2016

The Keeper’s Annual Report for 2016, published under the Public Records (Scotland) Act 2011, has been laid in the Scottish Parliament.  It reflects the third year of activity since the Act was implemented.

The 2016 report can be viewed on this website. The main aim of the Act is to improve the quality of record keeping in approximately 250 named Scottish public authorities. It requires authorities to submit records management plans to the Keeper for agreement.

This year we reached a significant milestone with the agreement of the 100^th plan, three years after the Act came into force in January 2013.

The Act remains central to a long-term process of improving the standard of record keeping within the Scottish public sector. Plans agreed show that good practice is being followed and the Act continues to build trust and promote a new culture around record keeping. That helps authorities safeguard public records and ensure that they remain authentic, accurate and true.

Members of the conservation team here at National Records of Scotland have attached the formal seal to Nicola Sturgeon’s commission to be First Minster.

Attaching the seal is one of the lesser-known elements of our work – we are responsible for the physical sealing of letters patent, commissions, royal warrants and charters with the Great Seal of Scotland. Since 1999 this work has been carried out in partnership with Registers of Scotland, who hold the “matrix” – essentially a mould.

Conservation and preservation of the historic seal collection has always been a focus and a specialism in NRS conservation but we had to research and relearn the casting of seals. Adapting the  original  method using traditional tried and tested materials  provided to be most effective and most sound in terms of preservation. The whole process is time sensitive and  once alerted we aim to cast and release from the matrix in a four hour period. This includes threading ribbon  that  supports the seal, preparing the wax, casting, releasing from the matrix and the final finishing off by hand and boxing.

Eva Martinez Moya in our conservation team pours the wax.

To date we have  made over  400 wax seals using natural beeswax from an Ormiston beekeeper and coloured using mercuric sulphide or red cinnabar using the solid silver seal matrix of the Great Seal of Scotland.

Pressing the matrix.

The Commission for  Nicola Sturgeon to be First Minister was sealed on Monday 22 August 2016. Her first Royal Warrant was sealed on 16 December 2014.

The finished commission.

The National Records of Scotland has one of the best and most extensive collections of Scottish seals in existence. Their importance in the study of society particularly of the middle ages is immense, and there are examples of Great Seals dating from the 12th century.

Planning is well underway for Scotland’s Census 2021. Although 2021 may seem a long way off, the complex systems, processes and services needed will require a huge effort to deliver.

A variety of activity has been going on ‘behind the scenes’ to put in place the various structures and controls for this programme of work. Some highlights that might be of interest include:

• A report of our 2021 Topic Consultation has now been published on the Scotland's Census website. This report represents our response to the consultation, updating the initial view on the topics under consideration for inclusion in the next census.

• In September, we are holding two supplier engagement events in Edinburgh and London. These will highlight the products and services that we will require to procure to support the delivery of the census and raise awareness amongst potential suppliers. As part of the commercial strategy development process for the next census we are already seeking views and information from potential suppliers regarding the commercial requirements. More information is available from Public Contracts Scotland.

• Work on the outputs and statistical disclosure control aspects for 2021 has continued. We are engaging with the other UK census agencies, participating in international groups on dissemination and disclosure and researching various disclosure methodologies. A short life working group has also been established comprising users of census outputs to provide input to this work.

Please visit the Scotland's Census website for further information about plans for the next census, including early information on our plans for the design of the next census.

To be kept updated about all the latest news, please subscribe to the Scotland’s Census newsletter.

In total, 706 drug-related deaths were registered in Scotland in 2015, according to statistics published today by the National Records of Scotland in 'Drug-related Deaths in Scotland in 2015'. This was the largest number ever recorded, 93 (15 per cent) more than in 2014, and more than double the figure for 2005 (which was 336).

The statistics also show that:

