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Scotland

Languages

Despite long being a multilingual country, most records used in Scottish research are in English, with older ones in the closely related Scots language. They may, however, be difficult to read because of unique Scottish words, Latin words, or different handwriting styles.

Occasionally records will also contain Gaelic, often written in English phonetics. In the medieval documents about Orkney and Shetland, you may also encounter Norn, an early form of Norwegian.

Online Resources

• Gaelic language groups
• Dictionary of the Scots Language
• List of Gaelic resources
• Scots language Society

Courses

• Cùrsaichean - Gaelic Courses

Dictionaries

• Dictionary of the Scots language
• Dwelly's Dictionary (Gaelic)
• Stor Data Briathrachas

Scottish Gaelic

Gaelic (Gàidhlig) is a member of the Goidelic branch of the Celtic language of Scotland. It is closely related to Irish and Manx, and more distantly to Welsh, Cornish and Breton.

The Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005 gives some degree of recognition to Scotland's Celtic language. However, unlike Welsh, Scottish Gaelic has been written down far less frequently, and is not taught in many schools. The language is generally associated with the Highlands, but was historically spoken in most of the Lowlands as well. Many Lowland surnames and areas have Gaelic derivations, e.g. Dundee, Stranraer etc. It was not spoken in Orkney and Shetland

Scottish Gaelic gives rise to many Scottish surnames, including any beginning with Mac or Mc, as well as names such as Campbell, Dewar, Menzies etc. Some of these were written down in English phonetics, e.g. MacDonald or McWhannel for MacDhomhnaill and/or were later translated e.g. Smith can translate Mac a' Ghobhainn, which is also anglicized as Gow or MacGowan. The old Scottish Gaelic naming system is extremely complex, and exists mainly in oral tradition.

Many personal names such as Iain (John), Malcolm, Duncan, Fiona and Morag all ultimately derive from the language too. There are other, traditional, Gaelic names which have no direct equivalents in English: Oighrig, which is normally rendered as Euphemia (Effie) or Henrietta (Etta) (formerly also as Henny or even as Harriet), or, Diorbhal, which is "matched" with Dorothy, simply on the basis of a certain similarity in spelling; Gormul, for which there is nothing similar in English, and it is rendered as 'Gormelia' or even 'Dorothy'; Beathag, which is "matched" with Becky (> Rebecca) and even Betsy, or Sophie.

The most common class of Gaelic surnames are, of course, those beginning with mac (Gaelic for son), such as MacGillEathain (MacLean). The female form is nic (Gaelic for daughter), so Catherine MacPhee is properly called in Gaelic, Caitrìona Nic a' Phì. [Strictly, "nic" is a contraction of the Gaelic phrase "nighean mhic", meaning "daughter of the son", thus Nic Dhomhnuill, really means "daughter of MacDonald" rather than "daughter of Donald".] Although there is a common misconception that "mac" means "son of", the "of" part actually comes from the genitive form of the patronymic that follows the prefix "Mac", e.g., in the case of MacNéill, Néill (of Neil) is the genitive form of Niall (Neil).

Several colours give rise to common Scottish surnames: bàn (Bain – white), ruadh (Roy – red), dubh (Dow – black), donn (Dunn – brown), buidhe (Bowie – yellow).

Alphabet and pronunciation

Though the Scottish Gaelic and English alphabets are very similar, each has some letters not used in the other. The letters j, k, q, v, w, y, x and z are not used in the Gaelic language except in some 'adopted' words and foreign names. Gaelic also uses the grave accent above vowels, and until recently used the acute accent over some of them as well.

Putting an "h" after a consonant changes its sound (much like in certain English combinations) and serves a grammatical function:

• bh/mh (a v or w sound)
• ch (a guttural sound as in German - known as the velar fricative.)
• dh/gh
  • dhe/ghe-, dhi/ghi-, -idh (like a y)
  • dha-/gha-, dho-/gho-, dhu/ghu-, -adh, -odh (guttural sound, similar to g)
• fh (silent, occasionally "h")
• ph (f as in English)
• sh, th (an h sound)

Spelling is similar to Irish, although some combinations such as "ae" and "bhf" will not be found in modern Scottish Gaelic. Older documents will use a spelling more similar to Irish, or are often in English phonetics.

