121-647: The National Archives of Scotland (NAS) is the previous name of the National Records of Scotland (NRS), and are the national archives of Scotland, based in Edinburgh . The NAS claims to have one of the most varied collection of archives in Europe. It is the main archive for sources of the history of Scotland as an independent state (see Kingdom of Scotland ), her role in the British Isles and
242-474: A college of priests . The Forework, of which little now remains, was derived from French military architecture, although military details were added more for style than for defence. A new portcullis was painted with red lead and linseed oil. The gardener, George Campbell, built archery butts next to the stables in 1504. James IV played tennis at Stirling with the Spanish ambassador, Pedro de Ayala . If
363-537: A powder magazine being built in the castle gardens, and a formal garrison installed from 1685. At the accession of King George I in 1714, John Erskine, 6th Earl of Mar was deprived of the governorship, as well as the post of Scottish Secretary. In response, he raised the standard of James Stuart , the "Old Pretender", in the Jacobite rising of 1715 . Government troops, under the Duke of Argyll, quickly moved to occupy
484-400: A Forework, extending as a curtain wall across the whole width of Castle Hill. At the centre is the gatehouse itself, which now stands to less than half its original height. The round towers at the outer corners rose to conical roofs, with battlements carried around the tops of the towers. These were flanked by more round towers, of which only traces now remain, and mirrored by further rounds at
605-519: A central passage, flanked by two separate pedestrian passages. This triple arrangement was unusual in its time, and Classical triumphal arches have been suggested as an influence. The gatehouse was dismantled gradually, and was consolidated in its present form in 1810. At each end of the crenellated curtain wall was a rectangular tower. The west tower, known as the Prince's Tower, probably after Henry, Prince of Scotland , survives to its full height, and
726-568: A combat between two teams of three, led by the Burgundian knight Jacques de Lalaing and James Douglas, a brother of the Earl of Douglas . The Burgundian knights were the victors. In 1452, it was at Stirling Castle that James stabbed and killed William, 8th Earl of Douglas , when the latter refused to end a potentially treasonous alliance with John of Islay, Earl of Ross and Alexander Lindsay, 4th Earl of Crawford . James III (reigned 1460–1488)
847-506: A council of Scottish clergy enacted that all parish ministers should keep a record of baptisms , burials and marriages. However, in 1801, the first national Census found that, out of the 850 parishes in Scotland, not more than 99 had regular registers. This was in part due to sporadic recording keeping and accidental destruction of registers. In 1806, a Royal Warrant established the office of Deputy Clerk Register, effectively reducing
968-528: A government official responsible for looking after the records dates from 1286. William of Dumfries was a clerk of the rolls of the royal 'chapel' or chancery. This office was later to develop into that of Lord Clerk Register . When war broke out between Scotland and England in 1296 and Edward I invaded, he had all the symbols of Scots nationhood—the regalia, the national archives and the Stone of Destiny —removed to London. The Treaty of Edinburgh–Northampton ended
1089-584: A mock castle, and a masque designed by Bastian Pagez . Darnley was already estranged from the Queen and did not attend although he was resident at the castle. James' guardian, the Earl of Mar , was made hereditary governor of the castle in 1566. Mary was travelling from Stirling when she was abducted by the Earl of Bothwell , beginning the chain of events that led to her forced abdication and her flight to England. When Mary escaped from Lochleven Castle in May 1568,
1210-585: A palace of European standing at Stirling. He undertook building works at the royal residences of Edinburgh, Falkland and Linlithgow , but the grandest works were at Stirling, and include the King's Old Building, the Great Hall, and the Forework. He also renovated the chapel royal, one of two churches within the castle at this time, and in 1501 received approval from Pope Alexander VI for the establishment of
1331-534: A reference service to the public on all aspects of the national archives. It provides the National Register of Archives of Scotland, a database of archival sources in Scotland, which is available online. It takes the lead in the development of records management and archival policy in Scotland. In the late 1990s the NAS became a pioneer in the digitisation and provision of online access to historical records on
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#17327866056991452-594: A satirical account in two poems by the poet William Dunbar is based on facts, the castle walls may have been the site of an attempt at human-powered flight , c.1509, by the Italian alchemist and abbot of Tongland , John Damian . The Captain of the Castle Andrew Aytoun kept an alchemist called Caldwell maintaining a furnace for "quinta essencia", the mythical fifth element , at the castle. The building works begun by James IV had not been completed at
1573-559: A settlement recorded in the 7th and 8th centuries as Iudeu, where King Penda of Mercia besieged King Oswy of Bernicia in 655. The area came under Pictish control after the defeat of the Northumbrians at the Battle of Dun Nechtain thirty years later. However, there is no archaeological evidence for occupation of Castle Hill before the late medieval period. Other legends have been associated with Stirling, or "Snowdoun" as it
1694-405: A siege in 1337, when guns may have been used for one of the first times in Scotland. Robert Stewart , the future King Robert II, retook Stirling in a siege during 1341–1342. Maurice Murray was appointed as its keeper, who in the words of Andrew of Wyntoun "inforsyt it grettumly, for riche he was and full mychty" (enforced it greatly, for rich he was and full mighty). In 1360, Robert de Forsyth
1815-743: A very large scale, under the auspices of the Scottish Archive Network (SCAN) project, whose partners were the National Archives of Scotland (NAS), the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), and the Genealogical Society of Utah (now Family Search). The SCAN project created a single electronic catalogue to the holdings of more than 50 Scottish archives and set up a copying programme, using high quality single-capture digital cameras. SCAN's main achievement