• Males accounted for 69 per cent of the drug-related deaths in 2015. 
• In 2015, there were 249 drug-related deaths of people aged 35-44 (35 per cent of all drug-related deaths), 183 deaths of 45-54 year olds (26 per cent) and 163 drug-related deaths in the 25-34 age-group (23 per cent). 
• The NHS Board areas which accounted for most of the 706 drug-related deaths in 2015 were:
  • Greater Glasgow & Clyde – 221 (31 per cent);
  • Lothian – 100 (14 per cent);
  • Lanarkshire – 73 (10 per cent);
  • Grampian – 69 (10 per cent); and
  • Tayside – 63 (9 per cent). 
• Using the annual averages for 2011-2015, to reduce the effect on the figures of year-to-year fluctuations:
  • For Scotland as a whole, the average of 602 drug-related deaths per year represented a death rate of 0.11 per 1,000 population;
  • The NHS Board area with the highest rate was Greater Glasgow & Clyde (0.16);
  • The next highest rate was for Tayside (0.12) 
• Comparing the annual averages for 2011-2015 with those for 2001-2005:
  • The percentage increase was greater for females (153 per cent) than males (56 per cent);
  • The largest increase in numbers was for 35-44 year olds, the next largest was for people aged 45-54, and there was a fall in the number of drug-related deaths of people aged under 25;
  • The NHS Board areas with the largest increases in the numbers of drug-related deaths were Greater Glasgow & Clyde (up by 56), Lothian (up by 47), Lanarkshire (up by 33) and Tayside (up by 30). 
• Of the 706 drug-related deaths in 2015:
  • Heroin and/or morphine were implicated in, or potentially contributed to, the cause of 345 deaths (49 per cent of the total) – more than in any previous year;
  • Methadone was implicated in, or potentially contributed to, 251 deaths (36 per cent) – fewer than its peak (275 in 2011), but more than in any of the previous three years;
  • One or more opiates or opioids (including heroin/morphine and methadone) were implicated in, or potentially contributed to, 606 deaths (86 per cent) – higher than in any previous year;
  • The number for benzodiazepines (for example diazepam) rose to 191 deaths – around the level seen in 2011 and 2012 (185 and 196, respectively)
  • The corresponding numbers for some other substances were: cocaine – 93 deaths; ecstasy-type drugs – 15 deaths; amphetamines – 17 deaths; alcohol – 107 deaths. 
  • The percentages add up to more than 100 because more than one drug was implicated in, or contributed to, many deaths.  
• Annex E of the publication provides information about deaths which involved so-called New Psychoactive Substances (NPSs), including their definition for the purposes of these figures. On that basis, in 2015:
  • There were 74 deaths in which NPSs were implicated, or potentially contributed to, the cause of death – but just three of them were believed to have been caused by NPSs alone;
  • Almost all (72) of those deaths are included in the 706 drug-related deaths referred to earlier (either because the person had also taken a controlled substance or because the NPS itself was one);
  • In 57 of the 74 deaths, the only NPSs present were benzodiazepines (usually etizolam, but sometimes something else, such as diclazepam or phenazepam);
  • There were also 38 deaths for which NPSs were present but were not considered to have contributed to the death. Almost all of them (36) are included in the 706 drug-related deaths referred to earlier. In most cases (30 out of 38) benzodiazepines were the only NPSs present.

The full publication Drug-related deaths in Scotland in 2015 is available on this website.

National Records of Scotland (NRS) today publishes ‘'Scotland’s Population 2015 – the Registrar General’s Annual Review of Demographic Trends'.

Tim Ellis, the Registrar General of Scotland, said:

“The figures produced by National Records of Scotland paint a picture of our nation in 2015. The Registrar General’s Annual Review has been published since 1855, and over that time my predecessors have faithfully recorded the state of our nation, and told our story – one of changes, both big and small.

“The  population in 1855 was 2,978,065. This year’s figures show our population is still increasing, mostly due to migration, and in 2015 was at its highest ever at 5,373,000 people. The population is continuing to age and this change will bring both opportunities and challenges in the years ahead.

“As well as more people moving to Scotland than leaving, fewer babies were born during 2015 and there were more deaths than in 2014.

 “The most common causes of death are still cancer, respiratory system diseases and ischaemic (coronary) heart disease.

“Although mortality rates in Scotland have generally fallen more slowly than in the rest of the UK and elsewhere in Europe, the improvements over the last 60 years are still considerable and the impact is reflected in the increase in expectation of life. Despite these improvements inequalities remain within Scotland. For example, males born around 2012 in the 10 per cent least deprived areas in Scotland could expect to live 12.5 years more than males born in the 10 per cent most deprived areas.”

The report on Scotland’s Population shows that:

• The estimated population of Scotland on 30 June 2015 was 5,373,000, the highest ever recorded.
• In the year to 30 June 2015, 85,000 people came to Scotland (from the rest of the UK and from overseas) and 57,000 left Scotland (to the rest of the UK and overseas). This resulted in a net increase in population of 28,000.
• There were 55,098 births registered in Scotland in 2015. This was 1,627 (2.9 per cent) fewer than in 2014, resuming the downward trend over the five years prior to 2014.
• There were 57,579 deaths registered in Scotland in 2015. The main causes of death were cancer (16,093), respiratory system diseases (7,669) and ischaemic (coronary) heart disease (7,142).
• Life expectancy in Scotland has improved greatly over the last 33 years. Life expectancy of those born around 2014 is now 77.1 years for males and 81.1 years for females. However, life expectancy in Scotland has improved more slowly than in the rest of the UK and elsewhere in Europe and inequalities within Scotland remain. Life expectancy is still lower by 12.5 years for males in the 10 per cent most deprived areas compared with males born in the 10 per cent least deprived areas, for males born around 2012 (the latest life expectancy figures by deprivation).
• There were 29,691 marriages in Scotland in 2015. Of these, 1,671 were same-sex marriages following The Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Act 2014 coming into force on 16 December 2014. The majority of same sex marriages were couples who changed their existing civil partnerships to marriage – 936, or 56 per cent. There were only 64 civil partnerships – 33 male couples and 31 female couples. The average age at which people marry for the first time has increased by around two years since 2005, to 33.6 years for men and 31.9 years for women in 2015.
• In 2015, there were 504 adoptions recorded in Scotland, an increase of 11 per cent over 2014 and the highest number recorded since 1996. The number of adoptions each year is around a quarter of what it used to be in the early 1970s.
• In mid-2015, there were 2.43 million households in Scotland, which is an increase of around 160,000 over the past ten years.

