Irvine Burgh Archive Collection now available to consult

From North Ayrshire Council:

An additional 2000 records of historical importance have now been made available to the public for the first time at Irvine’s Townhouse after Ayrshire Archives launched the Irvine Burgh Archive Collection on Tuesday, October 24.

North Ayrshire Provost Ian Clarkson and Elected Members were among guests at the celebration event, where they heard more about one of the oldest and most complete Burgh archive collections in Scotland.

They also enjoyed an exhibition of archives dating from 1322 to 1975 from the collection, which included a rare opportunity to view the Irvine Charter of King Robert the Bruce, dated 1322, the Irvine Charter of King Robert II, dated 1372, and a Charter granted by Mary, Queen of Scots, from 1545.

Ayrshire Archives was established in 1996 to provide the archive service for North Ayrshire, East Ayrshire and South Ayrshire councils. Collections are located across Ayrshire, including at the Burns Monument Centre in Kilmarnock and Ayrshire Archives HQ at Auchincruive.

The archive service looks after and provides access to irreplaceable records of historical importance belonging to all three authorities and their predecessors, as well as private records that relate to the historical development of Ayrshire and Arran.

The collection can be used for research, learning and legal purposes, offering an insight into the history and development of families and individuals, communities, buildings and the physical environment, social and economic landscape and politics of the past.

Provost Ian Clarkson said: “What a truly fascinating collection of records we have at Irvine Townhouse. It was a treat to see these important Irvine Charter documents dating back to the 14th century.

“The Irvine Burgh Archive is a real treasure trove for anyone researching specific aspects of the town’s history, with trained staff able to help you along the way.

“Along with our Family History Service, which is also based at the venue, this is an extremely valuable resource for the people of North Ayrshire.”

For more information on how to trace your ancestors using North Ayrshire Council’s Family History service, click here.

Appointments to view the Irvine Burgh Archives are available at Irvine Townhouse on Thursdays between 9.30am and 1pm, then from 2pm to 4pm. To book, or for more information on Ayrshire Archives and collections relating to North Ayrshire, click here. You can also follow Ayrshire Archives on Facebook and Twitter

(Source: https://www.north-ayrshire.gov.uk/news/Irvine-Burgh-Archive-Collection-is-launched-at-Townhouse.aspx)

COMMENT: for more on Ayrshire Archives's burgh records holdings visit https://ayrshirearchives.wordpress.com/the-catalogues/burgh-records/.

And very soon, I just might be able to do some look-ups for you -  all being well, I am moving to Irvine in a fortnight's time!

Chris

Order Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483. My next Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the OPRs course starts 4 November 2019 - see https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=302. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Scottish burgess records added to FindmyPast

The latest records added to FindmyPast (www.findmypast.co.uk), including Scottish burgess records sourced from the Scottish Genealogy Society in Edinburgh:

Scotland, Burgess & Guild Brethren Index
Did your Scottish ancestors become masters of their trade? Uncover details of their lives with over 64,000 records spanning nearly 650 years of occupational records. Each transcript will reveal a combination of their occupation or trade, dates, locations and notable life events.

Medieval and early Scottish burghs were controlled by a minority of residents known as burgesses. The burgesses were merchants and craftsmen of the burgh, they had the right to elect the Town Council, and the merchants were more influential. The other residents of the burgh were 'unfree' and had no vote of special privileges from living in a town. Affluent householders such as chamberlains and lawyers were often 'unfreemen', although many were awarded the status of burgess 'gratis', this conferred citizenship but little else. Widows who were respectable, may also be awarded this citizenship. Becoming a burgess was viewed as the key to social position, it was evidence of economic success within the community.

(COMMENT: Check out this month's edition of Who Do You Think You Are? magazine for an article by yours truly on freeman/burgess appointment records!) 

Scotland, People of Banffshire & Moray 1150-1857
Over 23,000 additional records have been added to the collection. The names in this collection have been discovered across a number of sources. Each record will tell you the original source and a description of the text.

British India Office Deaths & Burials
Over 12,000 additional records have been added to our collection of India Office Deaths & Burials. Discover details about the deaths of your ancestors who died in the UK, British India, Burma and other territories connected to the India office (St Helena, Sumatra, Kuwait, Aden, Penang, Macao). Discover where, when and in some cases how they died as well as where they were buried.

1939 Register Update
Over 37,000 additional 'open' records have been added to the 1939 Register. Since the Register was launched, Findmypast has matched nearly five million 'closed records' to multiple data sources to correctly confirm the date and location of death for individuals recorded.

International Records Update – Bahamas
Discover your Bahamian ancestors in this online index of registered births from the British Crown Colony of The Bahamas, from 1850-1891. Birth records are essential to expanding your family tree. There are tens of thousands of records in this collection, giving information not only about relatives born in the Bahamas but also their parents.

