Author Topic: Scottish Research without Financial Pain?  (Read 1923 times)

Offline diplodicus

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Scottish Research without Financial Pain?
« on: Saturday 16 September 17 06:56 BST (UK) »
I am certain that this is a question that has been asked many times but ...

Is there any way to access Scottish BMD and census info without disappearing down the 'pay-per-view' rabbit hole to bankruptcy?

I simply cannot afford to rack up the PPV charges on the Scotlands People web site.

I will be visiting Scotland later this year.

Many thanks.
Thomas, Davies, Jones, Walters, Daniel in Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion. That should narrow it down a bit!
Vincent: Fressingfield, Suffolk, Stockton & Sunderland.
Murtha/Murtaugh: Dundalk & Sunderland
Ingram: Cairnie by Huntly, Scotland then Abergavenny, Monmouthshire.
Bardouleau: London - in memory of my stepmother Annie Rose née Bardouleau who put up with a lot from me.
gedmatch.com A006809
Kit uploaded to familytreedna.com B171041
Y-DNA R-M269 & mtDNA U5b1f

Offline Johnf04

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Re: Scottish Research without Financial Pain?
« Reply #1 on: Saturday 16 September 17 07:14 BST (UK) »
If you think Scotlands People's charges are high - try ordering certificates in New Zealand, or buying online in some Australian states - they cost ten times the Scotlands People charge.
Farrell  - Ayrshire
Cairns - Ayrshire
McCann - Ayrshire
Brown - Ayrshire
Petty - Yorkshire, Durham
Lucas - Staffordshire, Durham
Whitaker - Yorkshire
Thackrah - Yorkshire
Stephenson - Durham
Marshall - Yorkshire
Walker - Staffordshire, Southland New Zealand
McCullough -  Antrim, Southland New Zealand,
Cavanagh - Galway, Southland New Zealand
Anthony - Tipperary, Southland New Zealand
Bath - Cornwall, Tasmania, Southland
Brungot - Alesund, Norway; Southland
Bonthron - Fifeshire, Southland

Offline Wendy2305

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Re: Scottish Research without Financial Pain?
« Reply #2 on: Saturday 16 September 17 09:50 BST (UK) »
Depending on the years and area Freecen have quite good coverage of the census
Also there's family Search for BMD before 1875
But these both offer only transcriptions and not the actual certificates or census but do help to narrow down possibilities and rule out others
Scotlands People is the only place that has the Scottish BMD and for £10 you can download 6 certificates which I think is quite resonable

Offline Johnf04

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Re: Scottish Research without Financial Pain?
« Reply #3 on: Saturday 16 September 17 10:02 BST (UK) »
Family Search have some Scottish records, including census transcripts, and Ancestry has transcripts of all but the 1911 census. As Wendy said, Freecen has some census transcripts, but only the 1841 is complete for Scotland.
Farrell  - Ayrshire
Cairns - Ayrshire
McCann - Ayrshire
Brown - Ayrshire
Petty - Yorkshire, Durham
Lucas - Staffordshire, Durham
Whitaker - Yorkshire
Thackrah - Yorkshire
Stephenson - Durham
Marshall - Yorkshire
Walker - Staffordshire, Southland New Zealand
McCullough -  Antrim, Southland New Zealand,
Cavanagh - Galway, Southland New Zealand
Anthony - Tipperary, Southland New Zealand
Bath - Cornwall, Tasmania, Southland
Brungot - Alesund, Norway; Southland
Bonthron - Fifeshire, Southland


Offline hurworth

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Re: Scottish Research without Financial Pain?
« Reply #4 on: Saturday 16 September 17 10:09 BST (UK) »
Johnf04 is correct about the relative pricing, but you can't necessarily compare NZ and Scottish records just in terms of price.

The free birth indexes in NZ have always included both parents forenames, so you're less likely to order the wrong one in NZ.    The indices in Scotland after Civil Registration commenced in the 1850s don't have parents' names, but you might get lucky with a transcription on FamilySearch.

Deaths in Scotland prior to about 1880 are MUCH better than NZ because they include the names of the parents of the deceased.  Marriages too.  New Zealand introduced this in about 1880.

If you're after parish records prior to the mid-1850s you often can see the image at a LDS Family History library/site. 

It all depends on the specifics of the information you're looking for.

Offline goldie61

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Re: Scottish Research without Financial Pain?
« Reply #5 on: Saturday 16 September 17 10:17 BST (UK) »
JUst beat me to it hurworth!
Was just going to say that if you get back before 1855, there are loads of actual Scottish Parish Register images on familysearch - they have digitised the old microfilms. You have to go through the 'Catalogue' function on Search. Mostly only viewable at a LDS library as hurworth says.
I have found it invaluable to look up dozens of people , which otherwise I wouldn't have been able to do it I had had to pay for every image on SP.
Lane, Burgess: Cheshire. Finney, Rogers, Gilman:Derbys
Cochran, Nicol, Paton, Bruce:Scotland. Bertolle:London
Bainbridge, Christman, Jeffs: Staffs

Offline Johnf04

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Re: Scottish Research without Financial Pain?
« Reply #6 on: Saturday 16 September 17 10:50 BST (UK) »
You can buy a day pass at the Scotlands People Centre, in Edinburgh - you can search and view images, but not download them.

https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/research/visit-us/scotlandspeople-centre
Farrell  - Ayrshire
Cairns - Ayrshire
McCann - Ayrshire
Brown - Ayrshire
Petty - Yorkshire, Durham
Lucas - Staffordshire, Durham
Whitaker - Yorkshire
Thackrah - Yorkshire
Stephenson - Durham
Marshall - Yorkshire
Walker - Staffordshire, Southland New Zealand
McCullough -  Antrim, Southland New Zealand,
Cavanagh - Galway, Southland New Zealand
Anthony - Tipperary, Southland New Zealand
Bath - Cornwall, Tasmania, Southland
Brungot - Alesund, Norway; Southland
Bonthron - Fifeshire, Southland

Offline diplodicus

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Re: Scottish Research without Financial Pain?
« Reply #7 on: Sunday 17 September 17 07:39 BST (UK) »
Thank you all for your advice and guidance. It is very helpful.

I agree that £10 for 6 certificates is very reasonable. However, it was the searching, sifting and eliminating that gobbled up the credits.

I'll definitely be spending an additional day in Edinburgh when next I travel northwards.

Diolch yn fawr iawn.
Thomas, Davies, Jones, Walters, Daniel in Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion. That should narrow it down a bit!
Vincent: Fressingfield, Suffolk, Stockton & Sunderland.
Murtha/Murtaugh: Dundalk & Sunderland
Ingram: Cairnie by Huntly, Scotland then Abergavenny, Monmouthshire.
Bardouleau: London - in memory of my stepmother Annie Rose née Bardouleau who put up with a lot from me.
gedmatch.com A006809
Kit uploaded to familytreedna.com B171041
Y-DNA R-M269 & mtDNA U5b1f

Offline Wendy2305

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Re: Scottish Research without Financial Pain?
« Reply #8 on: Sunday 17 September 17 10:43 BST (UK) »
Diplodicus it is now free to search and look at the indexes you may need to purchase credits to be able to do this but it doesn't cost any credits until you download a certificate the prices are now 6 credits per certificate or census instead of the 1 credit to search and 5 to download