As an example of how different Gaelic spelling is from English, the Lord's Prayer is reproduced here:

Ar n-Athair a tha air nèamh, Gu naomhaichear d'ainm.

Thigeadh do rìoghachd. Dèanar do thoil air an talamh, mar a nithear air nèamh.

Tabhair dhuinn an-diugh ar n-aran làitheil.

Agus maith dhuinn ar fiachan, amhail a mhaitheas sinne dar luchd-fiach.

Agus na leig ann am buaireadh sinn; ach saor sinn o olc:

oir is leatsa an rìoghachd, agus an cumhachd, agus a' ghlòir, gu siorraidh.

Amen.

Scots language

The Scots language is the language of the Scottish Lowlands, Caithness, and the Northern Isles (Orkney and Shetland). It is closely related to standard English, and there is a long running, heated debate as to whether it is a dialect or a language in its own right. It is not to be confused with Gaelic, although there has been some mutual influence.

The Scots language goes by many different names. It is often called Broad/Braid Scots or Lowland Scots to distinguish it from Gaelic. In the north east especially, it is often referred to as Doric. In Buchan, it is known as the Claik, and in Glasgow as the Patter. In older writings it is often referred to as Scottis, or as Scotch, although the term "Scotch" is not liked by many Scots today.

Many Scots words can be found in older documents, as it was written down more frequently than Gaelic. It is common for Scots to use the dimunitive, e.g. James frequently becomes Jamie, Robert becomes Rab or Rabbie etc. This is done more often than in standard English and is not frowned upon.

Scots has no legal status, and there are no reliable figures for how many people speak it. However, it is much more common to hear it in Scotland than Gaelic. Due to its similarity with English, there is considerable debate as to what constitutes Scots as well.

Spelling is not standardized now, and is often influenced by English. A notable difference from standard English is the guttural (velar fricative) in which the likes of "loch" and "nicht" would be pronounced as in German, rather than as "lock" or "nickt".

Many Scots words survive in Scottish place names, e.g. street names such as wynd, vennel, close, pend, port (in the sense of gate), gate (in the sense of road), and in placenames such as howe (hollow), mains (important farm), burn (small river), brae (hill or slope) etc

Unique Scottish Words

Some words you will see in Scottish records are not used in standard English. Please note that there is often considerable variation in spelling

The English past participle -ed, is usually represented by -it in Scots. Older documents may also form the plural or possessive in -is. The English "wh" is often rendered as "quh" in old Scots, and as "f" in north east Scots (Doric).

The following list contains some Scottish words more commonly used in documents:

