Family And Local History - Essay Example

Executive summary This report aims at highlighting surviving records on the local history in Perth and Kinross. The report starts by highlighting the various records that are available in the Perth and Kinross archive collection that include protests in Perth, the register of all the town council acts, treasure accounts of the council, records of miscellaneous volumes, the royal charters, record of administration in the burgh of Perth. In addition, documents on legal and financial affairs, information on merchant guilds and business incorporations, documents about the jacobite rebellions and those about the monarchy are also discussed. The report then gives limitations and gaps on the documents, which include complicated language and limited accessibility. The recommendations that the report gives to solve these limitations include writing legal and financial documents in a simpler language that is easily understood, in addition, the problem of accessibility of the documents in other regions would be solved by producing copies of the most important records and distributing them to the archive facilities in the major cities. Table of Contents Executive summary 1 Introduction 3 Local history surviving records, their location and uses 3 General limitations of the record contained in the Perth and Kinross council archive collections 8 Conclusion 8 Recommendations 9 Works cited 10 Introduction For a long time, records that show local and family history in Perth and Kinross have been neglected in Scotland; this is partly because they are considered to have minimal importance among the people. However, this is not true because these records can provide vital information on the history of the locality they are found in and in addition, history of the families that live there (Gifford, 65). With the recent success of the Scotland people’s centre and the celebration of the year of homecoming in 2009, there have been concerted efforts to encourage the use of these surviving records on local and family histories. This report will give details on the family and local surviving records detailing where they can be found and how they can be used for family and local history, in addition, the report will identify gaps and limitations of the records and give recommendations. Local history surviving records, their location and uses Record of protests in the royal burgh of Perth are located in Perth and Kinross archives, these records are stored under the record number B59/11 and date from 1809 to 1849, these records can be used to the understand the issues of the people who lived in Perth and the reasons that forced them to hold the protests. A limitation in these records is that they have only been recorded for a short period of time between 1809 and 1849, which may make them not fully show the trend or the frequency of the protests in the long run. Another record that is available in the Perth and Kinross council archives is the register of acts of town council and indexes to the council minutes, which are recorded in under the identity B59/16-17. The register of acts of town council contains acts that were made between 1601 and 1752 while the indexes to the minutes of the council and the acts are recorded for the years between 1500 and 1797. These record are relevant in explaining the evolution of the council acts and proceedings, in addition they also show the issues that were prioritised in that period depending on the number of acts or the depth of the act relating to that issue. Treasurer accounts of the council which are stored under the identification number B59/18 are recorded for the period between 1670 and 1765,these records shows the treasures charge and discharge with details of expenditure and income of the council including the names of burgesses entered and the names of all council employees (Dobson, 64). These records can be used to determine the trends of expenditure and sources of income for the council of Perth, this information can be used by modern day councils to compare their relative expenditure and income with that of the council in that period where they can draw some important lessons. The main challenge of these records is that the accounting standards that were used in those times have changed, therefore they require more effort to be understood. Records on miscellaneous volumes, which are identified by the record number B59/22, date from the year 1694 to 1906. These records include; minutes of board of health 1831-1832, material relating to epidemics 1866-1873, minutes of general committee for purchase of grain 1800-1801, Excise license granted by JPs 1775-1783, minutes of commissioner of supply, 1731-1749. Other documents found in these records are minutes of commissioner of supply recruiting, 1756-1758; ms copy of Hope’s practicks, early 18th century; rental of the lordship of Dupplin and Barony of cultmalundie, 1719 and 1731; wheat regulation price book, 1809-1822; bread regulation book, 1793-1809, water act rent-roll, 1829;town council education committee minutes, 1838-1838. Perth academy board minutes, 1761-1763; translation of the charter of confirmation by king James