Examples of records

Old Parish Registers (OPRs)

OPRs are the Church of Scotland records of births and baptisms, banns and marriages and deaths and burials for the 300 years before civil registration began in 1855. The Centre provides access to indexes and digital images of surviving OPRs, 1553-1854.

The example below is from 1565, recording the marriage of Mary, Queen of Scots (left), to her second husband, Henry Lord Darnley (click to enlarge).

For further information see Old Parish Registers.

Statutory Records

The Centre provides access to indexes and digital images of all Scotland's Statutory records, 1855 to the present year. These cover Birth, Marriage and Death records, including the Foreign Register - a record of Scots who have died abroad.

The example below is from 1894 (click to enlarge). It shows the entry recording the death of renowned author Robert Louis Stevenson (left), who died in the Samoan Islands.

For further information see Statutory records.

Census

The Census collects information about Scotland's people and households. The UK government has taken a Census every 10 years since 1801 (except 1941).

The example below is from 1861 (click to enlarge). It shows details ingathered from Picardy Place in Edinburgh. Listed at number 11 is Arthur, aged 1, who grew up to be Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (left), creator of Sherlock Holmes.

For further information see Census records 1841-1901.