Scottish Words	English Translation
A	A
Aberdonian	of Aberdeen
ae	"A" (indefinite article), occasionally "of"
afore/afoir	before
airt	direction (Gaelic: àird)
aisle	as well as being an aisle in a church, this can also refer to a family grave, often enclosed in a small building or fence.
aith	oath
allenarly	solely
ane	one, an
anent	about, concerning
auld, ald, eld	old
B	B
bairne, bairn	child or baby
bairnis	children, or children's
Bairn's Pairt	The right of the issue (including adult issue) to not less than a defined share of the value of the moveable estate of the deceased
baptist	baptized
bard	poet (Gaelic: bàrd)
bastle, bastill house	a fortified house in the Borders (from French bastille)
beand	being
befoir	before
befeir	before
Borderer	someone living near the border with England.
brither	brother
burgh	borough, town with special status
burn	small river or large stream (common in place names)
by	near somewhere (sometimes found in addresses)
C	C
caird	a member of the Scottish travelling folk (Gaelic: ceàrd, meaning artisan)
Caledonian	of Scotland
callit	called
calps	rents (Gaelic: calpa)
cateran	a Highland raider (Gaelic: ceatharnach)
clachan	village (usually with a church; Gaelic: clachan)
clan	A family or kinship group. Mostly in the Highlands and Border area. (Gaelic: clann, meaning children)
Clearances, the Clearances	Forced eviction from homes. The Highland Clearances are the best known.
close	a collection of apartments
compear	appear before a court
con	versus, against (abbreviation of "contra"); abbreviation of constituted
cott	cottage or hut
cottar	tenant farmer
Covenanter	Signatory of the Scottish Covenant, a religious protest against the king. Mostly found in southern Scotland.
croft	small agricultural holding worked by crofters.
D	D
dale	valley in southern Scotland. Dalesmen is an old name for Borderers
debitor	debtor
defender	defendant in court. (The word "defendant" is not used in Scottish courts.)
defuncti, defunct	the deceased
delict	torts
deponit	deponed (witness)
do.	abbreviation for ditto
dochter	daughter
docquet	authenticating signature on a deed
doits	money (coins)
Dundonian	of Dundee
E	E
easter	east, eastern
eld	Old, found in compounds like eldfader (grandfather)
Episcopalian	Member of the Scottish Episcopal Church (Anglican). Nickname "Pisky" (sometimes seen as offensive)
Erse, Erisch	meaning Irish, referring to Gaelic culture or language. Often considered offensive. Erischry is equivalent to "Irishry"
evite	avoid
executor	a person who is empowered by the deceased to carry out the terms of his/her will
F	F
fae	from
fay, fayr, faither	father
fermtoun	"farm town", small village often without a church.
Fifer	Someone from Fife
firth	a sea inlet, fjord, estuary
folk, fowk	folk or people. This is also used in Scotland to refer to one's family traditionally, like the American "folks". Fisherfolk would be families engaged in fisheries.
forby(e)	besides, beyond, in addition
fower	four
fra, frae	from
Free Church, Free Kirk	One of several Presbyterian groups which broke from the Church of Scotland over landlord control.
furth	beyond (often "furth of")
G	G
Gallovidian, Galwegian	of Galloway in South West Scotland. Not to be confused with Galway in Ireland.
Glaswegian	of Glasgow
glen	valley (Gaelic: gleann; the Great Glen is the area stretching from Inverness to Fort William)
grayne	A clan or kinship group in the Scottish Border region, and sometimes in far north of England
H	H
hae	have
haes, hais	has
haid	had
Hebridean	of the Hebrides (island group)
heir portioner	inheriting daughter
I	I
ieroe	great-grandson (Gaelic: iar-ogha)
ilk ("of that ilk")	having a surname of the same place
J	J
Jacobite	Supporter of the Stuart succession to the throne, especially Charles Edward Stuart (aka Bonnie Prince Charlie). Named for his father James Stuart.
jeroy	great-grandson (Gaelic: iar-ogha)
Jus relictae/jus relicti	The right of the surviving spouse in the movable goods of the deceased spouse. Jus relictae is the term used for a surviving wife, and jus relicti is the term used for a surviving husband.
K	K
kirk, kyrk	church, capitalised as "the Kirk" is somwtimes a reference to the Church of Scotland, the legally established Presbyterian church.
kirkton, kirktoun	"church town", a village with a church
kirkyird, kirkyard, kirkyaird	churchyard, graveyard
Kist	coffin or casket (Gaelic: ciste); also a box or chest. Someone who is "kistit" has been put in their coffin.
L	L
laird	title of landholder; related to, but not equivalent to lord
Lammas, Lammastide	formerly 1st August, now the 28th August, corresponding to Celtic festival of Lughnasa
landward	inland (as opposed to people living on the coast)
