Valuation Rolls for 1895 Launched

National Records of Scotland is delighted to announce that the Valuation Rolls for 1895 are the latest set of records to be added to ScotlandsPeople online and the ScotlandsPeople Centre.

The names of more than two million Scots from the late Victorian age will be published today, as records of Scottish properties and their owners and occupiers in 1895 are released on family history website ScotlandsPeople. The records given an insight into Scottish society during that period and comprise more than two million indexed names and over 75,000 digital images, covering every kind of building, structure or property in Scotland that was assessed as having a rateable value.

The Valuation Rolls include people from right across the social spectrum, from the wealthiest proprietors to the humblest property owners and tenants of Scotland's urban housing.

Some fascinating aspects of social history are revealed in the Rolls, including the growth of tea rooms, the opening of Scotland's first crematorium and the provision of housing for workers, such as shale miners and prison staff.

We have also identified many 'tee-names' in the Rolls, the names used in some communities in the north-east of Scotland and elsewhere to distinguish people of the same name. Tee-names are nicknames with a difference because they were not just used by one person, but could be applied to other family members, and handed on to the next generation. Codlin, Gyke, Costie Stone and Santa Upple are just some of the tee-names given to inhabitants of Buckie in Banffshire according to the 1895 Valuation Rolls.

Every one of the Valuation Rolls is fully searchable by name and address via ScotlandsPeople, with the records listing the names of owners, tenants and occupiers of each property - in many cases occupations are also included.

Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs in the Scottish Government, said:

"ScotlandsPeople is an incredible resource that enables Scots, those of Scottish descent and anyone with an interest in Scotland to find out more about our nation's fascinating history, heritage, people and built environment. The release of the Valuation Rolls for 1895 is a welcome development that will strengthen the rich resource in Scotland's national archive".

Tim Ellis , Registrar General and Keeper of the Records of Scotland, said:

"The release of the Valuation Rolls for 1895 will prove invaluable for family and local history research, enabling people to discover much more about who their ancestors were and how they lived. Reading an entry for a single building can provide a fascinating insight into local life at the time - adding to the information people can obtain from census records taken around that period. This forms part of the National Records of Scotland's commitment to improving our service to the public and providing researchers with the resources that they need".