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Angus, also known as Forfarshire, occupies land to the north of the Tay Estuary. Its county town was Forfar, although Dundee was its largest town. Agriculture and fishing were its major industries in the rural areas. Dundee owed its development in the mid 19th Century to jute shipped from the Indian sub continent. This was spun and converted into sacking, horseblankets, sails and other canvas goods. This resulted in Dundee being referred to as "Juteopolis". Shipbuilding was also a major industry, its most famous ship being RRS Discovery for Captain Scott's Antartic expedition. Other towns include Kirriemuir, Montrose and of course Arbroath where the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1320.
You can get a feel for the lives your ancestors lived by visiting the area they came from. These are areas where, for centuries, families lived together in a tightly-knit community. In the Highlands they are linked to clan heartlands, whereas, in the rest of Scotland the names are often those of the local landed families. Although it is unlikely that family historians can link their ancestry to clan chiefs or family dynasties, it can still be a moving experience to tour the clan and family heartlands.
Here is a selection of the most common names in this area.
Carnegie
Douglas
Lindsay
Ogilvie
The Parish Church can unlock many secrets for ancestral researchers. Not only was it the place where children were baptised, proclamations of marriage announced and the dead buried, it was also the centre of most social activity within the Parish. There is, however, no such thing as a definitive list of parishes. Over the decades they have merged, divided, been renamed and had changes made to their spelling. The following list is based largely on the situation at the time of publication of the New Statistical Account (1834-1845).
Aberlemno,
Airlie,
Arbirlot,
Arbroath,
Auchterhouse,
Barrie (Barry),
Brechin,
Careston,
Carmylie,
Cortachy and Clova,
Craig,
Dun,
Dundee,
Dunnichen,
Eassie and Nevay,
Edzell,
Farnell,
Fearn,
Guthrie,
Inverarity (Methy),
Inverkeilor (Inverkeillor),
Kettins,
Kingoldrum,
Kinnellm,
Kinnettles,
Kirkden,
Kirriemuir,
Lethnot and Navar (Invergowrie),
Liff and
Benvie,
Lintrathen,
Lochlee,
Logie Pert,
Lunan,
Monifieth,
Monikie,
Montrose,
Murroes,
Newtyle,
Oathlaw or Finhaven,
Panbride,
Rescobie,
Ruthven,
St
Vigeans,
Strickathrow,
Tannadice
* subsequently divided into seperate parishes, ( ) denotes alternative name or spelling
Detailed information on life and work within each of these parishes can be found in the Old (1791-99) and the New (1834-45) Statistical Account of Scotland. These are freely accessible on http://edina.ed.ac.uk/statacc. Part of their charm is the individual views of the minister, which can include some fascinating accounts of a parish's history, topography, employment, landowners, communications, agriculture and even the morality of the parishioners
Almost every municipal authority in Scotland has a collection of local history publications, maps and archives. Although most of these libraries are prepared to undertake a limited amount of searching on your behalf, it is far more fulfilling to visit them yourself. You could lose yourself for hours, pouring over old newspapers and photographs.
The following is a list of the libraries in your chosen area:
Local Studies Department
Central Library
The Wellgate
Dundee
DD1 1DB
Tel: +44 1382 431550
Fax: +44 1382 434036
E-mail:
local.studies@dundeecity.gov.uk
www.dundeecity.gov.uk/centlib/loc_stud.htm
Open: Mon, Tue & Fri, 09:30 - 18:00, Sat 09:30 - 17:00, Wed 10:00 - 18:00, Thu 09:30 - 20:00.
Special collections include Photopolis (images of Dundee 1889-1910).
Almost every municipal authority in Scotland has a collection of local history publications, maps and archives. Although most of these libraries are prepared to undertake a limited amount of searching on your behalf, it is far more fulfilling to visit them yourself. You could lose yourself for hours, pouring over old newspapers and photographs.
The following is a list of the archive offices in your chosen area:
Angus Archives
The Hunter Library
Reskenneth, Forfar
DD8 2SZ
Tel: +44 1674 671415
www.angus.gov.uk/history
Open: Mon-Fri 10:00 - 16:00
Includes the archives of the burghs of Arbroath, Brechin, Carnoustie, Forfar, Kirriemuir, Montrose and Monifieth.
Dundee City Archives (mailing address)
21 City Square
Dundee
DD1 3BY
Dundee City Archives (personal callers)
1 Shore Terrace
Dundee
DD1 3BY
Tel: +44 1382 434494
Fax: +44 1382 434666
E-mail:
archives@dundeecity.gov.uk
www.dundeecity.gov.uk/archive/
Open: Mon-Fri, 09:15 - 13:00 & 14:00 - 16:45.
Booking is essential, at least three days in advance. Special arrangements
for people with walking difficulties.
Very extensive collection of archives including Dundee City and Tayside material. Many non-conformist church records.
Scotland is a country with a remarkable history. So it should come as no surprise that Scotland is home to a remarkable collection of museums and heritage centres. These range from the major, internationally renowned collections in Edinburgh's Royal Museum of Scotland to hundreds of small centres that specialise in the history of local communities. The following museums are all in your chosen area. A visit to any one of them may well shed new light on the lives led by your ancestors.
