Scottish Electoral Rolls -- 1920s - 1940s

[James18]

Hi all,

I have a few names & addresses I'd like to look up; primarily Glasgow in the 1920s - 1940s. Does anyone know if such information is currently available anywhere? Ancestry does have a few electoral rolls, but they seem to be for areas in England such as Surrey and Yorkshire.

Thanks.

[Shona]

The National Library of Scotland have electoral registers, but not a complete set. They have almost all from 1946.

Nothing available online, as far as I know, though. If they were to become available online, it's unlikely they would appear on Ancestry or Find My Past, as Scotland's People have cornered the market for such things!

The National Library of Scotland have Valuation Rolls from 1855 to 1989, some of which are available on Scotland's People (pay to view, as ever). They have 1920 and 1925, so you could try there.

Post Office and street directories are a useful resource, but the ones available online (and - unusually - free) for Scotland only go up to 1911.

As I know from experience, if you are researching Scottish branches of your family tree, then a visit to Scotland can become the only way of furthering research. I found loads of extra info following a couple of days in the National Archives of Scotland. I ordered all the docs I wanted to see before I went.

If you are planning to go to Glasgow to examine brewing records, then combine it with a visit to Edinburgh and spend some time at the National Archives. You can also go to the Scotland's People centre and the National Library.

Can't recall the costs for a day pass, but it used to be about £15. Book in advance to make sure you get a place.

If you go from Doncaster, you can get a single ticket to Glasgow via Edinburgh for about £30.

[kiterunner]

The National Library of Scotland has "almost all electoral registers from 1946 onwards", according to their website, but you would have to travel there to look at them:
http://www.nls.uk/family-history/voters-rolls
They don't seem to give much specific information about where pre-1946 electoral registers are held.

Similarly, the British Library says that they have "the national collection of electoral registers from 1832 to the present day. The collection is complete from 1947 onwards, but patchy before World War 2."

http://www.bl.uk/reshelp/findhelprestype/offpubs/electreg/electoral.html (http://www.bl.uk/reshelp/findhelprestype/offpubs/electreg/electoral.html)

They have a PDF guide to their electoral registers but it doesn't seem to have a list of exactly what they hold:
http://www.bl.uk/reshelp/findhelprestype/offpubs/electreg/electoralregisters.pdf

FMP has online electoral registers for Linlithgowshire (West Lothian) from 1864-1931:
http://search.findmypast.co.uk/search-world-Records/scotland-linlithgowshire-west-lothian-electoral-registers-1864-1931

The Glasgow electoral registers are available at the Mitchell Library in Glasgow (but again, you would have to go there):
http://www.glasgowlife.org.uk/libraries/the-mitchell-library/local-history/glasgow-collection/Pages/home.aspx

(edit - Shona and I were posting at the same time!)

[James18]

Thank you very much for your replies. It is looking increasingly likely that a trip to Glasgow is on the cards.