The report also includes the invited chapter ‘Migrants in Scotland’s population histories since 1850’, written by Prof. Michael Anderson, Professor Emeritus of Economic History and Honorary Professorial Fellow of the University of Edinburgh. This chapter draws on material from his on-going research into the population histories of different parts and occupational groups of Scotland, in the context of wider British and European population change, and explores some of the key patterns and roles of migration in Scotland’s population histories since the middle of the nineteenth century.

The report is a compendium that brings together key demographic information from a range of publications produced by NRS. It has been produced annually since it was first published in 1855. It is accompanied by an update on a wide range of other statistics on births, stillbirths, adoptions, marriages, civil partnerships and deaths, which appear in the Vital Events Reference Tables and in website sections on deaths from certain causes.

Among the other information published by NRS today:

• There were 1,150 alcohol-related deaths in 2015, very similar to the 2014 figure of 1,152.

• There were 672 probable suicides in 2015, 24 (three per cent) fewer than in the previous year.

• Age-standardised death rates fell by 12 per cent between 2005 and 2015 for all ages and by 17 per cent for people aged under 75.

The full publications Scotland's Population 2015 - The Registrar General's Annual Review of Demographic Trends, Vital Events Reference Tables 2015 and Deaths by various causes (excluding Drug-related Deaths and Winter Mortality) are available on this website. 

An infographic booklet on Scotland’s population has also been published today on this website.

The most famous document in Scotland’s history has been awarded special status by the United Nations.

UNESCO has included the Declaration of Arbroath in its UK ‘Memory of the World’ register. The original document is in the keeping of National Records of Scotland.

It was a letter to the Pope, written in 1320 and signed by the Scottish barons pledging their resistance to English rule.

Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs Fiona Hyslop said:

“The Declaration of Arbroath is a hugely significant document in Scotland’s history and I welcome its inclusion in UNESCO’s register.

“Seven hundred years after the Declaration was drafted, it is fitting this inspirational, internationalist document has been recognised for its heritage status on the global stage.”

Tim Ellis, Keeper of the Records of Scotland, said:

“The Declaration of Arbroath holds a unique place in Scotland’s history and tells a vital piece of our story, as its entry in UNESCO’s Register confirms.

“We’re proud to hold it in our collections at National Records of Scotland and to work to preserve it for future generations.”

Elizabeth Oxborrow-Cowan, Chair of UK Committee, UNESCO Memory of the World Programme, said:

“I am delighted to welcome the Declaration of Arbroath onto the UK Memory of the World Register and I congratulate the National Records of Scotland on this achievement. 

“This famous document rightly deserves the accolade of outstanding significance to the UK. It is a wonderful example of our remarkable documentary heritage both in Scotland and across the UK. I urge people to go out and discover this heritage for themselves.”

Further information about the Declaration of Arbroath on is available on this website.

Details of the UNESCO Memory of the World Register are available on the United Kingdom National Commission for UNESCO website .

To mark the 100th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme, a special feature highlights the stories of two of the thousands of Scots soldiers who perished on 1 July 1916, the first day of the battle.

The mass offensive by British, French and allied forces against the German armies began with the heaviest losses ever experienced by the British Army on a single day: over 20,000 killed or missing, 35,000 wounded, and almost 600 prisoners.

Alexander Lawrie (front), 16th Royal Scots. Courtesy of Anne McLaren

Through the unique series of Soldiers’ Wills and other records in National Records of Scotland, we investigate the contrasting lives of Hew Edwards Browne and James Lundie, both privates in the 15th Battalion, The Royal Scots. By the evening of  3 July their battalion had lost 638 officers and men killed, wounded or missing.

Other soldiers who died on the first day of the Somme, including Eugene Bourdon, a French architect who returned home to fight, are the subject of a second commemorative feature. We explore what can be learned from the separate series of Wills & Testaments and other records in ScotlandsPeople.

