The church collections form a significant proportion
of the holdings of the National Archives of Scotland (NAS). The material
dates from the 16 century onwards and includes a small number of records
from the pre-Reformation era. The NAS is the recognised national repository
for records of the Church of Scotland, and its constituent predecessor
churches.
We also hold on deposit a small proportion of the records of other
Protestant denominations, including the Methodist, Congregational/United
Reformed and Scottish Episcopal churches, the Unitarian Church and
the Society of Friends (Quakers). Records of the Roman Catholic Church
in Scotland are held by the Scottish Catholic Archive and the Roman
Catholic Archdiocese of Glasgow Archive. The NAS holds copies of Roman
Catholic registers, catalogues for which are available in the Historical
Search Room and in the electronic
catalogue.
Charge and superintendence
The NAS has set up agreements with a number of Scottish local authority
archives, whereby records of particular local significance are held
in local archives under the charge and superintendence of the Keeper
of the Records of Scotland. In the case of church records this applies
to records of Church of Scotland congregations within particular presbyteries,
especially in the larger conurbations such as Glasgow, Aberdeen and
Dundee. Where a record is held in a local archive, this will be stated
in the NAS electronic catalogue.
Depositing Church of Scotland records
The NAS has an agreement with the Church of Scotland for the deposit
of church records that are more than 50 years old and not still in
use. Such records should be delivered to the office of the Principal
Clerk of the General Assembly for onward transmission to the NAS or,
by arrangement with the NAS Church Records Officer, directly to The
National Archives of Scotland. Guidance on the deposit of church records
is available from the NAS Church Records Officer. You can contact
the Church Records Officer using the details given below.
Temporary retransmissions
Church of Scotland congregations may, by special arrangement with
the NAS, request the temporary retransmission of their own records
back to their custody for a specific purpose, such as preparation
and/or exhibition for the celebration of a significant anniversary.
Requests for temporary retransmissions should be submitted to the
Principal Clerk on the appropriate form, and should be accompanied
by extract minutes of presbytery and kirk session. Further information
and application forms, are available from the NAS Church Records Officer
at the address shown below. To allow time for records to be inspected
and prepared prior to retransmission, it is essential that requests
for temporary retransmissions are submitted at a minimum of three
months before they are required. The church courts and the NAS will
not consent to the retransmission of records for purposes of personal
research.
Contact the Church Records Officer
If you wish to ask the Church Records Officer for advice on your
church records use the details shown below. Please do not send family history enquiries to this email or postal address, which is only to be used for enquiries about the deposit or retransmission of church records. For family history queries, please go to our page on doing research remotely.
| Postal address: |
Church Records Officer
The National Archives of Scotland
HM General Register House
2, Princes Street
Edinburgh
EH1 3YY |
| E-mail: |
cro@nas.gov.uk
|
| Telephone: |
0131 535 1327 |
|
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