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3: Vital Records
4: Church and Cemetery Records
5: Emigration and Immigration
6: Military Records
7: Property, Probate, Wills, Court
8: Maps and Gazetteers
9: Newspapers
10: Geo/Culture/History
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Partners and Sites: FamilySearch Ancestry MyHeritage | Websites: FS Wiki GenealogyLinks
Scotland CountiesGoal 7: Learn about Scotland property, probate, wills, and court records.
Choices
ALearn about Scotland land and property records.
- FamilySearch: Learn about Scotland land and property in this FamilySearch Wiki article.
FS Wiki: Land and Property - Valuation Rolls: Learn about valuation rolls from 1855 in this article from the Scottish Indexes site.
Valuation Rolls from 1855 - Find additional valuation resources from the National Records of Scotland.
Valuation Rolls - Property Records: Learn about the Scottish "sasines" or property records.
Sasines - Scottish Property Records - Search for Scottish sasines on the
Scottish Indexes site. - What is a sasine?
- Was Henry still alive when the sasine was recorded?
- What was the name of the woman he was married to?
- In the Scottish Indexes site, enter Henry Davidson's name and where he lived, and click the search option.
- Read the record that matches the correct criteria to answer the research questions.
- A sasine is "a legal document that records the transfer of ownership (usually a sale or an inheritance) of a piece of land or of a building."
- Agnes Davidson was recorded as Henry's widow, indicating that Henry had passed away.
- Agnes Davidson was his wife.
(Contributed by Kaylee Lynn) - Taxation Records: Learn about using Scottish taxation records in your research.
Taxation Records
Scottish Sasines Practice |
Henry Davidson lived in Hownam, Roxburghshire, Scotland in the mid-18th century. This is all the information we currently know about Henry. Use the Scottish Indexes site above to do a sasine search, to see if Henry owned any land. That could give us more information about his life. Answer the following questions about the sasine record:
Exercises
- * Good: Using the articles and videos in this Choice, write down key learnings for land and property. Then use the learnings for searches for ancestor records.
- * Proficient: Same as above, for two or more ancestors.
BLearn about Scotland probate records, or wills and testaments.
- FamilySearch: Learn about Scotland probate records in this FamilySearch Wiki article.
FS—Wiki: Scotland Probate Records
- Where was Robert living at the time of his death?
- What is the name of his son, and where did the son live?
- Who are the other two men mentioned on the record?
- In the FamilySearch article mentioned above, scroll down and click the link for Calendars of Confirmations and Inventories (under Indexes to Testamentary Records).
- Click the link to "view a digital version of 1880 of this item." Listings are done alphabetically by surname.
- Find Robert Foulis on page 222 of the book, and read his record to find answers to the questions.
- Robert was living at St. Andrews at the time of his death.
- Robert's son was named Thomas Foulis.
- Andrew Aikman and Thomas Terras were listed as "Grocers."
(Contributed by Kaylee Lynn) - Will: Get an overview of Scottish wills for research on the National Records of Scotland site.
Wills and Testaments - Find Scottish wills from 1858-1996 on the U.K. Government Probate Search site.
- Deeds: Learn about the Scottish Register of Deeds.
Register of Deeds - Search the Register of Deeds for ancestor records.
- Poor Law: Learn about Scotland Poor Law records.
Poor Relief Records - Learn more about finding poor Scottish ancestors.
RT—Where Are My Poor Scots Ancestors?—18:19
Scottish Probate Records Practice |
We are looking for information on the death of Robert Foulis, and the name of Robert's son. Volumes of "Calendars of Confirmations and Inventories" appear likely to provide this information. Locate Robert's information in this book volume and use the Scottish Calendar of Confirmations, referred to in the "FS—Wiki: Scotland Probate Records" above, to answer the following questions:
- * Good: Using the articles and videos in this Choice, write down key learnings for wills and deeds. Then use the learnings for searches for ancestor records.
- * Proficient: Same as above, for two or more ancestors.
CLearn about Scottish court records.
- FamilySearch: Get an overview of Scottish court records in this FamilySearch Wiki article.
FS Wiki—Scotland Court Records - Learn how to use a variety of Scottish court and legal records for research.
Court and Legal Records
GG—Court Records, Scotland - Paternity: Learn how to find paternity cases in sheriff court records.
Finding Paternity Cases in Sheriff Court Records - Search for paternity cases in the Old Scottish site.
- Criminal: Learn about High Court criminal records.
High Court Criminal Records - Quick Guide
High Court Criminal Records - Advanced Guide - Learn more about finding Scottish criminal records.
WDY—Scottish ancestry: How to find Scottish criminal records - Search Scotland's Criminal Database for records.
Scotland's Criminal Database Practice |
A diary of Alice Mcdonald indicates that she was poor for most of her childhood and struggled to make ends meet. The diary abruptly comes to an end shortly before Alice's 29th birthday, and no further information appears to be recorded by her. Use the "Scotland's Criminal Database" link above to answer these questions:
- What happened to her, and what crime was she convicted of?
- How old was she, and where was she born?
- In Scotland's Criminal Database, enter Alice's first and last name into the search boxes and do a search.
- Select the "High Court - Crown Office Precognitions" record where Alice's role is listed as the accused (not the victim)
- Click the "Full record" button and read through the record to find out what happened to Alice.
- Alice was sent to prison, convicted of "Theft by opening lockfast places and previous conviction."
- Alice was 29, and she was born in Glasgow (Scotland).
(Contributed by Kaylee Lynn)
Exercises
- * Good: Using the articles and videos in this Choice, write down key learnings for wills and deeds. Then use the learnings for searches for ancestor records.
- * Proficient: Same as above, for two or more ancestors.
QUIKLinks
- FMP: Scotland, Will and Testament Index 1481-1807
- FMP: Scotland, Court & Criminal database
- AC: Scotland, Sheriff Court Paternity Decrees, 1792-1922
- AC: Scotland, General and Admission Registers for Asylums, 1858-1918
- FMP: Scotland, Mental Health Institutions Registers & Admissions
- AC: Web, Scotland, High Court Criminal Indexes, 1790-1919
- MH: Scotland, Prison Registers, 1791-1937
- MH: Crown Counsel Procedure Books, 1587-1968
- AC: Perthshire Valuation Rolls, 1901
- AC: Aberdeenshire, Scotland, Poor Law Applications and Registers, 1818-1923
- AC: Aberdeenshire, Scotland Police Records, 1818-1948
- AC: Edinburgh, Scotland, Extent Rolls, 1580-1847
