History Scotland and Family Tree present a live Zoom event with genealogy expert Chris Paton. Join us on 21 October for three masterclasses, with a Q&A after each.

What's included?

The study afternoon includes:

• SESSION 1: Discover Your Scottish ancestors

In this session Chris will provide a broad overview on the main record sets to help you get under way with your Scottish family history research, including civil records for births, marriages and deaths, censuses, parish and kirk session records, wills, and more. In addition, he will show how such records can be located and accessed both offline and online. Starts 1pm *

• SESSION 2: Instantly Buckled for Life: Scottish Marriage Records 

The law on marriage in Scotland has differed extensively in comparison to the rest of the United Kingdom, with many types of records available for research, whether those marriages were 'regular' or 'irregular'. Chris will discuss the legal history of Scottish marriage, provide case studies to illustrate the various situations in which they were created, and dispel some myths along the way! (PS: This is not a marriage guidance session!) Starts 2.30pm *

• SESSION 3: Understanding Scottish Land Records

One of the richest sources of research material for Scottish genealogists is that documenting the very land itself. Chris will start by exploring basic records of occupancy in the country, including censuses, directories, valuation records and rentals, before doing a deeper dive into the nature of Scottish feudalism (and udal tenure), exploring how land was both conveyed in the country, and inherited across time. Starts 4pm *

Your ticket includes:

• Access to all three masterclasses and Q&A sessions on Zoom
• The chance to ask Chris Paton your Scottish family history question at the end of each talk (subject to timings and demand)
• A copy of the recording to watch on-demand for 7 days

Got a question about booking? E-mail us here

About Chris Paton

Chris Paton runs the Scotland’s Greatest Story research service and teaches online courses through Pharos Tutors.

Chris's book Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records is available from Pen and Sword Ltd, as are many of his other family history books. Chris’s Scottish GENES blog is here.