VI to the burgh of Perth; charity book of the trustees of the Merchant Seaman’s fund, 1840-1852; accounts of the Merchant Seaman’s fund,1835-1851; account book of Nathaniel Fyfe , merchant, 1705-1713 are also part of the records (Bowler, “Perth” 65). Since these records covers a wide area of operation for the local council, their uses will depend on the interest of the users, for instance an individual interested in knowing about purchase of grain can read the records on minutes of the general committee for the purchase of grain. The main limitation of the miscellaneous records is the short period, which is in most cases between 1-5 years. An important part of the records in the burgh of Perth is the royal charters to the burgh of Persia, these records can be identified through the number B59/23 and include all those charters given to burgh of Persia between 1205-1777 (Iredale and Barrett, 40). These records also include a manuscript volume by Walter Jackson containing a translation of King James VI’s charter of confirmation in 1677, scroll inventory of Perth burgh charters, 1777, an undated volume containing copies of charters between 1556 and 1602 and notarial copies containing charters in favour of burgh of Perth. These records can be used to explain the charters that the burgh of Perth was given by King James VI. The main challenge of these records is that some of them are not dated therefore it is hard to determine when they were made. Record on the administration of the royal burgh of Perth from the year 1421 to 1902 are also found in the Perth and Kinross council archives. These documents include; burgh elections including those of magistrates and town council Michaelmas, 1676-1873; burgh employees, 1616-1856; burgh Muir and wood, 1421-1867; education, the appointment of teachers, grammar school and the Perth academy, 1642-1882; health including mortality reports, 1720-1898; police, jailers, executioners, prisons and execution of Joseph Bell (1866) which was the last public hanging in berth, 1616-1898. Water supply, public baths and sewage, including supply of water from the lade, the Perth water commissioners, Perth public baths and wash houses, 1464-1896; list of inhabitants of Perth, 1766 and the list of tenants, families, servants, journeymen and apprentices in Perth, 1773. These records can be helpful in understanding how administration duties were conducted in Perth and the demographic statistics of the region. The other records that are found in the Perth and Kinross council archives collection are record on the financial affairs of Perth burgh which are kept under the record number B59/25, these records include general financial records from 1424-1861 (MacDonald and Verschuur, 61). They include the following: compt book of Bailie Alexander Jamieson, merchant and town treasurer from 1660-1673; items relating to cash loaned to the town and the state of the towns revenue and expenditure, 1776-1786; abstract of accounts, 1792-1800; state of property, debt and free stock, 1723-1732; documents relating to taxation including petty customs and exchequer compts, 1573-1673. In addition, the records also include list of householders liable in payments of composition for their statute services on roads and highways, 1776; leases of burgh land and revenue, 1592-1855, including tacks of burgh fishings, mills and inches, 1680-1802; bonds by tacksmens of the customs, weigh houses, 1801-1834 among other documents. These records are useful in determining the sources of revenue for the burgh of Perth, in addition, they also show how the accountants in the burgh of Perth manage their financial records. A major limitation in these records is the accounting standards that are used since they are different from the ones that are currently used in conveying financial information. The records on legal affairs of the burgh of Perth are also found in the council archive collections under record number B59/26, these record include the following documents among others: papers relating to conflict between Perth and Dundee, 1581-1817, letter to the town clerk of burgh relating to burgh’s legal affairs and private clients, 1709-1779. Minutes book of Perth sheriff court, 1718-1736; criminal processes, 1681-1817; petitions, 1691-1720; warrants and decreets, 1614-1800; warrants of the register of deed, 1600-1871; sentences and death warrants, petitions for commutation of sentence to transportation, papers relating to transportation of convicts, 1696-1834 are also part of legal affairs records (Foyster and Whatley, 106). These documents are important to the legal professional such as lawyers and judges as they can draw insight from the cases that are contained in these documents for use in legal proceedings that they are involved in. A major challenge in these documents is the ancient legal language that is used, which is hard to be understood. Documents relating to merchant guilds and trade incorporations are contained in Perth and Kinross council archives collection record number B59/29, these documents include information on all trade organisations and groups that operated in the burgh of Perth (Giles and Dyer, 92). They include: burgess and