National Records of Scotland

National Records of Scotland. It is a non-ministerial department of the Scottish Government, created in 2011 from the merger of the General Register Office for Scotland and the National Archives of Scotland. The agency is responsible for the civil registration of vital events, the taking of the census, and the preservation and management of the national archives of Scotland. Headquartered at HM General Register House on Princes Street in Edinburgh, it also operates from New Register House and the historical Thomas Thomson House.

History

The origins of its functions lie in the establishment of the Lord Clerk Register, an office dating to the 13th century, which evolved into the Keeper of the Records of Scotland. Statutory civil registration in Scotland began with the Registration of Births, Deaths and Marriages (Scotland) Act 1854, administered by the Registrar General for Scotland. The General Register Office for Scotland was formally created in 1860. The archival function was consolidated under the Public Records (Scotland) Act 1937, leading to the creation of the Scottish Record Office, later renamed the National Archives of Scotland in 1999. The merger forming the current body was enacted by the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010, operational from 1 April 2011, unifying these two long-standing institutions under a single Registrar General.

Functions and responsibilities

Its core statutory duties are defined by key legislation including the Registration of Births, Deaths and Marriages (Scotland) Act 1965, the Census Act 1920, and the Public Records (Scotland) Act 2011. It maintains the national system of civil registration, recording all births, deaths, marriages, and civil partnerships in Scotland. The agency is responsible for conducting the decennial census and publishes official demographic statistics and life expectancy data. As the national archive, it oversees the selection, preservation, and management of public records under the Public Records (Scotland) Act 2011, including those from the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service, the Scottish Parliament, and pre-Union records of the Kingdom of Scotland.

Collections and archives

The holdings are vast, spanning nine centuries and including iconic documents such as the Declaration of Arbroath from 1320, the Acts of the Parliament of Scotland, and the Lothian Health Board archives. Key collections comprise medieval charters from the reigns of Malcolm III and David I, the records of the Court of Session, and the Scottish Catholic Archives. It holds extensive genealogical resources like the Old Parish Registers dating from 1553, census returns from 1841 onwards, and wills and testaments from the Commissary Courts. Significant modern records include those of the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board and the British Railways Board Scottish region.

Governance and structure

The agency is led by the Registrar General for Scotland, who also serves as the Keeper of the Records of Scotland, a dual role currently held by Paul Lowe. It operates as a directorate within the Scottish Government, reporting to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy. Key operational divisions include Registration and Census, Archives and Records Management, and Statistical Services. It works closely with other national bodies such as National Records of Scotland (itself), Historic Environment Scotland, and the National Library of Scotland on collaborative projects like the Scottish Archive Network (SCAN) and the Scotland's People family history centre.

Access and services

Public access is primarily provided through the Scotland's People centre at HM General Register House in Edinburgh and via its online portal, which offers digitized indexes to statutory registers, census data, and church records. Researchers can consult original archival material in the historical search rooms at General Register House and at its modern facility, Thomas Thomson House in the Sighthill area of the city. The agency provides expert advisory services on records management to Scottish Government departments and local authorities like the City of Edinburgh Council. It also publishes official reports, such as the annual Registrar General's Annual Report for Scotland, and collaborates on exhibitions with institutions like the National Museum of Scotland.

Category:National archives Category:Scottish Government Category:Organisations based in Edinburgh Category:2011 establishments in Scotland