National Archives of Scotland

The purpose of the National Archives of Scotland is the maintenance and preservation of the records of Scotland. The earliest surviving records are from the 12th century. The NAS buildings house over 70 kilometers of records. Of the millions of documents you can find Parliament papers, railway records, valuation rolls, government records, maps, Register of Deeds, and much more.


During the tour the librarian stressed the importance of weeding. She told us to be brutal. Although I agree with the sentiment, I was surprised that was the philosophy of a library whose mission is record keeping. Space and funding are always issues. The NAS opened their 3rd building in 1995. The Thomas Thomson house is entirely a storage facility. It was supposed to last them until 2020. It is virtually full. At the moment, the NAS is trying to convince to the courts to be more selective in what they preserve.

The impact of WWI is soon to be a topic for compulsory exams at Scottish universities. Laid out on a table set up for us were applications from men to be exempted from the war. One could become exempt on the basis of conscientious objection or hardship. The latter means that, for example, a young man who is the only child of a widowed mother could apply for a hardship exemption. In a 1916 application, James Hamilton explains that his family's farm will not survive if he goes off to war. The military took his request to be genuine and gave him a temporary exemption until he reaches 18 years and 8 months. They were not always so kind.

Image from NAS website.