Lists and directories

Published directories might help if you want to find out where your ancestor lived or what kind of job they did.

We have lots of different types of directories, including:

• Street and county directories

• Trade and professional directories

• Military lists

• Peerage and landed gentry lists

• Ecclesiastical directories

• University graduates lists.

Post Office directories

Our digitised collection of Scottish Post Office directories (1774 to 1911) include an alphabetical list of people, street and trade directories and other listings. If you're looking for these after 1911, they are available in hard copy. We also hold directories for other areas of the UK and further afield.

Military lists

Some of the British military lists are also available online. They provide details of officers who served in the British Army, the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force during the First and Second World Wars. However, these lists don't include everyone and usually people who served at other ranks, such as 'private', won't be on them. We also have other military directories in the collections.

Ecclesiastical directories

Ecclesiastical directories can provide information on ancestors who were employed in the religious professions. A good starting point is 'Fasti Ecclesiae Scoticanae: the succession of ministers in the Church of Scotland from the Reformation', by Hew Scott (Edinburgh: Oliver & Boyd, 1915-).

Peerage and landed gentry

Peerage and landed gentry lists can confirm ancestry from titled and landed families in Scotland. We hold hard copies of resources like Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage and 'The Scots Peerage' by Sir James Balfour Paul (Edinburgh: David Douglas, 1904-1914, 9 volumes)', for example.