1936-554: Is French-inspired, but the decoration is German in inspiration, and sources for the statues have been found in the work of the German engraver Hans Burgkmair . The statues include a line of soldiers on the south parapet, and a series of full-size figures around the principal floor. These principal figures include a portrait of James V, the Devil, St Michael , and representations of Venus and several planetary deities . Their arrangement on
2057-680: Is a non-ministerial department of the Scottish Government . It is responsible for civil registration , the census in Scotland , demography and statistics , family history , as well as the national archives and historical records. National Records of Scotland was formed from the merger of the General Register Office for Scotland and the National Archives of Scotland in 2011; it combines all
2178-431: Is built on these foundations of the 1380s, the earliest surviving masonry in the castle. In 1424, Stirling Castle was part of the jointure (marriage settlement) given to James I 's wife Joan Beaufort , establishing a tradition which later monarchs continued. After James' murder in 1437, Joan took shelter here with her son, the young James II . He hosted a tournament at Stirling on Shrove Tuesday 1449, which included
2299-684: Is for those interested in genealogy. It opened fully on 12 January 2009 after being partially open since July 2008. The Centre is based in HM General Register House and New Register House, and is a partnership between the NAS, the General Register Office for Scotland, and the Court of the Lord Lyon, providing a single base for genealogical research in Scotland. Unlike the National Archives, use of most facilities at
2420-654: Is now attached to the later palace. At the east end, the Elphinstone Tower contained a kitchen and possibly an officer's lodging. It was cut down to form a gun battery, probably in the early 18th century when the Outer Defences were rebuilt. Within the Forework is a courtyard known as the Outer Close. To the south-east are Georgian military buildings; the late 18th-century Main Guard House, and
2541-466: Is on a different alignment to both the King's Old Building and the adjacent Royal Palace. It has been suggested that this is an earlier 15th-century structure, dating from the reign of James I . Excavations within this building in 1998 revealed burials, suggesting that this may have been the site of a church or chapel. On the east side of the Inner Close is the Great Hall, or Parliament Hall. This
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#17327866056992662-466: Is surrounded on three sides by steep cliffs, giving it a strong defensive position. Its strategic location, guarding what was, until the 1890s, the farthest downstream crossing of the River Forth , has made it an important fortification in the region from the earliest times. Most of the principal buildings of the castle date from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. A few structures remain from
2783-570: Is the Quitclaim of Canterbury of 1189; the oldest private record is a charter by David I to the church of St Cuthbert in Edinburgh, 1127. The earliest surviving exchequer roll belongs only to 1326; the records of the Great Seal survive only from 1315; and, although there are a few early rolls starting in 1292, full records of Parliament do not begin until 1466. The first reference to
2904-512: The Act of Union . The NAS advises Scottish Ministers on records and information policy, and has to be consulted in relation to certain statutory codes of practice issued under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 . The NAS advises Scottish public authorities about the creation and management of their records, and advises public and private owners about their historical records and it provides
3025-539: The Childers Reforms , the 91st (Argyllshire Highlanders) Regiment of Foot and the 93rd (Sutherland Highlanders) Regiment of Foot amalgamated to form the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders with its depot in the barracks in 1881. The Royal Lodgings have now been returned to something approaching their former glory. A major programme of research and re-presentation, lasting ten years and costing £12 million,
3146-688: The Deputy Clerk Register 's duties were also extended to the care of the records of births, deaths and marriages in the role of Registrar General under the Registration of Births, Deaths and Marriages (Scotland) Act 1854 , which established the General Registry Office of Births, Deaths and Marriages . The 1854 Act also provided that the Registrar General should produce an annual report to be forwarded to
3267-597: The Highlands and Lowlands which also contributed to the poor record keeping in registers. A bill came before the United Kingdom Parliament in 1829 and several others in subsequent years to introduce a system of state registration, following the similar introduction of public registration in England & Wales in 1837, but the bills were unsuccessful. One of the main reasons they were unsuccessful
3388-570: The Home Secretary to be laid before Parliament, containing a general abstract of the numbers of births, deaths and marriages registered during the previous year. The first general abstract (relating to 1855) was submitted in 1856. By the time of his first annual detailed report, published in 1861, the first Registrar General for Scotland, William Pitt Dundas, claimed that: "there is good reason for believing that very few births indeed now escape registration." In 1855 and 1860, two further Acts,
3509-529: The Registration (Scotland) Act, 1855 (18 & 19 Vict., c.29) and the Registration (Scotland, Amendment) Act, 1860 (23 & 24 Vict., c.85), were passed which amended some of the sections of the 1854 Act. The 1854 Act had placed considerable burdens on the sheriffs of the Scottish counties, who had already played a role in the taking of decennial censuses. The amending Acts reduced their responsibilities by appointing registration district examiners to inspect
3630-577: The Scottish Government . NRS is one of the National Collections of Scotland and falls with the ministerial portfolio of the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Fair Work and Culture . The Registers of Scotland remain a separate organisation and fall within the ministerial portfolio of the Cabinet Secretary for Finance . NRS supports research in a number of ways, through guides, websites and training. The ScotlandsPeople website,
3751-464: The Sighthill area of the city which is the main repository and also houses a conservation department and other offices. Access to the archives is open to members of the public. On 1 April 2011, NAS, as a governmental body, was merged with the General Register Office for Scotland to form National Records of Scotland . The term National Archives of Scotland is still sometimes employed to refer to
