Family Research – English, Scottish and Irish Genealogy

The original form of Beaton was Clann Meic-bethad (MacBeth) however they had no relation to the 11th century King. (more…)

The story of one of the most famous families in Scotland which produced two Scottish Kings and saved Scotland in the Wars against Edward I of England. (more…)

The story of a clan which started due to a clerical error and produced one of the greatest Scotsmen in history. (more…)

The Cameron Clan produced some of the best military leaders in British history but were not originally Scots. (more…)

In 1796 tax became payable on legacies and residues of personal estates upon death. The Death Duty as it was called began as a tax on particular legacies however it was extended such that in 1811 all estates passing through the probate court (the mechanism by which wills were executed) were included. (more…)

Many family historians will have come across military personnel within their family. Within the British army the following ranks hold (more…)

In 1747 an Act for the Relief of Disabled seamen was introduced which, among other things required the masters or owners of merchant ships to file Crew Lists with the Seamans Fund recievers at the ports of sailing and arrival. (more…)

This Project began with a stroke of luck. I have been working on the history of the area covered by the parish of Newton in midlothian,since a local history society began 21/2 years ago. Being a relative incomer,and a librarian,I opted to pursue written material, and set out to comb the indices of any likely looking books, making a chronological card index of anything that I found.

MARION M. T. RICHARDSON (C) (more…)

An English family of this name settled in East Lothian as sub vassals of the family of de Vallibus (Vaux) at the end of the twelfth century (more…)

At the Churchyard of South Leith parish Church is found over three hundred headstones and these have been recorded from the 1780’s although the earliest dates from 1583. There is also in excess of 11,000 unmarked graves recorded from approximately 1824 (more…)