Angus Folk Museum
Kirkwynd
Glamis
Forfar
Angus
DD8 1RT
Tel: +44 1307 840288
www.nts.org.uk/Property/5/
Open: 1 Apr-30 Sept, Daily 11:00 - 17:00.
This row of six 18th century cottages presents a vivid insight into how the rural workforce used to live. There is also an agricultural collection in the farm steading opposite. A National Trust for Scotland property.
Verdant Works
West Henderson's Wynd
Dundee
DD1 5BT
Tel: +44 1382 225282
Fax: +44 1382 221612
E-mail:
admin@dundeeheritage.sol.co.uk
www.verdantworks.com
Open: Easter-October, Mon-Sat, 10:00 - 17:00, Sun 11:00 - 17:00,
November-Easter, Wed-Sat, 10:00 - 16:00 & Sun 11:00 - 16:30.
At its peak the jute industry in Dundee employed 50,000 working in about 60 mills throughout the city. Verdant Works, built in 1833, has been converted into a spectacular heritage site illustrating all the processes involved in converting raw jute to the finished product. It also demonstrates the social history of the workers. A Dundee Heritage Trust venture.
Arbroath Museum
Signal Tower
Ladyloan
Arbroath
DD11 1PU
Tel: +44 1241 875598
Fax: +44 1241 439263
E-mail:
signal.tower@angus.gov.uk
www.angus.gov.uk/history/museums/signaltower
Open: Mon-Sat, 10:00 - 17:00,
July-August, Sun 14:00 - 16:30.
The museum tells the story of Arbroath's fishing industry and, to a lesser extent, the other industrial activities of the town. Some local history research material relating to the area is also held.
Glenesk Folk Museum
The Retreat
Glenesk
Brechin
DD9 7YT
Tel: +44 1356 670254
E-mail:
retreat@angusglens.co.uk
www.angusglens.co.uk/esk/glenesk_museum.php
Open: Easter-May, Sat-Mon,12:00 - 18:00,
June-October, daily, 12:00 - 18:00.
A varied collection of equipment, tools, musical instruments and kitchenware is used to illustrate life over the centuries in this rural part of Angus.
Local societies are run by volunteers who meet together periodically. Most maintain an index of members' interests - and this could well lead to the discovery of a long lost cousin or two. If there are any such societies in your chosen area, they will be listed below.
Tay Valley Family History Society
Research Centre
179-181 Princes Street
Dundee
DD4 6DQ
Tel: +44 1382 461845
E-mail:
tvfhs@tayvalleyfhs.org.uk
www.tayvalleyfhs.org.uk
Open: Mon, 10:00 - 16:00 & 19:00 - 21:00, Tue-Wed & Fri, 10:00 - 16:00, Thu 10:00 - 16:00 & 19:00 - 21:00 & Sat 10:00 - 13:00.
Covers Angus, Fife, Perthshire and Kinross. In addition to basic genealogical material, an index of members' interests is maintained in their library. Members have free access to two on-line services: Tay-Valley-Bridges for sharing experiences with other members; Links to homepages and e-mail addresses of members.
It may seem a little odd, but a visit to the burial ground of an ancestor can make you feel more closely connected to them. However, tracking down the specific plot, or lair as they were referred to in Scotland, depends on the period of time when the deaths occurred.
Up to the mid-19th century it was the normal practice for people to be interred in the Parish Kirk burial ground - although this was only rarely marked with anything as grand as a headstone. The Scottish Association of Family History Societies (SAFHS) is currently co-ordinating a major project to develop a National Burial Index, relating to pre-1855 records. This will eventually be available on CD ROM. Although this will help to confirm that burials took place in parish burial grounds, it will not, unfortunately, indicate the location of the lair.
If your ancestor was wealthy enough, their grave may have been marked by an inscribed headstone. Over the years, family history societies and other volunteer groups have painstakingly transcribed and indexed such inscriptions - and these are nearly always held in the relevant local history libraries or family history research centres.
By the mid-19th Century, many parish burial grounds had become seriously overcrowded, especially those in urban areas, and this led to the creation of both private and municipal cemeteries. If you know the place and date of death, you should be able to discover the location of a lair, although not all cemeteries and records have survived.
The concept of cremation started to gain popularity in the late 1940s and has increased ever since. Ashes may be taken away by the family, scattered in the garden of remembrance or buried either in the crematorium or in a family plot.
Dundee City
Leisure and Arts Departments
Dundee City Council
Floor 13
Tayside House
Dundee
DD1 3RA
Tel: +44 1382 433089
Email: parks.burials@dundeecity.gov.uk
Provided a precise date of death/burial is known, no fee is charged. If an extended search is necessary, a fee of £18 is payable up to the first hour and £20 thereafter.
Angus (except Dundee City)
Forfar
Leisure Services
Angus Council
County Buildings
Market Street
Forfar
DD8 3WA
Tel: +44 1307 473 225
Fax: +44 1307 466 220
Email: davidsona@angus.gov.uk
Arbroath
Parks Service
Angus Council
Hill Terrace
Arbroath
DD11 3AF
Tel: +44 1241 435656
Montrose
Parks Service
Angus Council
Town House
High Street
Montrose
DD10 8QP
Tel: +44 1674 678638
At present, no charge is made for enquiries.
