Details of sporting archives in the National Library of Scotland collections. Quoting the reference in square brackets will help us find these items for you more quickly if you visit the reading rooms to consult them.
archery | bowling | coursing | cricket | curling | cycling | field sports | football | golf | Highland Games | horse racing | motoring | mountaineering | pedestrianism | rugby | skating | tennis | yachting
Archery
- Thomas Kincaid
Diary, 1687-1688 [Adv.MS.32.7.7] - Royal Company of Archers
Numerous Diplomas and Acts of Admission, 1716-1888
Printed notice of the Royal Company of Archers, 1877-1878 [MS.8102, ff.117-18]
Bowling
- Trinity Bowling Club, Edinburgh
Minutes and accounts, 1855-1967 [Acc.9456] - Wardie Bowling Club, Edinburgh
Minutes and accounts, 1929-1970 [Dep.330]
Minutes and accounts, 1978-1998 [Acc.12000] - Waterstonian Bowling Club, Edinburgh
Minute book and scrapbook, 1933-1967 [Acc.12235/358-9]
Coursing
- Records of the Lothians Coursing Club, 1926-1966 [Acc.11601]
Cricket
- Baroness Lynedoch
Diary, detailing cricket matches in Perthshire involving her husband, Thomas Graham, Baron Lynedoch , 1785 [MS.3630] - J F Campbell of Islay
Sketch depicting 'new method' bowling, 1876 [Adv.MS.50.4.11, ff.79-80] - Letters and photographs of Scottish cricketers, 1889 [Acc.9105]
- Leith Franklin Cricket Club
Records, 1912-1988 [Acc.10361, Acc.12670] - Brunswick Cricket Club
Records, 1915-1973 [Acc.9106] - Carnoustie Cricket Club
Account book, 1911 [Acc.8802, no.124]
Curling
- Sir John Foulis of Ravelston
Account books mention curling in Edinburgh 1686-1688 [MS.6154-5] - Duddingston Curling Society
Song for the Duddingston Curling Society, 1817 [MS.1878, f.26] - Mortonhall Curling Club
Records, 1868-1917 [MSS.24652-5] - Pinkerton of Littlepark
Letters and programmes relating to the Caledonian Curling Club's tour of Canada, 1950s [Acc.8802, nos.88-90] - William Douglas
Journal, 1889, includes an account of a visit to Ailsa Craig [MS.10975, f.72]
Cycling
- James Loch
Letter including a drawing of a man on a hobbyhorse, 1819 [MS.19415, f.41]
Field sports
- Robert Edward
Commonplace Book, circa 1650 [MS.5450] - Sir John Foulis of Ravelston
Account books, 1686-1688 [MSS.6154-5] - Ayrshire Hunt
Minutes, 1791-1795 [Acc.5457] - 7th Marquess of Lothian
Sporting diary, 1815-1824 [MS.5790] - Campbell of Islay
Game Books, 1840-1856 [Acc.3276-7] - William F Moore
Game Books, 1869-1930 [Acc.4538] - Game Book, Perthshire, 1881-1905 [Acc.5357]
- Henry Kirby's sketchbooks of sporting holidays in Sutherland, circa 1880-1912 [Acc.12786]
- Shooting diary, Blair Atholl, 1883-1884 [Acc.7051]
- Journal, field sports, 1911-1925 [AC.10562]
See also the following family and estate archives:
- Chalmers of Auldbar
- Ellice of Invergarry
- Fletcher of Saltoun
- Lynedoch
- Maxwell of Monreith
- Minto
- Sutherland
Football
- Letters and papers, 1919-1967, of Heart of Midlothian FC [Acc.10226]
- Letters and papers of P D Thomson, concerning Hibernian FC [Accs.10691, 12436]
- Scrapbooks compiled by John Weir, 1980s [Acc.10122]
Golf
Golf clubs and societies
- Fraserburgh Golf Club
Minutes and accounts, 1777-1779 [Acc.4796, Box 124] - Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers
Minutes, bet books, financial records, 1744-1992 [Acc.11208, Acc.12739] - Kilearn Golf Club
Minutes and accounts 1896-1914 [MSS.24650-1] - Kilspindie Golf Club (formerly Luffness Golf Club)
Minutes and accounts, 1867-1965) [Accs.9191, 10787] - Luffness New Golf Club
Minutes and accounts, 1894-1911 [Accs.11692, 12628] - North Berwick Golf Club
Records, 1832-1991 [Acc.11578] - Royal Burgess Golfing Society
Records, 1774-1970s [Dep.375, Acc.11095] - Waterstonian Golf Club
Competition book, 1907 [Acc.12235/360]
Personal papers
- Sir John Foulis of Ravelston
Account books, 1686-1688 [MSS.6154-6155] - Thomas Kincaid
Diary, 1687-1688 [Adv.MS.32.7.7] - Mackenzie of Delvine papers
Letters and accounts relating to golf at St Andrews, 1691-1717 [MSS.1391, 1400] - William Robertson, Lord Robertson, Senator of the College of Justice
Admission certificate, Honourable Company of Golfers of Edinburgh, 1787 [MS.3988, no.7]
[Note: Described as 'Advocate' on the certificate — so not the historian] - D W and W Auchterlonie, golf club makers, St Andrews
Letters and photographs, 1875-1964 [Acc.10575] - Arthur Elliot
Watercolour of golf on Musselburgh links, circa 1886 [MS.9373, f.8] - Frederick Guthrie Tait