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3872-612: The Stirling Heads , described as "among the finest examples of Scottish Renaissance wood-carving now extant". Some of the heads may have been made by a French-born carver Andrew Mansioun . The carvings were taken down following a ceiling collapse in 1777, and of an estimated 56 original heads, 38 survive. Most were given to the Smith Institute in Stirling but now these are preserved in the castle, and three more are in
3993-505: The Union of the Crowns of 1603, when his father succeeded as King of England and the royal family left for London. After their departure, Stirling's role as a royal residence declined, and it became principally a military centre. It was used as a prison for persons of rank during the 17th century, and saw few visits by the monarch. The architect James Murray restored roofs and facilities of
4114-528: The Wars of Scottish Independence , with the last being in 1746, when Bonnie Prince Charlie unsuccessfully tried to take the castle. Stirling Castle is a Scheduled Ancient Monument , and is now a tourist attraction managed by Historic Environment Scotland . Castle Hill, on which Stirling Castle is built, forms part of the Stirling Sill , a formation of quartz-dolerite around 350 million years old, which
4235-528: The royal collection . The team of weavers visited The Cloisters , part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art , New York City , to inspect the 15th-century originals, and researched medieval weaving techniques, colour palettes and materials. The weavers worked both at the college in West Sussex , and at a studio at Stirling Castle. The project was completed in 2015. Stirling Castle remains
4356-422: The 13th century. It is responsible for selecting, preserving, and promoting and making available the national archives of Scotland. It also has a role in records management more generally. The National Archives of Scotland is based at three locations in Edinburgh : HM General Register House with New Register House (open to the public) and West Register House in the city centre, and Thomas Thomson House in
4477-455: The 18th-century defences. Following the attempted Jacobite invasion of 1708 , improvements to the castle's defences were ordered as a matter of priority. A scheme of new defences was proposed by Theodore Dury, although this was criticised by one Captain Obryan, who put forward his own, much more expensive, scheme. In the end a compromise was built, and was complete by 1714. The main front wall
4598-803: The Clerk of the Rolls eventually became known as the Lord Clerk Register , the oldest surviving great offices of state in Scotland . However, records held by the Scottish Crown did not typically include personal data such as birth , death and marriage records . Instead, the clergy and other officials of the Church of Scotland kept parish records, which recorded personal data such as baptisms and marriages , but only for their own church members so parish records were limited in scope. In 1551,
4719-662: The Department of the Registers of Scotland . The Keeper of the Records of Scotland headed the Records Office, later called the National Archives of Scotland. This left three departments and their respective officials managed the following: The current body (NRS) was created on 1 April 2011 by the merger of the General Register Office for Scotland and National Archives of Scotland and is a Non-ministerial office of
4840-581: The Earl of Mar was ordered step up security at Stirling around the king and expel from the castle all but his closest friends and relatives. The young King James was crowned in July 1567 in the nearby Church of the Holy Rude , and grew up within the castle walls in the care of Annabell Murray, Countess of Mar and under the tutelage of the humanist scholar George Buchanan . A tennis court was built of timber for
4961-484: The English duly headed north, led by Edward II , to save the castle. On 23 June 1314, King Robert's forces met the English at the Battle of Bannockburn , within sight of the castle walls. The resulting English defeat was decisive. King Edward attempted to take refuge in the castle, but Mowbray was determined to keep to his word, and the English were forced to flee. Mowbray handed over the castle, changing sides himself in
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5082-504: The English. Edward Bruce , the king's brother, laid siege to Stirling, which was held by Sir Philip Mowbray . After several months, on 24 June 1313, Mowbray proposed a bargain: that he would surrender the castle, if it were not relieved within one year by the English. Edward Bruce agreed, and withdrew. Scottish historian Patrick Fraser Tytler would describe Mowbray's offer, five centuries later, as "a truce involving conditions which ought on no account to have been accepted." As Tytler noted,
5203-487: The French Spur at the east end, date back to the regency of Mary of Guise in the 1550s. The French Spur was originally an ear-shaped bastion known as an orillon, and contained gun emplacements which protected the main spur. This projecting spur was fronted by an earth ramp called a talus , and was entered via a drawbridge over a ditch. Excavations in the 1970s showed that much of the original stonework remains within
5324-540: The NAS's public search rooms, known as "virtual volumes". In conjunction with the General Register Office for Scotland (GROS), the NAS supplies content for the ScotlandsPeople website, allowing searches in pre-1855 old parish registers (OPRs); statutory registers of births, marriages and deaths from 1855; census returns, 1841–1911; and the testaments digitally captured by the SCAN project. The ScotlandsPeople Centre
5445-697: The Officer's Mess. A number of new buildings were also constructed, including the prison and powder magazine, at the Nether Bailey, in 1810. Queen Victoria visited in 1842, and the Prince of Wales in 1859. In 1873 a system of recruiting areas based on counties was instituted under the Cardwell Reforms and the barracks became the depot for the 72nd (Highland) Regiment of Foot and the 91st (Argyllshire Highlanders) Regiment of Foot . Following
5566-483: The Palace comprises two apartments, one each for the king and queen. Each has a hall, presence chamber, and bedchamber, with various small rooms known as closets . The Renaissance decoration continued inside, although little has survived the building's military use, excepting the carved stone fireplaces. The ceiling of the King's Presence Chamber was originally decorated with a series of carved oak portrait roundels known as
