Scottish civil birth records

Before the introduction of civil registration of births, marriages and deaths in England and Wales in 1837, it is the parochial registers recording the baptisms, marriages and burials of our ancestors

The civil registration of marriage in Ireland commenced in April 1845 for couples marrying through Protestant denominations, or on a nondenominational basis through civil marriages performed by state-

As far back as medieval times, unmarried women in Scotland could take the fathers of their children to court to force them to pay maintenance towards the expenses incurred during birth and her subsequ

QMargaret Woodhall (née Smithson), born c1827 Liverpool (according to the 1851 census), was the sister of my great grandfather, James Murray Smithson, born c1835 in Edinburgh. Their father was William

To some of us, post-1945 seems like yesterday – but if you are a younger researcher, this era could encompass several generations of your ancestors. More recent research is an important part of everyo

This is one in a series of articles; the intention is to provide an overview of useful family and local history records in existence, covering the period 1066-1485. Each article can be enjoyed as a st