Crown Writs.—These are similar to English Letters-Patent. An earlier series of these are known as Privy Seals, and date from 1498.
The Register of the Great Seal, containing various records from 1315.
Exchequer Records, dating from 1474, deal with matters relating to revenue, rentals of townlands, etc., and may disclose points of interest to the pedigree-hunter.
Privy Council Records.—These are of varied character and importance. They consist of Acts, Warrants, State Papers, Royal Letters, etc.
Last, though possibly to the genealogist they may be the most important of all, we must mention:—
The Sasine Records.—By means of these the history of real property in Scotland can be traced much more fully than is generally possible in England or Ireland. The name “Sasine” is the Scottish equivalent of the word “seizin”—the possession of land.
The Sasine Writs commence at different dates for various districts and for the several shires in Scotland. All such registers, however, are now superseded by the General Register of Sasines, which commenced in 1869.
Wills, which are such an essential item in English and Irish pedigree-hunting, are not quite so important in connection with Scottish families, for up to 1874 a Scotsman could not devise land, so his will could only deal with personalty. Still, of course, wills must be looked up and noted in Scotland as they would be elsewhere.
Neither are Parish Registers so important a feature of genealogical research in that country as in England. The reason of this is that there was no early enactment there on the subject. So register-keeping by the parochial authorities was, up to 1854, a purely voluntary undertaking. Since this date a regular system of registration, like that in vogue in England, has been carried out.
Scotland has, like its sister countries, its own Office of Arms. This is known as the Lyon’s Office.