Golf match record books and diaries, 1892-1900 [Acc.13048] - Chalmers of Auldbar
Letter of Norman Chalmers, former Captain in the Cameron Highlanders to his sister, Blanche, Auldbar Castle, concerning life on sheep station at Mount Linton, New Zealand, 1891. Includes comments on suitability of soil for golf courses - Haig papers
Photograph of Earl Haig playing golf - Arthur Birnie
Diary entries for golfing expeditions to Portobello, 1907, etc. [Acc.11018] - Jean McCulloch
Printed ephemera, 1930 [Acc.10177]
Highland Games
- Kelso Games
Letters concerning, 1881-1882 [MSS.8070-1] - Seton Gordon
Photograph album, 1908-1909 [Acc.7451] - Campbell of Islay
[Adv.MS.50.7.6d]
Horse racing
- Skaithmoor
Agreement for a horse race, 1677 [MS.3135, f.10] - Isle of Man
Rules for a horse race, 1697 [MS.19733, f.1] - Caverton Edge
Plans for a stand at Caverton Edge racecourse, Kelso, 1778 [MS.13233] - Sir John Foulis of Ravelston
Account books include visits to Leith Races, 1686-1688 [MS.6154-5] - Printed notices of horse races:
- Leith, 1756, 1765 [MS.2896, p.141]
- Kelso, 1809, 1822 [MS.2896, p.145]
- Musselburgh, 1821 [MS.10958, f.269]
- Eglinton Park, 1836 [MS.14913B, f.29]
- Malton, Yorkshire
Accounts of expenses in breeding racing horses, 1769-1790 [MS.10223] - Kelso Races
Minutes, accounts, printed notices of races, photographs and printed items, 1812-1952, of and relating to racing at Kelso - Lynedoch papers
Correspondence and papers on Lynedoch's horse racing and breeding interests including Epsom and Ascot race cards, 1839-43 [MS.16018] - Maxwell of Monreith papers
Correspondence mentioning the races at Ayr, 19th century [Acc.7043] - Rosebery papers
Includes material on horse racing, 20th century [MSS.10221-2]
Motoring
- Fletcher of Saltoun papers
[MS.16898, fff.178-181] - Motoring log book, Killearn, 1905-1909 [MS.8919]
- Sylvia Primrose, daughter of the Earl of Rosebery
Journal of a caravan tour in Hampshire [MS.10227] - Elsie Jollyman
Journal of a horse-drawn caravan tour of Scotland, 1909 [MS.29499] - Motoring tours 1919-1925 [MSS.17954-5]
- Seton Gordon
Motor car registers, 1936-1937 [Acc.7451, box 27] - Journal, 'Motoring byways around Edinburgh', circa 1950 [Acc.8329]
Mountaineering
Papers of organisations
- Scottish Mountaineering Club
Minutes, rules, membership records, Club Room records, log books, publications and papers of members, 1889-1984 [Acc.11538] - Braehead Mountaineering Club
Records, 1951-1970 [Acc.9925] - Fell and Rock Climbing Club
Records, 1927-1928 [Acc.9865]
Personal papers
- Dr J H Bell
Notes for lectures on climbing, 1927-1963 [Acc.9960] - Thomas Graham Brown
Diaries, correspondence and working papers, 1877-1962 [Acc.4338]
A few photographs largely relating to the 'Alpine Journal' - C K Howard Bury, Lieutenant Colonel
Two notebooks recording the Everest expedition led by Bury, 1921 [Acc.11359] - Una Cameron
Climbing diaries, 1926-1938, [Acc.10384, Acc.10480] - Ronald Clark
Personal papers, including much relating to climbing [Acc.9589] - George I Finch
Photograph albums of Alpine and Himalayan scenes, including the Everest expedition,1922, two Everest diaries [Dep.345, Acc.8338] - Joseph Alan Garrick
Climbing notebooks, photographs and related papers, 1915-1996 [Acc.11401] - Tom Weir, Mountaineer, broadcaster, author, naturalist and photographer
Diaries, photographs, notebooks, articles, of climbing largely in Scotland and the Himalayas,1930s-2006 [Acc.13059] - Rawdon Goodier, Mountaineer
Correspondence and papers, 1950-1983, relating to climbing [Acc.10380, Acc.11178] - A M Kellas
[Acc.9603] - Ian H Ogilvie, Civil Engineer
Copies of climbing journals, 1920-1990 [Acc.11851] - Lieutenant Colonel Peter Oliver
Papers concerning Alpine and Himalayan expeditions, 1921-1945 [MSS.24656-24658] - Arthur Walker Russell
Climbing and other journals, 1891-1930 [Acc.12690] - Major Markham Sherwill
Description of his ascent of Mont Blanc, 1825 [Acc.5994] - Alexander Cunninghame Douglas Small
Climbing diaries and articles, 1932-1940 [Acc.13368] - George Buchanan Smith
[Acc.9446] - George P Smith
1910-1915 [Acc.9464, no.182] - Lloyd (Robert Wylie), Alpinist
Journals of Alpine tours and other papers mostly concerning mountaineering, 1789-1947, collected by Robert Lloyd [MSS.6337-6346] - Fanny Bullock Workman
Diaries, correspondence, accounts, photographs and maps of Fanny Bullock Workman and William Hunter Workman, 1885-1917.
