks you will be advised.
Please print out a copy of the APPLICATION FORM, fill it in and send it to Scottish Family Research together with your payment.
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