5687-603: The ScotlandsPeople Centre is not free of charge. The National Archives of Scotland was instructed by Scottish Ministers in 2008 to review and assess the current state of public records legislation in Scotland, some of which dates to the 1930s. The Review published its report. 55°57′13.62″N 3°11′21.53″W / 55.9537833°N 3.1893139°W / 55.9537833; -3.1893139 National Records of Scotland National Records of Scotland ( Scottish Gaelic : Clàran Nàiseanta na h-Alba )
5808-579: The Scots after the English victory at Falkirk . Edward strengthened the castle, but it was besieged in 1299 by forces including Robert Bruce . King Edward failed to relieve the garrison, who were forced to surrender. By 1303, the English again held the upper hand, and Stirling was the last remaining castle in Scottish hands. Edward's army arrived in April 1304, with at least 17 siege engines . The Scots, under William Oliphant, surrendered on 20 July, but part of
5929-594: The Secretary of State for Scotland of a full-time Registrar General , separate from the Deputy Clerk Register. The recording of personal data was in effect severed from the Deputy Clerk Register, who continued to maintain the records and registers of Scotland. James Crawford Dunlop, who had served as medical superintendent of statistics since 1904, held the office of Registrar General from 1921 to 1930. The 12 subsequent Registrars General were drawn from
6050-551: The accommodation was far from satisfactory and the archives were damaged by damp and vermin. Records were piled on the floor and the backs of cupboards ran with damp. The great fire of 1700, which threatened the Parliament House, forced a temporary removal of the records to St Giles' church for safety. Although the Treaty of Union of 1707 specified that the public records were to remain in Scotland in all time coming, there
6171-403: The archives (the records collections) themselves. The early history of the national archives of Scotland reflects Scotland's own troubled history. Many records were lost as a result of being taken out of the country first in the 13th century by Edward I during the Wars of Independence and later by Oliver Cromwell in the 17th century. As a result, the earliest surviving Scottish public record
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#17327866056996292-483: The basis of the present Outer Defences. Guise employed an Italian military engineer called Lorenzo Pomarelli. From 1534 to 1584 Michael Gardiner was in charge of the artillery. Queen Mary returned to Scotland in 1561, and visited Stirling Castle frequently. She nursed Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley , through an illness here in 1565, and the two were soon married. Their son, James VI , was baptised here in December 1566 . The celebrations included fireworks, an assault on
6413-408: The birth of her first child, and James ordered the palace which was in "ruin and decay" to be repaired. Prince Henry was born in the castle in 1594, and the present Chapel Royal was constructed for his baptism on 30 August . Probably built by William Schaw , the chapel completed the quadrangle of the Inner Close. Like his predecessors Henry spent his childhood here under the 2nd Earl of Mar , until
6534-445: The castle for the return of James VI & I to Scotland, who stayed in Stirling during July 1617. From 1625, extensive preparations were made for the anticipated visit of the new king, Charles I , including works to the gardens and painting of the Chapel Royal. Charles did not come to Scotland until 1633, and only stayed in the castle briefly. Following the execution of Charles I, the Scots crowned his son Charles II , and he became
6655-530: The castle or the King. The keeper of the Castle, Alexander Erskine of Gogar was ejected by supporters of Regent Morton in April 1578, after his son was fatally wounded during a struggle at the gate. The rebellious Earls of Mar and Angus seized the castle in 1584, but surrendered and fled to England when the King arrived with an army. They returned the following year, forcing the King to surrender, although they proclaimed their loyalty to him. In December 1593 Anne of Denmark decided to come to Stirling for
6776-447: The castle were constructed between 1490 and 1600, when Stirling was developed as a principal royal centre by the Stewart kings James IV , James V and James VI . The architecture of these new buildings shows an eclectic mix of English, French and German influences, reflecting the international ambitions of the Stewart dynasty . James IV (reigned 1488–1513) kept a full Renaissance court, including alchemists , and sought to establish
6897-415: The castle's guns. Despite victory at Falkirk , the Jacobites withdrew north on 1 February. From 1800 the Castle was owned by the War Office and run as a barracks . Many alterations were made to the Great Hall, which became an accommodation block, to the Chapel Royal, which became a lecture theatre and dining hall, to the King's Old Building, which became an infirmary and to the Royal Palace, which became
7018-530: The castle, and it was formally handed back by Richard I of England in 1189. Stirling continued to be a favoured royal residence, with William himself dying there in 1214, and Alexander III laying out the New Park, for deer hunting, in the 1260s. Stirling remained a centre of royal administration until the death of Alexander III in 1286. His passing triggered a succession crisis, with Edward I of England invited to arbitrate between competing claimants. Edward came north in 1291, demanding that Stirling, along with
7139-419: The centuries and by the mid-sixteenth century it became necessary to build a special 'register house' in Edinburgh Castle to house them. The archives remained safe in the Castle until its capture by Cromwell's army in December 1650. The Scots were allowed to remove the archives and they were deposited in Stirling Castle . When that too fell to the English in August 1651, some of the records were carried off by
7260-410: The civil service in Scotland and headed the General Register Office for Scotland independently from the Deputy Clerk Register. In 1928, the office of Deputy Clerk Register itself was abolished by the Reorganisation of Offices (Scotland) Act 1928 , becoming the Keeper of the Registers and Records of Scotland . However, it came to be recognised that the keeping of records and the keeping of registers