British & Irish Newspaper Update
This week we have added 87,226 new pages to our collection We are delighted to welcome four new titles to our ever-growing collection, including an extensive run of Worcestershire publication the Evesham Standard & West Midland Observer, two Northern Ireland titles (the Protestant Watchman & Lurgan Gazette and the Ulster Examiner & Northern Star), as well as pages from West Sussex publication the Crawley News. This week also sees updates to nine of our existing titles covering various English counties, including five London publications. We have also updated the Crewe Guardian and the Reading Evening Post.

Further details ands links at https://blog.findmypast.co.uk/findmypast-friday-2635914256.html

Chris

My next Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the OPRs course starts May 13th 2019 - see https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=302. Details of my genealogical research service are available at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. For my Scottish and Irish themed books, visit https://britishgenes.blogspot.com/p/my-books.html. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

The Bailie's Great Adventure in Elgin

From Moray and Nairn Family History Society:

Council Corruption

Documents have come to light, revealing council corruption on a grand scale: votes bought and sold; kidnapping; attacks on properties; and, mob rule.

Read all about it (free online) in a new publication from Moray & Nairn Family History Society on their website at http://www.morayandnairnfhs.co.uk/moray.asp, in The Bailie’s Great Adventure.

In the early part of the 19th century, general elections were very different to what we know today. In the town of Elgin, for example, there were only 17 voters. Little wonder then that
the greatest efforts were made to capture the votes of these people. 

This publication describes some of the events surrounding the general election called at the
death of King George III in 1820. It follows the life of one of the bailies of Elgin, Francis
Taylor, during the election period in March that year.

(With thanks to Doug Stewart)

Chris

My next 5 week Scottish Research Online course commences Sept 11th 2017 - details at https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=102.
For details on my Scottish & Irish genealogy guide books, please visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html.
For my genealogy research service, please visit http://www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk.

ScotlandsPlaces records now free to access

Major news from Scotland, in that the records collections on ScotlandsPlaces (www.scotlandsplaces.gov.uk) have now been made available free of charge. In the past the site hosted a mixture of records, some of which were free to access (as was the case when the site was originally launched), and others which required a subscription of £15 +VAT, i.e. £18 (the only records collection I ever saw in the UK which advertised its sub on that basis!), although transcripts of some of those records were free to access. The sources for the collections are the National Records of Scotland, the National Library of Scotland, and the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (now part of Historic Environment Scotland).

The records that are now completely free on the site are:

Historical Tax Rolls

Carriage Tax, 1785-1798, (20 volumes)
Cart Tax, 1785-1798, (14 volumes)
Clock and Watch Tax, 1797-1798, (2 volumes)
Consolidated Schedules of Assessed Taxes, 1798-1799 (32 volumes)
Dog Tax, 1797-1798, (2 volumes)
Farm Horse Tax, 1797-1798, (13 volumes)
Female Servant Tax, 1785-1792, (28 volumes)
Hearth Tax, 1691-1695, (43 volumes)
Horse Tax, 1785-1798, (33 volumes)
Inhabited House Tax, 1778-1798 (64 volumes)
Land Tax, 1645-1831, (129 volumes)
Male Servant Tax, 1777-1798, (27 volumes)
Poll Tax, 1694-1698, (88 volumes)
Shop Tax, 1785-1789, (8 volumes)
Window Tax, 1748-1798, (218 volumes)


Ordnance Survey Name Books

Aberdeenshire, 1865-1878, (91 volumes)Argyll, 1868-1878, (81 volumes)
Ayrshire, 1855-1857, (64 volumes)
Banffshire, 1867-1869, (28 volumes)
Berwickshire, 1856-1858, (41 volumes)
Buteshire, 1855-1864, (7 volumes)
Caithness, 1871-1873, (15 volumes)
Clackmannanshire, 1861-1862, (7 volumes)
Dumfriesshire, 1848-1858, (55 volumes)
Dunbartonshire, 1860, (18 volumes)
East Lothian, 1853-1854, (55 volumes)
Fife and Kinross-shire, 1853-1855, (135 volumes)
Forfarshire (Angus), 1857-1861, (84 volumes)
Inverness-shire, 1876-1878, (86 volumes)
Kincardineshire, 1863, (20 volumes)
Kircudbrightshire, 1848-1851, (159 volumes)
Lanarkshire, 1858-1861, (50 volumes)
Midlothian, 1852-1853, (135 volumes)
Morayshire, 1868-1871, (23 volumes)
Nairnshire, 1869, (7 volumes)
Orkney, 1878-1880, (26 volumes)
Peeblesshire, 1856-1858, (47 volumes)
Perthshire, 1856-1858, (79 volumes)
Renfrewshire, 1856-1857, (21 volumes)
Ross and Cromarty, 1848-1852, (187 volumes)
Roxburghshire, 1858-1860, (42 volumes)
Selkirkshire, 1858, (15 volumes)
Shetland, 1877-1878, (26 volumes)
Stirlingshire, ca 1864, (27 volumes)
Sutherland, 1871-1875, (35 volumes)
West Lothian, 1855-1859, (69 volumes)
Wigtownshire, 1845-1849, (88 volumes)