lass, lassie	girl
lawful	legitimate offspring
Legitim, legitimum	The right of the issue (offspring - including adult issue) to not less than a defined share of the value of the moveable estate of the deceased.
loch	Usually a lake or a pond, but also a sea inlet (Gaelic: loch). A small one is known as a lochan. Very common in place names.
loon, loun	lad or boy (usually in north east)
Lord Lyon	So called "King of Arms", the chief herald in Scotland, decides succession to chiefdoms and approves coats of arms.
luvebairn	lovechild, one born out of wedlock, a bastard in the old sense.
M	M
M'	An archaic form of Mc, found in surnames, from the Gaelic Mac meaning son. "Mc, Mc, M'c, and Mic".
maid bairn	girl child
main bairn	boy child
mains	the main farm of an estate, known as the home farm in England
mairrit, marriet (upon)	married (to)
manrent	a type of contract, usually military in nature and involving Scottish clans
March, Mairch	A border area with England. The West March was an area in Dumfriesshire for example.
miln, myln	mill
mind	remember or recollect
mither	mother
Moravian	to do with Moray (north east Scotland)
mormaer	type of earl in mediaeval Scotland (Gaelic: Mòr-mhaor)
mortcloth	cloth covering body during burial ceremony
mortsafe	a building in a graveyard for locking up bodies to preserve them from graverobbers prior to burial.
moy, moyr	mother
muir	moorland, upland grazing. A muirman was someone who lived in such a place.
N	N
narrate	tell, relate (not just a story)
natural	often refers to illegitimate off-spring but could be used for legitimate offspring as well
nether	lower, often found in farm names to distinguish it from the "upper" farm of the same name nearby.
nevoy, nephoy	nephew
new born	usually unbaptized child
Nic	Daughter of. Traditionally the feminine form of Mac, but can occasionally be found in non-Gaelic language records as Nik etc.
not proven, guilty not proven	a unique Scottish verdict which confirms the person as neither guilty, nor innocent
O	O
o, o'	of, more often to do with a location rather than a grandson as in Ireland.
oe, oy	grandson (Gaelic: ogha)
Orcadian	of the Orkney Islands
outwith	outside
P	P
Papist, Pape	Roman Catholic (note that this term is considered offensive, but does turn up in some old documents)
part with child	miscarry
per stipes	a clause in a will saying that the grandchildren can inherit if the children predecease them
plead, pled	pleaded
pns	presence (of)
producit	produced
provost	used instead of "mayor" in Scotland as in Lord Provost
putit	presented
puir, pwir	poor
Q	Q
quwh	(such as who)
quha	who
qlk, quilk, quhilk, quhilck	which
quairfoir	wherefore
quine	girl (esp in north east)
R	R
raiefeit	ratified
reiver	Border raider.
relict	widow, widower
resile, resiled	withdrawn (such as an offer of marriage)
S	S
Sasine	A Scots law term for the delivery of feudal property, typically land. The Register of Sasines is a government office.
schew, schaw, shaw	show
screivit	written
seik	sick
seivin	seven
sept	a dependent family within a clan
shennachie, shenchie	an oral historian, often a traditional genealogist (Gaelic: seanchaidh; the "ch" is guttural)
sic	such
siccan	such, of a type already mentioned
siclike, sicklike, syklyk	likewise
sicna	such, of a type already mentioned
solatium	compensation for the injury or loss of a relative
stillborn	born and died same day, born dead
strath	wide river valley (often found in place names; Gaelic: srath)
T	T
tack	yearly rent paid to a Highland landlord (Gaelic: "taic")
tacksman	member of the Highland middle class, paying a tack to the laird, and often subletting
tenement	a type of flat or apartment found in large Scottish cities
Tinker, Tink	A member of tbe Scottish Travellers (distinct from the Romany). This name is seen as offensive nowadays.
tocher	dowry (Gaelic: "tachartas")
toun, toon	town
twa, twae	two
U	U
udal	relating to traditional Norse law in the Northern Isles (Orkney and Shetland)
udal law	the remnant legal system of the Northern Isles, similar to odelsrett
udal tenure	tenure under udal law
unquhile, umquil	late, former, deceased
unthank	a property on which no rent was paid. This was sometimes so tenant could improve the land.
V	V
varnit	warned
vide	see (such as, see page)
W	W
water, watter	a medium sized river (common in place names) or just water
wester	west, western
wha	who
whaur	where
whilk	which
wife, wifie, wyfe	woman - note that this does not always refer to a spouse in traditional usage.
wreitting	writing
wmquil, umquil	now deceased
wyld Scottis	Wild Scots, i.e. found in remote areas, and frequently Gaelic speaking.
Y	Y
Yuill, Yule	Christmas
Z	Z
Zetland	Shetland, Zetlander - of Shetland