7381-519: The court of the legendary King Arthur . Tradition suggests that St Monenna founded a chapel here, as she is said to have done at Edinburgh Castle , although it is now thought that the legend of Monenna results from a later confusion of early Christian figures, including Modwenna and Moninne . The first record of Stirling Castle dates from around 1110, when King Alexander I dedicated a chapel there. It appears to have been an established royal centre by this time, as Alexander died here in 1124. During
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#17327866056997502-427: The early 19th-century Fort Major's House. The early North Gate, giving access to the Nether Bailey, contained the original castle kitchens, which were probably linked to the Great Hall. The Great Kitchen which is now visible was constructed later, against the east wall of the castle. However, in 1689 these rooms were infilled with rubble to reinforce gun emplacements, known as the Grand Battery, which were built on top of
7623-407: The effect "was to check the ardour of the Scots in that career of success, which was now rapidly leading to the complete deliverance of their country; it gave the King of England a whole year to assemble the strength of his dominions... We need not wonder, then, that Bruce was highly incensed, on hearing that, without consulting him, his brother had agreed to Mowbray's proposals." The following summer,
7744-448: The first War of Independence in 1329 and provided for the return of the records to Scotland. But they remained in London, many disappeared, and when their remnants were sent back to Scotland in 1948, only about 200 documents remained. During the reign of Robert I, 'the Bruce' (1306–1329), and with the more settled nature of the country after the battle of Bannockburn in 1314, the national archives grew in quantity. Records accumulated over
7865-401: The following year, after the victory of Andrew Moray and William Wallace at the Battle of Stirling Bridge . Many of the garrison were killed during the battle, after which the English commanders William FitzWarin and Marmaduke Thweng retreated into the castle. However, they were quickly starved into surrender by the Scots. Next summer, the castle changed hands again, being abandoned by
7986-417: The following: In addition to selecting, preserving and making available to all the national archives of Scotland, the NAS has several other functions. Part of this relates to outreach, providing educational and other resources for teachers and other educational services, and ensuring the archives are available to Scottish society. One example of this outreach was an exhibition at the Scottish Parliament to mark
8107-477: The former St George's Church in Charlotte Square was converted into West Register House . Robert Adam, architect of General Register House, designed the frontages of the houses in Charlotte Square and included a plan for a church in his drawings in 1791. The plan was never used and in 1810 Robert Reid drew up a new design. The foundation stone was laid in May 1811 and the building opened to public worship in 1814. The church discovered dry rot in 1959 and, unable to meet
8228-508: The fortress, then advanced to Sheriffmuir to block Mar's way. The Battle of Sheriffmuir was inconclusive, but the rising was effectively over. The Jacobite rising of 1745 saw Charles Edward Stuart lead his army of Highlanders past Stirling on the way to Edinburgh. Following the Jacobites' retreat from England, they returned to Stirling in January 1746. The town soon surrendered, but the castle governor refused to capitulate. Artillery works were set up on Gowan Hill, but were quickly destroyed by
8349-499: The fourteenth century, while the outer defences fronting the town date from the early eighteenth century. Before the union with England, Stirling Castle was also one of the most used of the many Scottish royal residences, very much a palace as well as a fortress. Several Scottish Kings and Queens have been crowned at Stirling, including Mary, Queen of Scots , in 1542, and others were born or died there. There have been at least eight sieges of Stirling Castle , including several during
8470-418: The functions of the two former organisations. The offices of Registrar General for Scotland and Keeper of the Records of Scotland remain separate, but since 2011 both have been vested ex officio in the Chief Executive of National Records of Scotland, currently Paul Lowe. National Records of Scotland is based in HM General Register House on Princes Street in the New Town in Edinburgh . The building
8591-403: The garrison were ordered back into the castle by Edward, as he had not yet deployed his latest engine, " Warwolf ". Warwolf is believed to have been a large trebuchet , which destroyed the castle's gatehouse. Although Edward's victory seemed complete, he was dead by 1307, and Robert Bruce was now King of Scots . By 1313, only Stirling, Roxburgh , Edinburgh and Berwick castles were held by
8712-461: The garrison, some were rescued by the clerks, but most were sent away to London. Their removal proved very inconvenient, so in 1657 the legal registers were returned to Scotland. It was not until the restoration of Charles II in 1660 that the other records were sent back. One of the two ships carrying the archives, the 'Elizabeth', sank in a storm off the Northumbrian coast with the loss of all
8833-478: The hall was subdivided to form barracks. Two floors and five cross-walls were inserted, and the windows were altered accordingly. As early as 1893, calls were being made for the restoration of the Great Hall, but it was not until the army left in 1965 that the opportunity arose. It was agreed that a historically correct restoration could be achieved, and works began which were only completed in 1999. The hammerbeam roof and parapet were replaced, windows reinstated, and
8954-402: The headquarters of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders , although Balaclava Company, the sole surviving unit of the regiment, has been garrisoned at Redford Barracks in Edinburgh since 2014. The regimental museum is also located within the castle. The Outer Defences comprise artillery fortifications, and were built in their present form in the 18th century, although some parts, including
9075-554: The interior to his own design in the 1820s. Reid also designed the Antiquarian Room (now the Historical Search Room) which opened to the public in 1847. General Register House is one of the oldest custom built archive buildings still in continuous use in the world. In 1806 the office of Deputy Clerk Register was created to oversee the day-to-day running of the office. The appointment of Thomas Thomson to
