One of most common issues in genealogy is to understand the relationship between two people in a family. We’re all familiar with the relationship between our direct line ancestor and ourselves, but the other branches can get a little tangled. For example, most people are familiar with the concept of a sibling (brother or sister) […]
Some of the advantages that accompany engagement with one’s Gaelic heritage are the wonderful and useful bits of relevance that a Gaelic past brings to modern life. That’s right. Lessons learned from a Gaelic perspective can be productively relevant to difficult problems we face today. Consider the following: Gaelic tradition introduces community oriented and inclusive perspective in an increasingly exclusive and inward looking […]
Just off Edinburgh’s bustling Princes Street sits a grand old building that houses hundreds of years worth of Scotland’s records. HM New Register House is well known as home to the General Register Office for Scotland but also houses the Court of Lord Lyon – Scotland’s centuries-old heraldic authority that can be traced back to […]
Francis Alexander Mackinnon, born April 9, 1848, was the 35th chieftain of the Mackinnon Clan and a Test cricketer for England. Arunabha Sengupta remembers the life and career of the man who was the second batsman to be dismissed during Test cricket’s first hat-trick. This article was originally written for The Cricket Country, and has […]
Celebrated annually around the world, April 6 is recognised as an international celebration of Scottish heritage and ancestry. Known as Tartan Day, the celebration marks the anniversary of the 1320 signing of the Declaration of Arbroath, sought to assert Scotland’s right to self-govern, and to lift the Catholic church’s excommunication of Robert the Bruce. As […]
For some unknown reason, in the genealogical world, it seems that some famous person is always doing the rounds. When I see someone claiming some famous ancestor, my first thought and question normally is, prove it, show me your sources and records. Last month it seemed everyone was claiming Robert the Bruce and William Wallace […]
Half of all men in the United Kingdom with the surname Stewart, or Stuart, can claim ancestry from Scotland’s Royal family. Research released by ScotlandsDNA has revealed for the first time the individual in the 13th century who founded a branch of the Royal Stewart line. In the United Kingdom alone there are about 70,000 […]
Hot off the Heraldry press, we’re pleased to report that a new Lord Lyon King of Arms was appointed in Edinburgh last week. Dr Joseph Morrow, an advocate with degrees in theology law, was appointed as the 38th Lord Lyon following the resignation of David Sellar MVO, FSAScot, FRHistS late last year. Dr Morrow has […]
Family history website ScotlandsPeople has uploaded a tranche of birth, marriage and death records from across the country, dating from 1913, 1938 and 1963 respectively. The records are available to view on the web for the very first time. The documents – which consist of over 220,000 separate scans – were released on New Year’s […]
The Lord Lyon King of Arms, Scotland’s chief heraldic officer and the most junior of Scotland’s Great Officers of State, is set to step down later this year. Mr. David Sellar was appointed to the role in 2008 and will retire in December after five years in the role. The Lyon Court regulates and has […]
