Scotland's Greatest Story - professional Scottish genealogy research

18/04/2026

My next Scottish GENES webinar will be British and Irish Newspapers for Family History Research on Saturday 25 April 2026, at 7pm UK time.

In this talk I will do a deep dive into how newspapers can help with our research, but also the various issues to be aware of when using online resources, and resources in libraries and archives, as well as various finding aids for newspapers that may not yet be available online. The talk will be £10, and there will be a handout available, and a recorded copy of the talk for a week after the event.

To register for the newspapers talk, please visit https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_CsXpnwkLTZ2J3dFx__RwWg.

I hope that you can join me!

Chris

17/04/2026

I requested a more concise explanation from ScotlandsPeople as to why its half-day bookings have been stopped, and have received an answer - I have updated my blog post at https://scottishgenes.blogspot.com/2026/04/scotlandspeople-centre-ceases-half-day.html
(With thanks to ScotlandsPeople)

From Scotland, a daily news blog about genealogy, family history and personal heritage.

17/04/2026

Hi folks, my next Scottish GENES webinar will be British and Irish Newspapers for Family History Research on Saturday 25 April 2026, at 7pm UK time.

In this talk I will do a deep dive into how newspapers can help with our research, but also the various issues to be aware of when using online resources, and resources in libraries and archives, as well as various finding aids for newspapers that may not yet be available online. The talk will be £10, and there will be a handout available, and a recorded copy of the talk for a week after the event.

To register for the newspapers talk, please visit https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_CsXpnwkLTZ2J3dFx__RwWg.

I hope that you can join me!

Chris

21/03/2026

Starts in half an hour - still time to sign up! 👇🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Happening tomorrow evening - still time to register!

On Saturday 21 March at 7pm (UK time) I'll be giving this month's regular Scottish GENES Webinar session on the topic of Understanding Scottish Inheritance Records. A handout will be available and a recording for one week after. The following is a description:

If all you have looked at so far are the wills on ScotlandsPeople, you've only touched the surface of the topic of inheritance!

There were many differences between the laws of inheritance in Scotland compared to those of England, Wales, and Ireland. For example, land could be bequeathed in a will south of the border from the 16th century, but in Scotland, it could not be so bequeathed until 1868; prior to this there was a completely separate Scottish process for the inheritance of land and property.

From the records of confirmation to the conveyance of conquest, and from the ‘Services of Heirs’ to ‘precepts of clare constat’, this talk will explain the unique inheritance systems in Scotland, and the various unique sets of records generated.

Registration is £10, and can be done via https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_RMadRPyvTU2nVnqokGoHew

I hope you can join me!

Chris

20/03/2026

Happening tomorrow evening - still time to register!

On Saturday 21 March at 7pm (UK time) I'll be giving this month's regular Scottish GENES Webinar session on the topic of Understanding Scottish Inheritance Records. A handout will be available and a recording for one week after. The following is a description:

If all you have looked at so far are the wills on ScotlandsPeople, you've only touched the surface of the topic of inheritance!

There were many differences between the laws of inheritance in Scotland compared to those of England, Wales, and Ireland. For example, land could be bequeathed in a will south of the border from the 16th century, but in Scotland, it could not be so bequeathed until 1868; prior to this there was a completely separate Scottish process for the inheritance of land and property.

From the records of confirmation to the conveyance of conquest, and from the ‘Services of Heirs’ to ‘precepts of clare constat’, this talk will explain the unique inheritance systems in Scotland, and the various unique sets of records generated.

Registration is £10, and can be done via https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_RMadRPyvTU2nVnqokGoHew

I hope you can join me!

Chris

16/03/2026

My Scotland 1750-1850 - Beyond the Old Parish Registers course through Pharos Tutors starts TODAY, but there is still time to sign up! Full details at https://www.pharostutors.com/scotland-1750-1850-beyond-the-old-parish-registers - I hope you can join me!

Scotland 1750-1850 - Beyond the Old Parish Registers, an online course looking at filling the record gaps in Scottish research before 1850.

15/03/2026

A reminder that the Scotland 1750-1850 - Beyond the Old Parish Registers course from Pharos Tutors starts tomorrow, but there is still time to sign up - full details at https://www.pharostutors.com/scotland-1750-1850-beyond-the-old-parish-registers . I hope to maybe see you there! Chris

Scotland 1750-1850 - Beyond the Old Parish Registers, an online course looking at filling the record gaps in Scottish research before 1850.

13/03/2026

Hi folks, a reminder the next Pharos course I'm teaching starts on Monday, entitled Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the Old Parish Registers. The course is 5 weeks long and taught online - further details at https://www.pharostutors.com/scotland-1750-1850-beyond-the-old-parish-registers - I hope you can join me!

Scotland 1750-1850 - Beyond the Old Parish Registers, an online course looking at filling the record gaps in Scottish research before 1850.

12/03/2026

East Ayrshire Gaelic Forum is hosting a waulking demonstration at Dean Castle, Kilmarnock, on Saturday 28 March from 1-3, with Sgioba Luaidh Inbhirchluaidh / Inverclyde Waulking Group, who will show how cloth such as tweed was 'waulked' traditionally to be thickened and softened. The following video provides a flavour of the group in action! https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1CKmeainpC/

Tickets are £6.13 (£5 +£1.13 booking fee) available via https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/waulking-group-demonstration-tickets-1984331953289?aff=oddtdtcreator - EAGF members and kids go FREE.

Tha sinn an dòchas gum faic sinn sibh ann - we hope to see you there!

(Please share!!)

11/03/2026

Hi folks, this month's Scottish GENES Webinar will take place on Saturday 21st March at 7.00pm UK time, with a handout available and recording for one week after. The topic will be Understanding Scottish Inheritance Records - the following is a description:

If all you have looked at so far are the wills on ScotlandsPeople, you've only touched the surface of the topic of inheritance!

There were many differences between the laws of inheritance in Scotland compared to those of England, Wales, and Ireland. For example, land could be bequeathed in a will south of the border from the 16th century, but in Scotland, it could not be so bequeathed until 1868; prior to this there was a completely separate Scottish process for the inheritance of land and property.

From the records of confirmation to the conveyance of conquest, and from the ‘Services of Heirs’ to ‘precepts of clare constat’, this talk will explain the unique inheritance systems in Scotland, and the various unique sets of records generated.

Registration is £10, and can be done via https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_RMadRPyvTU2nVnqokGoHew

I hope you can join me!

Chris