9196-423: The king in 1576. Frequently used as a pawn in the struggles between his regents and the supporters of Mary, the young king was closely guarded. Stirling became the base for James' supporters, while those nobles who wished to see Queen Mary restored gathered at Edinburgh, under William Kirkcaldy of Grange . Grange led a raid on Stirling in 1571, attempting to round up the Queen's enemies, but failed to gain control of
9317-643: The kitchen's vaults. Excavations in the 1920s ascertained the extent of the surviving rooms, and the vaults were reconstructed in 1929. The small building above the North Gate is traditionally said to have been a mint , known in Scots as the Cunzie Hoose or "coining house". To the west of the Outer Close, the main parts of the castle are arranged around the quadrangular Inner Close: the Royal Palace to
9438-426: The last reigning monarch to stay here, living at the castle in 1650. The Royalist forces were defeated at Dunbar by those of Oliver Cromwell , and the King marched south to defeat at Worcester . General Monck laid siege to the castle on 6 August 1651, erecting gun platforms in the adjacent churchyard. After the garrison mutinied , Colonel William Conyngham was obliged to surrender on 14 August. Damage done during
9559-408: The late 1470s. It includes Renaissance details, such as the intersecting tracery on the windows, within a conventional medieval plan. Inside are five fireplaces, and large side windows lighting the dais end, where the king would be seated. It is 42 by 14.25 m (137.8 by 46.8 ft) across. The original hammerbeam roof was removed in 1800, along with the decorative crenellated parapet, when
9680-605: The links between Scotland and many other countries over the centuries. The NAS changed its name from the Scottish Record Office on 7 January 1999 and is both an associated department and Executive Agency of the Scottish Government , headed by the Keeper of the Records of Scotland . The agency is responsible to the Scottish Minister for Europe, External Affairs and Culture. Its antecedents date back to
9801-474: The north, east and south faces of the Palace has been interpreted in relation to the quarters of the heavens. The 19th-century architectural historian R. W. Billings described the statues as "the fruits of an imagination luxuriant but revolting". The west façade is undecorated and incomplete, and the Privy Council of Scotland noted in 1625 that the building was "schote over the craig". Internally,
9922-403: The office of Lord Clerk Register would remain as a ceremonial Great Officer of State, with all record keeping duties passing to the Deputy Clerk Register. In 1909 by Sir James Patten McDougall was appointed as Deputy Clerk Register, the last holder of the combined offices of Registrar General and Deputy Lord Clerk Register. The Registrar General (Scotland) Act 1920 provided for the appointment by
10043-570: The official Scottish Government site for searching government records and archives, is maintained by NRS in partnership with the Court of the Lord Lyon . NRS provides training in palaeography , the study of historical writing such as secretary hand , which is necessary to read some of its records; it maintains training material on its Scottish Handwriting site. The NRS collects and publishes Scottish statistics and data relating to registers, notably deaths involving coronavirus (COVID-19) in Scotland,
10164-730: The other houses records reception and sorting areas, staff offices, a purpose-built conservation unit and digital imaging facilities. The National Archives of Scotland contains records from parchment and paper scrolls through to digital files and archived websites. One widely known document held is the Declaration of Arbroath . The material held, searchable through the NAS On-Line Catalogue, and accessible (free of charge to examine) both in person at NAS search rooms (after reader pass application procedures), and in certain circumstances through other methods such as by post includes
10285-443: The other royal castles, be put under his control during the arbitration. Edward gave judgement in favour of John Balliol , hoping he would be a "puppet" ruler, but John refused to obey Edward's demands. In 1296, Edward invaded Scotland, beginning the Wars of Scottish Independence , which would last for the next 60 years. The English found Stirling Castle abandoned and empty, and set about occupying this key site. They were dislodged
10406-425: The outer walls were limewashed . To the left of the gatehouse, and forming the south side of the Inner Close, is the Royal Palace. The first Renaissance palace in the British Isles, this was the work of King James V . With its combination of Renaissance architecture , and exuberant late- gothic detail, it is one of the most architecturally impressive buildings in Scotland, covered with unique carved stonework. It
10527-701: The papers and parchments on board. Those records which had survived the voyage north were deposited again in Edinburgh Castle. But in 1662 the legal registers were transferred to the Laigh Hall below the Parliament Hall on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, where parliamentary and other records from the Castle joined them in 1689. The move was partly designed to promote access to the records, but
10648-427: The post laid the foundation of the modern record office. His thirty-five year term of office saw a programme of cataloguing and repair of the older records and the start of a series of record publications. Since the early twentieth century accessions of records have increased both in bulk and variety. The growth in the office's activities and holdings brought a need for more accommodation and improved facilities. In 1971
10769-400: The process. King Robert ordered the castle to be slighted ; its defences destroyed to prevent reoccupation by the English. The war was not over, however. The second War of Scottish Independence saw the English in control of Stirling Castle by 1336, when Thomas Rokeby was the commander, and extensive works were carried out, still largely in timber rather than stone. Andrew Murray attempted
10890-447: The project in 1772 and the foundation stone was laid in 1774, by which time the original plans had been modified. Robert Adam used stone from local quarries, Edinburgh tradesmen for supplies and local masons and craftsmen. The building, although an empty shell, was not roofless when work ceased in 1779. Receipts and other contemporary evidence confirm this. The incomplete building, described as 'the most magnificent pigeon-house in Europe',
11011-464: The rear of the gatehouse. The overall design, as drawn by John Slezer in 1693, shows French influence, and has parallels with the forework erected at Linlithgow Palace . Like the Linlithgow structure, the Forework was probably intended more for show, evoking the " age of chivalry ", than for defence, as it would have offered little protection against contemporary artillery. The entrance was via
