Online rolls give insight into wartime Scotland

A S NA P S H OT of Scotland during the First World War has emerged through a new family history resource.

A detailed picture of wartime Scotland is revealed today with the release of details from the valuation rolls for the year 1915-16, via the Scotlandspeople website.

The rolls have been made searchable online for the first time, allowing genealogists, historians and researchers to view images of entries.

The rolls record the names of owners, tenants and occupiers of each property, unlike the full lists of family members to be found in the censuses.

The valuation rolls were created so that the authorities could set local rates and assess property by its annual rental value.

This was either the value of the rent paid by the tenant, or a notional rental value if the owner occupied their own property.

The burgh and county assessors did not list properties individually that were worth below £4 annual rental value.

Registrar general George Mackenzie, said: “The rolls are most useful alongside other records, especially the census and statutory registers that are also on Scotlandspeople.”

The 1911 Census records provide a snapshot of Scot- land on the brink of the First World War.

The rolls allow researchers to carry the story of their ancestors forward into the upheaval of war.

Every kind of dwelling can be found in the rolls, from crofts to castles, and they reflect the drift of people from rural areas into towns and cities, as well as the continuing industrialisation of Scotland.

Wo r k i n g premises include shops, offices, factories, stadiums, churches, cinemas, swimming baths, railways and even lighthouses.

The rolls will be available at scotlandspeople.gov. uk and the Scotlandspeople Centre in Edinburgh.