Events, Talks and Visits

We host a variety of events, talks and visits, including lectures on historical themes and records, introductory talks on family history, school workshops and visits by groups in further and higher education and evening classes in palaeography. The Dome Seminar Facility in New Register House is used for meetings and conferences.

Online Public Talks

25 August 2021, 7.00-8.00pm

Malicious Mischief? Women's Suffrage in Scotland

Jocelyn Grant, Archivist, National Records of Scotland

Archivist Jocelyn Grant will provide an introduction to the women’s suffrage movement in Scotland, looking primarily at the period before 1918. Drawing on the archives of the National Records of Scotland (NRS), Jocelyn will show how this period is represented in criminal case files, government reports, diaries and newspapers. In particular the talk will cover the difference between the suffragists, and the suffragettes; notable individuals involved in the movement such as Lady Francis Balfour, Ethel Moorhead, Fanny Parker; and the recent online resource (Profiles (nrscotland.gov.uk) produced by NRS, giving access to many of the archival files held within the archives of the National Records.

Places for this talk can be booked via Eventbrite.

23 September 2021, 5.00-6.00pm

Opening Doors to Edinburgh's New Town's Past - its planning as reactions to plague, poverties and property ownership?

Dr Anthony Lewis, Curator of Scottish History for Glasgow Life Museums

This talk by Dr Anthony Lewis focuses on some possible motivations for enlarging and improving Edinburgh in the first half of the 1700s. It will refer to HM General Register House itself as a key building in this process and emphasise the importance of using the archives held there in National Records of Scotland, and elsewhere, to appreciate their contributions to understanding Edinburgh's people and the city’s institutions at a time of crisis.

Place for this talk can be booked via Eventbrite.
 

Public events postponed

Following the advice from the UK and Scottish Government to help delay the spread of Covid-19/Coronavirus, we have now postponed all of our scheduled in-person public events until further notice. We hope to reschedule these events for a future date but our top priority at this time is public safety and the wellbeing of staff. 

Further updates will be available on this page. You can also keep up to date via Twitter @NatRecordsScot. If you would like further information, please refer to the NHS Coronavirus guidance. 

If you have any enquiries about our services, please contact: [email protected].

Services for Schools

Our Services for Schools are designed to support the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence and National Qualifications in the form of workshops and online resources for Scottish primary and secondary schools.

Evening Class

Archivists from the NRS run evening classes in palaeography on behalf of the University of Edinburgh's Office of Lifelong Learning. This practical course in Scottish Handwriting covering the period 1500-1700 takes place at General Register House.

New Register House Dome Seminar Facility

The New Register House Dome is a unique venue, purpose-built to house the Scottish birth, death and marriage records dating back to 1553. The Dome Seminar Facility is used for meetings and conferences.