11132-533: The record keeping duties of the Lord Clerk Register to an honorary title with no day-to-day management of the Registers and Records of Scotland. However, personal data continued to be managed by the clergy, now largely ministers of the Church of Scotland . The Industrial revolution radically changed the population demographics of Scotland, with central belt parishes being swamped by migrants from
11253-538: The register of sasines (Scotland's property register) and the records of ecclesiastical courts (kirk sessions, presbyteries, synods and the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland). The church court records extend to some five million pages of information and the NAS is, at the time of writing (2008), developing an online access system for large-scale, unindexed historical sources, in parallel to free access in
11374-582: The registers. They also made revised provision for the transmission of the parochial registers up to the year 1820 to the General Register Office Scotland (GROS), and the registers for the years 1820–1855 to the custody of the local registrars. These registers were to be retained by the local registrars for 30 years, after which they were to be sent to the GROS. In 1879, The Lord Clerk Register (Scotland) Act 1879 further provided that
11495-411: The reign of his successor David I , Stirling became a royal burgh , and the castle an important administration centre. King William I formed a deer park to the south-west of the castle, but after his capture by the English in 1174, he was forced to surrender several castles, including Stirling and Edinburgh Castle, under the Treaty of Falaise . There is no evidence that the English actually occupied
11616-659: The road running under the eastern wall of the castle. Ballengeich means "windy pass" in Gaelic . In 1533 a priest James Nicholson was in charge of the building fabric, and he also fed cranes, herons, peacocks, and bitterns for the king's table. James V continued and expanded his father's building programme, creating the centrepiece of the castle, the Royal Palace, built under the direction of Sir James Hamilton of Finnart and masons brought from France. James V also died young, leaving unfinished work to be completed by his widow, Mary of Guise . His infant daughter, Mary, Queen of Scots ,
11737-466: The service ensures that previous versions of pages and files can be accessed, while being clearly distinguishable from live content. Stirling Castle Stirling Castle , located in Stirling , is one of the largest and most historically and architecturally important castles in Scotland . The castle sits atop an intrusive crag , which forms part of the Stirling Sill geological formation. It
11858-406: The siege can still be seen on the church and the Great Hall. After The Restoration of Charles II, the Earl of Mar was restored as governor, and the castle was frequently used as a prison, housing several Covenanters . James, Duke of Albany , later King James VII of Scotland and II of England, visited the castle in 1681. During this time, the castle's military role became increasingly important,
11979-631: The source for data provided on the Scottish Government's COVID-19 dashboard. It also publishes statistics about first names given to babies in Scotland since 1998. NRS maintains the Scottish Register of Tartans . It aims to be a leader in archival practice and acts a source of guidance to records managers and archivists in Scotland. The NRS Web Continuity Service launched on 20 November 2017. A web archive of sites belonging to organisations who deposit records with NRS,
12100-502: The south, the King's Old Building on the west, the Chapel Royal to the north, and the Great Hall to the east. The oldest part of the Inner Close is the King's Old Building, located on the western side and completed around 1497. It was begun as a new residential range by James IV, and originally comprised an L-shaped building. The principal rooms were on the first floor, over cellars, and included two chambers with wide open views to
12221-542: The spiralling costs of repair, closed in 1961, the congregation moving to St Andrew's Church along George Street. In 1968 began the process of converting the church into a branch of the Scottish Record Office. The exterior was left unaltered but the entire interior was removed and replaced by five floors of reinforced concrete for offices and record storage. By the 1980s both city centre sites were filled to capacity and it became clear that another building
12342-491: The time of his death at the Battle of Flodden . His successor, James V (reigned 1513–1542), was crowned in the chapel royal, and grew up in the castle under the guardianship of Lord Erskine . In 1515, the Regent Albany brought 7,000 men to Stirling to wrest control of the young king from his mother, Margaret Tudor . James V as monarch was said to have travelled in disguise under the name "Gudeman of Ballengeich", after
12463-425: The west, although the interiors have been much altered. The projecting stair tower has an octagonal upper section, which was copied for a second, later stair tower on the same building. In 1855, the north end of the building burned down, and was rebuilt in a Baronial style by the architect and historian Robert William Billings . At the southwest end of the range is a linking building, once used as kitchens, which
12584-437: Was appointed governor of Stirling Castle, an office he passed on to his son John and grandson William, who was governor in 1399. Under the early Stewart kings Robert II (reigned 1371–1390) and Robert III (reigned 1390–1406), the earliest surviving parts of the castle were built. Robert Stewart, Earl of Menteith , Regent of Scotland as brother of Robert III, undertook works on the north and south gates. The present north gate
12705-429: Was begun in the 1530s, and was largely complete by the late 1540s. The Master of Works, until his execution in 1540, was Sir James Hamilton of Finnart , who also financed part of the work, in return for land and favours from the king. Further work was carried out during the regency of Mary of Guise, and the upper floor was converted to provide an apartment for the castle governor in the 18th century. The architecture
12826-539: Was born here, and later undertook works to the gardens and the chapel royal. The manufacture of artillery in the castle is recorded in 1475. James' wife, Margaret of Denmark , died in Stirling Castle in 1486, and two years later James himself died at the Battle of Sauchieburn , fought over almost the same ground as the Battle of Bannockburn, just to the south of the castle. Almost all the present buildings in