Latin

Some Scottish records may contain Latin. Knowing some Latin will help you read these records. For help with Latin words, see the Latin Genealogical Word List (34077).

There are also a handful of Latin terms only used in Scotland.

Handwriting

Handwriting styles have changed over time. In early records, the handwriting is quite different from what it is today.  Visit Scotland Handwriting in  Research Topics.

Abbreviations

Abbreviations are common in early handwriting. When recorders left letters out of a word, they indicated the fact by using various marks, such as a period, a colon, a tail on the last letter of the word, a curvy line over the word, or a raised letter at the end of the word. Abbreviations can be indicated in many ways, and it is important to study individual writers to see how they made abbreviations.

In Scottish church records, ministers often used only the first letter of the words, for example:

L.S. = lawful son

L.D. = lawful daughter

N.S. = natural son

N.D. = natural daughter

ch. = child

Ch. N. = child named

N. = named

Instead of writing the words father, mother, witness, son, or daughter, the minister may have used f, m, w, s, or other letters.

Yogh

Yogh (ȝogh) is an old letter which may be encountered when looking at some very old documents. It resembles the number 3 or a cursive Z. This represents a "y" sound.

Later the yogh was turned into Y. It ended up fossilised as a Z in some words and names. McKenzie and Menzies, for example would have originally been written with a yogh, i.e. McKenȝie and Menȝies.

Dates

Dates, instead of being numerical, are sometimes referred to by the name of the feast day or by one of the terms listed below:

Term	Meaning	current, instant	Same month (Sometimes used to mean "within 30 days" or a month.)
proximo	next month
ultimo	last month
penultimate day, penult day	the day before the last day of the month
jajvii, jmjvii, mvii	indicates the century, such as 1700s
eodem tempore, eod tempore	at the same time (the same date)
eodem die, eod die, E.D.	the same day
Gods die	God’s day, the Sabbath
Feb 1st Sabbath	Exact day of month not stated
Feb 2nd Sabbath	Event took place in Feb on the 1st, 2nd, or  (whatever) Sabbath in the month

Language resources

Scottish Dictionaries

To find definitions for other words that are unfamiliar to you, you can use one of several Scottish dictionaries:

Craigie, Sir William A. A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue, from the Twelfth Century to the End of the Seventeenth. Chicago, Illinois: University of Chicago Press, 1937-. (Family History Librarybook 403.41 Sco87c.)

Dwelly, Edward Faclair Gàidhlig gu Beurla le Dealbhan/The Illustrated Gaelic–English Dictionary (various editions)

Graham, William. The Scots Word Book. 3rd rev. ed. Edinburgh, Scotland: Ramsey Head Press, 1980. (Family History Library book 427.9411 G76s 1980.)

Jamieson, John. A Dictionary of the Scottish Language. Edinburgh, Scotland: William Tait, 1866. (Family History Library book 427.941 J242j.)

Warrack, Alexander. A Scots Dialect Dictionary. London, England: W. & R. Chambers, 1911. (Family History Library book 427.9411 W25s.)

Robinson, Mairi, ed. The Concise Scots Dictionary. Oxford, England: Aberdeen University Press, 1985. (Family Hhistory Library book 427.9411 C748c.)