Pre 1707
Many of the records of central government prior to the union, such as the Registers of the Privy Council, have been published and are an essential source of information on military matters. Army accounts, 1639 -1659 (NRS reference PA15) have partly been published in C S Terry's 'Papers relating to the Army of the Solemn League and Covenant, 1643 - 7' (Scottish History Society, 1917).
Exchequer records (NRS reference E): including salaries, pensions and army pay in the Treasury sederunt books, 1667-1708 (NRS reference E6); treasury vouchers concerning garrisons and regiments, arms and ammunition, late 17th century (NRS reference E28); 17th century muster rolls (NRS reference E100), some printed in C Dalton's 'The Scots Army, 1661-1688' (Edinburgh, 1909, reprinted 1989).
Private Papers (NRS reference GD): Private collections are a rich source for military history and can include anything from letters on the war in Flanders, 1695 (NRS reference GD112/39/171/2-5) to the thoughts of the Duke of Hamilton before the Battle of Worcester, 1651 (NRS reference GD45/26/126). They can be accessed through our Military Source List, Part One, and through our electronic catalogue. For collections still in private hands, consult the surveys of the National Register of Archives for Scotland (NRAS) available in our Historical Search Room, with some catalogues searchable electronically in our search rooms.
Post 1707
Official army records after the Union of Scotland and England are held by The National Archives (TNA) in London. Among the records held by us are the following:
Records of the estates forfeited after the Jacobite rebellions of`1715 and 1745 sometimes include papers relating to the settlement of soldiers (NRS reference E600 - E687 and E700 - E788)
Private papers (NRS reference GD) may contain anything from the diary of Lt. William Boyd, 46th division, RAMC, written on the Western Front during the Great War (NRS reference GD433/2/258/2) to a plan of the order of battle at Culloden (NRS reference GD61/118). Material relating to the Jacobite campaigns of the 18th century can be found in our Jacobite Source List.
First and Second World Wars
While TNA holds most official documentation, the files of the various departments of the Scottish Office contain the following:
- NRS reference HH31: war files, 1914 -1918 covering recruitment and conscientious objectors;
- NRS reference HH50: war files, 1939 -1945 covering evacuation, emergency powers, civil defence and the Clydebank blitz;
- NRS reference AF: regulations regarding control of the supply of food appear in the records of the Agriculture and Fisheries Department;
- NRS reference NSC: files and photographs relating to the War Savings and Tank campaigns of 1918 are preserved in the records of the National Savings Committee;
- HH30 and SC33/62: Military Service Appeal Tribunal records 1916-18, for which see our guide on Military Service Appeal Tribunals.
Barracks
TNA holds most papers relating to army barracks. We have the following:
- NRS reference E28: Treasury vouchers relating to garrisons, 17th century;
- NRS reference E37: Building works carried out at Stirling, Edinburgh and the Bass, 1671-1679 (see also the NRS publication 'Accounts of the Masters of Work')
- NRS reference E886: King's and Lord Treasurer's Remembrancer's Office War Department papers covering the 18th and 19th centuries;
- NRS reference MW: Ministry of Works files contain information on Edinburgh and Stirling Castles and arrangements for military occupation of a number of properties during the 1939-1945 war.
Useful websites
For links to information about military records and museums please go to our useful websites - military page.
