Genealogy Chat

Can anyone tell me if it's possible to find a free online site for Scottish bmd's.

I've googled and all I can find are pay to view

Thanks Lou

Family search does have some records but usually only go to 1890's

http://www.sctbdm.com/index.php

This is the Scottish version of BMD share


http://www.scotlandsfamily.com/

Not used this one but might be worth a look

Thank you Glitter baby.

I have tried familysearch to no avail, but I will try the other site you mention, thanks again, will give it a go now.

Regards, Lou

http://www.freecen.org.uk/ has transcriptions of the earlier Scottish censuses - the images still have to be purchased from SP. Of the 33 counties, 27/4 are complete/pertial for 1841, and 16/8 for 1851, plus some later thru 1881.

www.freereg.org.uk has very good coverage of old Scottish parish records

Hi mgnv and BererleyW

Many thanks for those tips, so far I've not had any luck so finger,s crossed for your tips.

Thanks again, it's very much appreciated,

Lou

Beverley - I think "very good coverage" needs qualification.
It can be very good, e.g., Orkney, but of the 80+ parishes in Aberdeenshire, 4 are complete (Cluny, Keig, Savoch, Strichen) and 2 partial (Aberdeen, Garioch), and there's nothing for the rest, which for me, falls short of very good coverage.

The moral is check out the area of your interest.

Hi mgnv and Beverley,

Thanks again, but I've not had any luck on there at all. Which does match what your saying mgnv.

But thanks again everyone for your help and advice, it's still very much appreciated.

Good luck to you all in your own hunting.

Regards, Lou

www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk is THE site to use.Yes, you have to pay to view, but it is very good value for money.You will be able to view a scanned copy of the original document for a small sum. The birth,marriage & death certificates contain a wealth of information, unlike English ones, including names of parents,their occupations & whether they're still alive at time of registration.

Hi Fionalesley,

Thanks very much for the info. Does that actually mean you don't have to purchase the actual certificates?

Sorry I won't be able to respond as I was just about to go to bed when I saw you had commented, but I will try and log on tomorrow sometime to get an update.

Thanks again Fiona for responding.

Regards, Lou

Beverley - just to clarify. An actual paper cert - the sort you'ld need to get a passport, say, - costs (I think) 14 GBP. However, if you don't need an actual cert, and are happy to see the actual registration (that you would get a certified paper copy of), and if it's an older entry (where older means 100/75/50 plus y for B/M/Ds), then you can purchase an image for 1.40 GBP, same price as census images, and old parish rego images.

Clarification re "actual" registration - this is the case for Bs & Ds, but for Ms, what you see is the local registrar's copy of the marr, not the church register that the bridal couple actually signed.

To see this, check out the free examples via:
http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/Content/Help/index.aspx?r=554&402
http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/Content/Help/index.aspx?r=554&403
http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/Content/Help/index.aspx?r=554&404
Clearly, for Bs &Ds, this is the informant's signature, but for Ms, the couple'a signatures and those of the witnesses are all in the same hand as the rest of the entry.

mgnv

Thank you very much for clarifying that for me, as I say I've never researched Scotland so it's all new to me, and that info will be very useful.

I will check out the examples you have given me.

Thanks again it's very much appreciated;

Regards, Lou

Yes mgnv of course it depends on your area of interest.
I am obviously one of the lucky ones since my lot in East Lothian, Midlothian and Lanark are very well covered.
Good luck Lou

Lou - if you've never researched Scotland, it's helpful to know where the parishes are. There's 1890s maps showing parishes for any Scottish county at:
http://www.electricscotland.com/history/gazetteer/

mgnv,

Thanks so much, I really am lost - so a good map should help me find where I am as I'm getting so dizzy. ha ha ha.

Thanks Lou ;-)

A big thank you to all who have posted here, you've provided a huge amount to work through (I've had a quick look at several of the links already).
I haven't had cause to research Scottish records until just recently - and here is a wealth of info. Great stuff!

Many thanks! :-D
Karen