All United Kingdom

Websites:

UKBMD - contains a multitude of records, not just birth, marriage and death. Scroll down the page to see more descriptions of what is offered. https://www.ukbmd.org.uk/. 

GENUKI - https://www.genuki.org.uk/ - when clicking on each country, a clickable map of the counties is provided.

The National Archives of the UK (known as TNA).  https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/.

FreeBMD (Free). https://www.freebmd.org.uk/.

FreeCEN (Free). https://www.freecen.org.uk/.

FreeREG (Free). https://www.freereg.org.uk/.

Other Tips:

FamilySearch Research Wiki for United Kingdom. https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/United_Kingdom. 

Check the Family History Federation to locate a Family History Society (FHS) - https://www.familyhistoryfederation.com.

Use Family History Societies to learn more about ancestors in a specific area - https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/England_Societies.

Guild of One-Name Studies. https://one-name.org/.

Books:

Portions of this book can be previewed online (click on the image). Jackson, Ashley. (2013) The British Empire: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press. https://books.google.com/books?id=U85sJUJQGnwC : accessed 15 Sept. 2026.

Images. Photograph. The White Tower of the Tower of London. May 2019. London, England, United Kingdom. Phyllis Zumwalt, photographer. Private collection.

Scotland

Websites:

GENUKI for Scotland. https://www.genuki.org.uk/big/sct : accessed 15 Sept. 2026.

National Records of Scotland (NRS) is the primary archive of Scottish records. Check their  Research guides and specifically, their Family History guide to discover what is held. Family historians and genealogists can research online using their contracted services: 

• ScotlandsPeople (SP) – SP holds the majority of records for Scotland and is fee-based. Clicking on Search Records provides views based on People, Places, Virtual Volumes, Maps and Plans, and Images Library.
•  Trove.scot – Historic Environment Scotland’s (HES) wealth of unique and diverse collections in one convenient place. It includes histories of buildings, like the Barony Parish Church.
• Scottish Archive Network (SCAN) - SCAN (Scottish Archive Network) now archived, was a project to digitize over 20,000 historical collections containing fragile records from over 52 archives; NRS now provides the oversight for this website. Using SCAN’s Digital Archive records can be viewed online; others are held locally.

National Library of Scotland 

NLS has a Family History section with an excellent topic list for records. NLS also has extensive maps images of Scotland and beyond.

Scotland Maps and Gazetteers

Check the National Library of Scotland (NLS) maps including their “Recent Additions.” Look in the Maps of Scotland and check the maps by century and by thumbnail image, county maps and estates. Other views are by Ordnance Survey; check the OS, side-by-side map University of Strathclyde and Barony Hall. 

Online atlases; example - John Thomson’s Atlas of Scotland, 1832, with his index map of shires. Drill down into Edinburgh (city), 1 of 4 maps sections within Edinburgh shire, see Edinburgh Castle at one end of the Royal Mile and Holyrood House (the Queen’s (now King’s) Scotland Palace), at the other end.

British History Online – Use the Search option, choose Scotland to see what is held. Narrow down the volume of information by selecting a century and / or a location or topic.

The Gazetteer for Scotland has maps and places, history and time-line and other miscellaneous information. Example, old counties (1890-1974), versus modern council areas since 1974. 

Also check Lewis, Samuel. (1846) Topographical dictionary of Scotland. London, England : S. Lewis and Co.

Books:

Paton, Chris. (2020) Tracing your Scottish family history on the internet : a guide for family historians. Barnsley: Pen and Sword. ISBN: 9781526768391.

Other sites:

• Guild of One-Name Studies. https://one-name.org/.
• Scottish Association of Family History Societies. https://www.safhs.org.uk/members.php.
• Paton, Chris. Scottish Genes Blog. http://scottishgenes.blogspot.com/ : accessed 15 Sept. 2026.

Images. Photograph. Dunluce Castle, seat of Clan McDonnell. May 2019. Co. Antrim, Portrush, Northern Ireland United Kingdom. Iain, photographer. Pexels. https://www.pexels.com/photo/old-medieval-ruins-of-dunluce-castle-on-ocean-coast-in-northern-ireland-famous-place-in-uk-2350368/.

Republic of Ireland

Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland. https://virtualtreasury.ie/ : accessed 15 Sept. 2026.

GENUKI for Ireland. https://www.genuki.org.uk/big/irl : accessed 15 Sept. 2026.

FamilySearch. Ireland Naming Customs. https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Ireland_Naming_Customs : accessed 15 Sept. 2026.

FamilySearch. Ireland online genealogy records. https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Ireland_Online_Genealogy_Records : accessed 15 Sept. 2026. 

National Archives of Ireland. Genealogy. https://nationalarchives.ie/ : accessed 15 Sept 2026.

NIDirect Government Services. Archives for family and local history. https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/archives-family-and-local-history : accessed 15 Sept. 2026. [This site, aptly named, provides instructions to connect with the correct government entity for genealogy research].

Irish Scottish Roots. Terrence Donlan. https://irishscottishroots.blog/2026/04/19/ireland-genealogy-resources/ : accessed 15 Sept. 2026. [A blog which maintains an updated guide covering the current records, maps and archive routes].

Resources for History of Irish emigration to America:

Teach Democracy.  The Potato Famine and Irish Immigration to America. https://teachdemocracy.org/online-lesson/the-potato-famine-and-irish-immigration-to-america/ : accessed 15 Sept. 2026.

Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild. Irish Ports. http://www.immigrantships.net/departures/ireland.html : accessed 15 Sept. 2026.

Irish Family History Foundation. RootsIreland.ie. http://www.rootsireland.ie/ : accessed 15 Sept. 2026.

Irish Newspaper Archives. https://www.irishnewsarchive.com/ : accessed 15 Sept. 2026.

United States Census Bureau. Where Irish Eyes are Smiling. https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/2018/comm/irish.html : accessed 15 Sept. 2026.

We Love Donegal. Famine Sites of Donegal. https://www.welovedonegal.com/famine-sites-of-donegal.html : accessed 15 Sept. 2026.

Books:

Grenham, John. (2019) Tracing your Irish ancestors. 5th ed. Dublin: Gill & Macmillan.

Laxton, Edward. (2013) The famine ships: the Irish exodus to America. Great Britain : Bloomsbury Publishing. https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Famine_Ships/_ZXWAAAAQBAJ : accessed 15 Sept. 2026. [This view includes a preview of most of this book, online].

O' Laughlin, Michael C. and The Irish Genealogical Foundation (U.S.). (2001) The families of County Donegal, Ireland : over one thousand entries from the archives of the Irish Genealogical Foundation. 1st Ed. Kansas City, Missouri: The Irish Genealogical Foundation (U.S.). p. 75. https://www.google.com/books/edition/Families_of_Co_Donegal_Ireland/2dO4L8DDxG4C?gbpv=1 : accessed 15 Sept. 2026.

Tuke, James H. (1848) A visit to Connaught in the autumn of 1847: a letter addressed to the Central Relief Committee of the Society of Friends, Dublin, by James H. Tuke. London: Charles Gilpin. p. 54. http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/TukeVisit : accessed 15 Sept. 2026.