guildbrother tickets for various individuals, 1591-1671; indentures of apprenticeship, 1721-1835; letters, reports and returns that are related to investigations done on incorporations by the home department, these incorporations relate to shoemakers, bakers, wrights, tailors, fleshers, glovers and hammermen, 1832-1833 (Bowler, “origins of Perth” 58). These documents are useful in the sense that they can be used by organisations and businesses people to understand how businesses were carried out in the burgh of Perth, the common business malpractices that were present among businesspersons and how the authorities solved those malpractices. A challenge that is associated with these records is that the information that they contain only involve the businesses that were legally recognised but fails to include the small and unlawful business transactions that took place. Another set of documents that is can be accessed in the Perth and Kinross council archive collection are documents related to Jacobites, these documents give detailed information on the rebellions by Jacobites. They include the following papers: papers of the Jacobite rebellion of 1715 that included the names of Jacobites supporters in Perth, 1715-1729; papers of the Jacobite rebellion of 1745, which included the information on proceedings involving rebel prisoners in Perth, 1745-1753; and letters written by the Duke of Atholl concerning the documents of Jacobite rebellions, 1895 (Thomson, 73). These documents can be used to give insight to the historians about the Jacobite rebellions including the reasons that fuelled the rebellions. Documents relating to the monarchy between the year 1680 and 1870 can also be found in the archive under the record number B59/33 (Hodgson, 97). These documents include oaths of allegiance, 1692-1860, drafts of the loyal address from Perth to monarchs, 1701-1795; account and events for the celebration of king’s birthday, 1714-1779; printed advertisements concerning celebration of coronation of Queen Victoria, 1838; and papers relating to Queen Victoria jubilee, 1887. General limitations of the record contained in the Perth and Kinross council archive collections Financial information contained in the collection has used the old standards of accounting principles; this makes it hard for the visitors, especially those from outside the United Kingdom to understand some of the information since they may not be conversant with the accounting procedures used. Secondly, these records on Kinross and Perth are only contained in one location therefore making it hard for the people in other regions to access information on the same, this reduces the number of people who can access this information and hence the benefits that history tourists would bring. Conclusion Most of the records in the Perth and Kinross council archive collection include documents on how the region was governed which include the legal and administrative documents. Other documents were on how the authority carried out their financial processes and regulated business activities. However, these records contain scanty documents on family issues and the specific demographic characteristics. Recommendations To encourage people from, other regions of the world who may not be conversant with the ancient language used in Scotland, texts such as those that have financial and legal information should have a simpler version created which is easier to understand while still maintaining the original information. In order to increase the number of people that can access historical information on Perth and Kinross, the authorities should have copies of the documents in archives of other major cities in addition to posting them on the internet to build the desire of internet users to tour the country especially in the 2014 homecoming celebrations. Works cited Bowler, David P. Perth: The Archaeology and Development of a Scottish Burgh. Perth: Tayside and Fife Archaeological Committee, 2004. Print. Bowler, David P. The Origins of Perth: A Medieval Royal Burgh. Perth: Perth and Kinross Heritage Trust, 2006. Print. Dobson, David. The People of Perth: Part One, Burgesses of Perth, 1600-1699 : Part Two, People of Perth, 1700-1799. Baltimore, Md: Clearfield, 2009. Print. Foyster, Elizabeth A, and Whatley Christopher A. A History of Everyday Life in Scotland 1600 to 1800. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2010. Print.. Gifford, John. Perth and Kinross. New Haven, Conn: Yale University Press, 2007. Print. Giles, Katherine, and Dyer, Christopher. Town and Country in the Middle Ages: Contrasts, Contacts and Interconnections, 1100-1500. Leeds, UK: Maney, 2005. Print. Hodgson, George W. I. Perth High Street: Archaeological Excavation 1975-1977. Perth: Tayside & Fife Archaeological Committee. Fascicule 4. 2011. Print. Iredale, David, and Barrett, John. Discovering Local History. Princes Risborough, Buckinghamshire: Shire, 2003. Print. MacDonald, Alan R, and Verschuur, Mary. Records of the Convention of Royal Burghs, 1555; 1631-1648. Woodbridge, Suffolk: Scottish History Society, 2013. Print. Thomson, James P. The Jacobite Rebellions. Charleston, SC: BiblioBazaar, 2008. Print. Read More