A substantial number of photographs of expeditions in Europe and the Himalayas. The Workman archive is split between the rare books and manuscripts collections. Photographs are to be found in both parts [Acc.9893] - Sir James Wordie
Papers, 1922-1969, including material on climbing in Greenland [MSS.9501-9568, Acc.12559] - Anon
Journal of a climbing expedition to Switzerland, 1859 [Acc.3329]
Pedestrianism
- Francis, Lord Jeffrey
Diary of a walking tour in Scotland, 1800 [MS.23223] - James Erskine of Aberdona
Journal of a walking tour in central Scotland, 1802 [MS.5121] - William Laing, minister of Crieff
Journal of a walking tour in central Scotland, 1810 [Acc.8554]
Journals of a walking tours in the Highlands, 1819 [MS.6336] - C S Inglis
'A Pedestrian Excursion in the Highlands', 1856 [Acc.5186] - Helen B Cruickshank
Photographs taken on walking tours in Scotland, 1912-1931 [MSS.26709-11]
Rugby
- Ticket for France-Scotland Rugby match at Myreside, Edinburgh 1898 [Acc.10638/B7]
- Team photograph, 1912-1913, of a Heriot's XV [Acc.11123]
- Scrapbook, 1924-1946, of William Simpson [Acc.10114]
Skating
- Records of the Edinburgh Skating Club, 1784-1966 [MSS.24641-9]
Tennis
- Designs for an internal tennis court, early 19th century [MsS.14820-1]
Yachting
- Archibald, 3rd Duke of Argyll
Accounts for the Duke of Argyll's yacht the 'Princess Augusta', 1751-1755 [in MSS.17621-5] - Daniell and Ayton
Annotated copy of Daniell and Ayton’s 'A Voyage Round Great Britain', London, 1814-1825. with notes by Sir Walter Scott [MS.6140] - Sir Warington Wilkinson Smyth, geologist
Accounts of two journeys: 'A cruise among the Hebrides or Western Islands of Scotland', 1836, and a 'Log of the Barbara of Bedford during her voyage from Bedford to York', 1835, [Adv.MS.20.5.15] - H Tennant
Journal of a cruise through the Western Isles, 1838 [Acc.12071] - Katharine Jane Ellice
Sketches, 1850-1859, many relating to yachting holidays off the west coast of Scotland, [MSS.15172] - Richard Doyle
'Log of the Ladye', 1850, 1850, humorous illustrated logs of voyages off the west coast of Scotland presented by Doyle to his hostess, Katharine Jane Ellice [MS.15150] - Edward Ellice
Logs, 1855-1873, of voyages off the west coast of Scotland [MS.15147] - Francis G Richards
Log of the ‘Midas’, 1859, on a voyage off the coast of Main, USA, when the crew included Charles J Paine [MS.20373] - Sir Thomas Newenham Deane, Irish Architect, and Joseph Manley Todd Sailing logs of the yachts 'Norma' and 'Coquette', and log of the 'Siesta', 1872 [Acc.8359]
- Royal Highland Yacht Club
Records, 1881-1941 [Dep.354] - Lady Margaret Douglas Home
Diary, 1904, of a voyage in the 'Christine' [Acc.8767] - The Ailsa
Log of the 'Ailsa' on a voyage in the Western Isles, 1892 [MS.9231]