A double agent, a historical novelist and a pioneer of radar technology feature in the 250,000 records newly released online by National Records of Scotland.
Among those records now available on the ScotlandsPeople website are; the birth of the Scottish author, Dorothy Dunnett who was internationally recognised for her historical fiction novels, the death of Brechin-born scientist Sir Robert Watson-Watt whose discoveries played a key role in defeating Germany in World War II, and the marriage of a former Russian spy Victor Konstantine Kaledin who married in Scotland and latterly pursued a varied career as a novelist and clairvoyant.
Every year, birth records that are 100 years old, death records that are 50 years old and marriage records that are 75 years old are added to the site, allowing family historians and researchers to access them anywhere and at any time.
National Records of Scotland Chief Executive Dr Janet Egdell said: “The start of the new year and the arrival of another major release of scanned records to ScotlandsPeople is one of the eagerly anticipated moments of our year.
“Being able to access these records from the comfort of your own home or office allows people the freedom to research when it suits them. They are a fascinating source of information and I’m delighted we are able to bring them to people in this format.
“We are highlighting these individuals as a reminder that when it comes to history, no matter what our achievements in life, we are all included.”
Photo: Birth certificate of Dorothy Dunnett as she was at birth as Dorothy Halliday
Photo: Death certificate for Robert Watson Watt Knight of the Thistle
Photo: Image shows marriage of Victor Kaledin
Photo Credit: All photos – Crown Copyright courtesy National Records of Scotland (NRS)