12947-473: Was brought to Stirling Castle for safety, and crowned in the chapel royal on 9 September 1543. She too was brought up here, until she was sent to Inchmahome Priory , and then to France in 1548. In the 1550s, during the Regency of Mary of Guise, Anglo-French hostilities were fought out in Scotland. Artillery fortifications were added to the south approach of the castle including the 'French Spur', and these form
13068-538: Was built by James IV following on from the completion of the King's Old Building in 1497, and was being plastered by 1503. Described as "the grandest secular building erected in Scotland in the late Middle Ages", it represents the first example of Renaissance -influenced royal architecture in that country. It was worked on by a number of English craftsmen, and incorporates some English design ideas, being comparable to Edward IV 's hall at Eltham Palace in Kent , built in
13189-521: Was completed in summer 2011. Since January 2002, the Tapestry Studio at West Dean College near Chichester in West Sussex has been working on a recreation of The Hunt of the Unicorn tapestries, four of which are now hanging in the restored Queen's Presence Chamber in the Royal Palace. Historians studying the reign of James V believe that a similar series of Unicorn tapestries were part of
13310-649: Was designed by Robert Adam for the Register House Trustees; it was opened to the public in 1788. The first official tasked with the care and administration of the public records was first recorded in the role of Clericus Rotulorum (Clerk of the Rolls) in the Kingdom of Scotland in 1286. Registers, rolls and records were kept in Edinburgh Castle from about the 13th century. The role of
13431-435: Was extended outwards, to form Guardhouse Square. This had the effect of creating two defensive walls, both of which were fronted by ditches defended by covered firing galleries known as caponiers . One of the caponiers survives and is accessible from Guardhouse Square by a narrow staircase. To the rear of the walls, chambers called casemates were built to strengthen the wall, and to provide gun emplacements. The French Spur
13552-573: Was given the duties to maintain and preserve the General Register of Sasines , the Register of Hornings , the Register of Inhibitions and Adjudications , the Register of Deeds and other chancery and judicial registers. The Keeper of the Records of Scotland, was given the duties to preserve the public registers, records and rolls of Scotland. From 1949, the Keeper of the Registers headed
13673-501: Was modified slightly to allow more cannons to be mounted. The buildings within Guardhouse Square date from the 19th century. Outside the castle is the early 19th-century Esplanade, used as a parade ground, and now as a car park and performance space. The gatehouse providing entry from the outer defences to the castle proper was erected by King James IV , and was probably completed around 1506. It originally formed part of
13794-563: Was more poetically known. The 16th-century historian Hector Boece claims in his Historia Gentis Scotorum that the Romans, under Agricola , fortified Stirling, and that Kenneth MacAlpin , traditionally the first King of Scotland, besieged a castle at Stirling during his takeover of the Pictish kingdom in the 9th century. Boece is, however, considered an unreliable historian. Another chronicler, William Worcester , associated Stirling with
13915-550: Was needed. This provided an opportunity to design a modern archive building. In 1994 Thomas Thomson House was built at Sighthill Industrial Estate in the west of Edinburgh and opened the following year by the Princess Royal . Designed to provide space for the National Archives of Scotland until the mid 21st century, the building is essentially two separate buildings joined together. One high-tech block provides over 37 kilometres of environmentally controlled record storage, while
14036-580: Was no public money available to provide adequate accommodation and supervision for them. By the mid-eighteenth century the need to provide accommodation for the national archives was widely recognised. In 1765 a grant of £12,000 was obtained from the estates of Jacobites forfeited after the Jacobite rising of 1745 towards building a 'proper repository'. A site was chosen fronting the end of the North Bridge then under construction. The eminent architect Robert Adam and his brother James were selected for
14157-560: Was subsequently modified by glaciation to form a " crag and tail ". It is likely that this natural feature was occupied at an early date, as a hill fort is located on Gowan Hill, immediately to the east. The Romans bypassed Stirling, building a fort at Doune instead, but the rock may have been occupied by the Maeatae at this time. It may later have been a stronghold of the Manaw Gododdin , and has also been identified with
14278-492: Was the digital capture of half a million wills and testaments recorded in Commissary Court and Sheriff Court registers between 1513 and 1901, linking these to a unified index, and making them available online. Following the project's completion in 2004, NAS maintained the products and websites of SCAN. The NAS has expanded its digitisation programme begun under the SCAN project. It is currently involved in digitising
14399-434: Was the haunt of thieves and pick-pockets. Construction resumed in 1785 and General Register House was completed to Robert Adam's modified design in 1788. It was hoped to build his proposed north range if funds ever became available. Robert Reid , also architect of St George's Church (now West Register House) and the facade of Parliament House , finished the exterior to a simplified version of Robert Adam's original design and
14520-414: Was the opposition, including the Church of Scotland , to attempts in the bills to reform the Scots laws of marriage, which had historically been very informal as The Scotsman newspaper describes: "Everybody knows that, by the law of Scotland, the marriage ceremony can be performed with as perfect legal effect by a blacksmith as by a clergyman" However, the proposals for reform were dropped and in 1854,
14641-480: Was too cumbersome a task to be entrusted to a single department. In 1948, the Public Registers and Records (Scotland) Act 1948 provided that the Registers of Scotland and Records of Scotland were to be split into two separate government organisations with two separate officials: (1) the Keeper of the Registers of Scotland and (2) the Keeper of the Records of Scotland. The Keeper of the Registers of Scotland
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