How do I get started?

We do not have any restrictions on where you can start, but to help you decide where you might start, here are a few questions to consider.

1. Do you have a particular interest in a place in Scotland? If you perhaps have connections to a parish or county, the place and personal names you encounter might be familiar to you.

2. What level of experience do you have with old handwriting? If this is a new area for you, perhaps starting with 19th century Ordnance Survey Name Books will be the most user friendly for the moment. They are pre-printed forms with a modern style of handwriting, which should be straight forward to transcribe.

3. Are you a skilled transcriber with a number of years experience in 17th century palaeography? Great! Then you'll be able to tackle some of our more challenging volumes.

4. We would ask that you take the time to read thoroughly the guides and examples before you begin.

If you are unsure of anything please visit the forum and post your query, the Moderators are only too happy to help you.

Happy transcribing!