Saturday, 30 November 2024

Happy St Andrew's Day

Illustration by Martin Aitchison from
A First Book of Saints (1963) by
Hilda I. Rostron


Scotland's patron saint, St Andrew, is celebrated on the 30th November. I remember, as a kid, reading a Ladybird book about the patron saints of the different nations of the UK and Ireland, and managed to find a copy of it more recently. The illustration above is taken from the chapter about St Andrew and shows the monks who are supposed to have brought his remains to Scotland.

Just to do my bit to mark this special day, here are some tips for boosting your Scottish family tree.

National Records of Scotland are noting a historical landmark concerning one of Scotland's favourite pastimes. Tickets for the in-person event are sold out, but the event is being live-streamed on the 4th December at 1.30pm (UK time). Book your virtual (and free) ticket here to hear sports historian Andy Mitchell talk about 200 years of football in Edinburgh.

The Scottish Association of Family History Societies has member societies from around the world, not just Scotland. Check out the list on their website and consider joining one (or more!) society that matches your research interests. Many are now providing remote access to their meetings which previously were only available in person.

The National Library of Scotland has some excellent resources for genealogists, including Post Office Directories, Maps, and the Scotsman newspaper digital archive. It also has great guidance on lots of different aspects of Scottish family history. And if you live in Scotland, you can register for free access to many of their other digital collections.

SCAN - The Scottish Archive Network will be archiving its website early in 2025. It's been one of my go-to places to understand more about Scottish records. Learn more about the change on the current site

Have a great St Andrew's Day!




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