RCAHMS Archives

Alexander Curle diaries, 1908-1953 (14 volumes)
Inventories, 1909-1992 (30 volumes)


Burgh registers

Aberdeenshire Burgh Registers, 1398-1511 (8 volumes)


Official Reports

Medical Officer of Health Reports, 1891
Land Ownership Commission Reports, 1872-1873


Published Gazetteers and Atlases

Hay Shennan, County and Parish Boundaries, 1892
An Atlas of Scottish History to 1707


Hydrographic Surveys

Bathmetrical Surveys of Scottish Lochs, 1898-1909


Archaeological and architectural sites, and historical maps and plans

1st edition 6-inch series1st edition 25-inch series
2nd and later edition 6-inch series
2nd and later edition 25-inch series

The ScotlandsPlaces team are still looking for volunteer transcribers to help with deciphering some of the collections from their older script forms, so if interested, do drop them a note!

Have fun! :)

Chris

For details on my genealogy guide books, including A Beginner's Guide to British and Irish Genealogy, A Decade of Irish Centenaries: Researching Ireland 1912-1923, Discover Scottish Church Records (2nd edition), Discover Irish Land Records and Down and Out in Scotland: Researching Ancestral Crisis, please visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html.

ScotlandsPlaces - new records update

ScotlandsPlaces (www.scotlandsplaces.org.uk) has added three new collections to its site, as follows:

Inhabited House Tax 1778-1798 - from the site:

Duties on inhabited houses were first imposed in 1778. The resulting tax schedules (E326/3/1-65), drawn up by the Exchequer, were bound by counties, with royal burghs included under their respective counties. An exception is the burgh schedules for 1786-87 and 1789-90, which were found several years after the above arrangement was made and which have been bound in alphabetical order for each year (E326/63-64). The schedules for 1793-94, 1795-96 and 1796-97 are entirely wanting, except for the 1793-94 schedules for Inverness-shire and Inverness burgh (vol. 21). After 1798 this duty was incorporated in the comprehensive Assessed Taxes Schedules.


RCAHMS Inventories 1909-1992 - from the site:

Initially, RCAHMS recorded all buildings and monuments of note until the year 1707. This was later updated to 1805. The findings were published in a series of inventories. Changes in what constitutes a construction "of note", plus developments in how the public could access this information, led to the abandonment of the inventories after publication of the last Argyll volume in 1992. Consequently, only approximately half of Scotland was covered by this method.


Alexander Curle 1908-1913 (diaries) - from the site:

Alexander Curle was the RCAHMS secretary between 1908 and 1913. Little did Alexander Curle realise as he penned the words 'Having started on my course of inspection of the ancient monuments of Scotland I have deemed it advisable to keep a journal wherein I may record my various experiences and adventures as such may from time to time befall me', that his 'Private journal of a wandering Antiquary' would be treasured today as one of the initial items in the RCAHMS collections. Please note that the 1st Curle diary which covers 1913 to 1953 will be added in the coming months.


I note also that the first eight volumes of Aberdeen burgh records have been added to the site. Some blurb on this also:

The first eight volumes of Aberdeen burgh registers, which cover the period 1398 – 1511, are included in the UK Register of Important Documentary Heritage, part of the UNESCO Memory of the World Programme. The 5,238 pages of the first eight volumes represent the earliest and most complete body of surviving records of any Scottish town. Alongside the Exchequer Rolls and the Register of the Great Seal held by the National Records of Scotland, these records are the only surviving near-continuous record for Scotland in the fifteenth century which give an unrivalled insight into the political and social life of the Scottish medieval town. Aberdeen's medieval city council functioned both as a policy making unit and as a legal court and usually met twice a week. The early council records contain not only documents of detailed council discussions of policy, but also of the council's more routine concerns, such as legal decisions in hundreds of disputes between citizens, either at the instigation of individuals or the council's own officials.

Full details on these are at www.scotlandsplaces.gov.uk/digital-volumes/burgh-records?class=county&name=Aberdeenshire&id=1

Chris

My latest genealogy books are Tracing Your Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), Discover Scottish Civil Registration Records, and Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet. My next Pharos course is Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the OPRs, which commences May 14th 2014, 5 weeks, price £45.99.