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Sunday 16 June 2013
 
 
 

Courts and legal bodies

These pages are designed to provide help and information to anyone with record-keeping responsibilities in the Scottish courts and other legal bodies which transmit their records to the National Archives of Scotland (NAS). In the NAS the Court and Legal Records Branch (CLRB) carries out the Keeper’s responsibilities for these public records.

What CLRB do

The functions of CLRB can best be summarised in the following list:
  • We accept record transmissions from our depositors in accordance with current public records legislation.
  • We appraise court and legal records in accordance with current legislation, and select those regarded as worthy of permanent preservation.
  • We provide advice to our depositors on best practice for dealing with court and legal records, both in paper and electronic formats.
  • We return transmitted records when depositors request them for their use.
  • We catalogue court and legal records held in the NAS, and promote public access to them through our public on-line catalogue.
Read our transmissions section for information on depositing court and legal records with the NAS; the on-line forms required for making deposits and information on re-transmissions.

For detailed information about your area of responsibility go to one of the following:

Supreme Courts
Sheriff Courts
Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service
• Accountant in Bankruptcy
• Registers of Scotland


Contacting CLRB

The following contact numbers are for the use of staff in the Scottish courts and other legal bodies who deposit records with the NAS. They can also contact us on court&legal@nas.gov.uk. If you have a more general query about court and legal records – for example about how to get access to them or what they contain – please contact the relevant search room (Historical Search Room or Legal Search Room) through our contact us page.

Sheriff Courts SectionSheriff courts
Commissary Unit of Edinburgh Sheriff Court
0131 270 3301
Criminal Actions SectionHigh Court of Justiciary
Crown Office and Lord Advocate's Department
(except policy and legislation files and establishment records)
0131 270 3313
Civil Actions SectionCourt of Session
Accountant of Court
Accountant in Bankruptcy
Registers of Scotland
Scottish Land Court and the Lands Tribunal for Scotland
0131 270 3314


Alternatively, please write to:
Court and Legal Records Branch
The National Archives of Scotland
Thomas Thomson House
99 Bankhead Crossway North
Sighthill
Edinburgh
EH11 4DX

Emergency Contacts

In the event of emergencies or disasters affecting the records in any way, the NAS should be informed immediately.

Conservation Services BranchTelephone:0131 270 3308
Court and Legal Records Branch Telephone: 0131 270 3312
0131 270 3313
0131 270 3314
0131 270 3301
 E-mail: court&legal@nas.gov.uk
  
 
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Page last updated: Friday 30 September 2005

The National Archives of Scotland, H.M. General Register House, 2 Princes Street, Edinburgh, EH1 3YY; tel +44 (0) 131 535 1314; email: enquiries@nas.gov.uk