James Lundie’s will, NRS, SC70/8/592/6/3

Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs in the Scottish Government, said:

“These personal documents are powerful evidence of the sacrifice made by thousands of Scots soldiers during the Battle of the Somme. Their stories and the experiences of their families and loved ones deserve to be told.”

Tim Ellis, Registrar General and Keeper of the Records of Scotland, said:

“We are privileged to be able to mark the centenary of the Battle of the Somme by highlighting some of the countless stories of the service and sacrifice of Scottish soldiers during the First World War. National Records of Scotland holds a wealth of archives and records which help us understand the enormous impact the First World War had on the people of Scotland.”

Read our other features about the First World War.

Provisional figures for vital events registered in the first quarter 2016, published today by the National Records of Scotland (NRS).

The statistics show that 15,430 deaths were registered in the first quarter of the year – 1,095 (6.6 per cent) fewer than in the same period of 2015.

The first quarter of 2015 had seen particularly large increases in the numbers of deaths from coronary heart disease and cerebrovascular disease. The decreases in the first quarter of 2016 take the numbers of deaths from both of these causes back to around their 2014 level.

The provisional figures also show that:

• 13,278 births were registered in Scotland in quarter one – 42 (0.3 per cent) fewer than in the same period of 2015. The total number of births for the first quarter fell to a low of  around 12,400 in 2002. It then rose to the most recent peak of 15,100 in 2008 and plateaued around 14,600 between 2009 and 2012.  Since then, it has fallen steadily to the current level of around 13,300 in 2016.
• There were 3,512 marriages in total, 376 fewer than the figure for the first quarter of 2015 (a fall of 9.7 per cent). This takes the number of marriages to around the same level as the first quarter of 2014 and is a higher figure than in the first quarter of each year from 2006 to 2013. 
• There were 155 same-sex marriages between 1 January and 31 March 2016, 289 (65.1 per cent) fewer than the total of 444 in the same period of 2015 (which was the first full quarter since the provisions on same sex marriage came into force at the end of 2014).  In the first quarter 2015, the majority of same-sex marriages were changes from civil partnerships (333, 75 per cent). In 2016 quarter one, only 35 (23 per cent) of same sex marriages were changes from civil partnerships.  
• There were 12 civil partnerships (8 male and 4 female), eight fewer than during the first quarter of 2015. 
• Compared with the same period in 2015, the number of deaths from coronary heart disease fell by 12.5 per cent to 1,775, deaths from cerebrovascular disease fell by 12.8 per cent to 1,140, and there were 4,010 deaths from cancer (a decrease of 2.5 per cent). The first quarter of 2015 had seen particularly large increases in the numbers of deaths from coronary heart disease and cerebrovascular disease. The decreases in the first quarter of 2016 take the numbers of deaths from both of these causes back to around their 2014 level.

The full publication, Births, deaths and other vital events - quarterly figures, is available on this website.

The number of households in Scotland has continued to increase, though the rate of growth is smaller than before the economic downturn. There were 2.43 million households in 2015, according to figures published today by National Records of Scotland (NRS) in 'Estimates of Households and Dwellings in Scotland, 2015'.

The number of households in Scotland has grown by around 160,000 over the last ten years. Household numbers have been growing faster than the population. Since 2005, Scotland’s population has risen by five per cent, whilst the number of households has increased by seven per cent. This is because more people are living alone and in smaller households. This is reflected in the average number of people per household, which has fallen from 2.21 people per household in 2005 to 2.17 in 2015.

Tim Ellis, the Chief Executive of National Records of Scotland, said:

“These latest figures from the National Records of Scotland show household numbers continue to rise but the level of growth has changed, with the number of households rising by a much smaller amount each year after the beginning of the economic downturn. In most council areas, average household size continues to fall, but average household sizes are now rising in the four city council areas of Aberdeen City, Dundee City, City of Edinburgh and Glasgow City, and in Perth and Kinross. This may be linked to the trend we are seeing of more young adults living with their parents or renting rather than buying a home.”

These changes in average household size are illustrated in the chart below.

Every council area in Scotland has experienced a rise in household numbers over the past ten years, although the size of the increase varies widely. The largest percentage increases were in the Orkney Islands and Highland (13.6 per cent and 12.7 per cent respectively). City of Edinburgh saw the largest rise in absolute numbers (18,283, 8.6 per cent).

The overall number of dwellings (including vacant properties and second homes) also rose in 2015, to a total of 2.56 million. This was 161,000 more than in 2005. In Scotland as a whole, 3.1 per cent dwellings were vacant and 1.1 per were second homes, with the latter being more common in more rural areas.

The full publication, Estimates of Households and Dwellings in Scotland, 2015, is available on this website.

To celebrate the Queen’s 90th birthday we have created a special feature highlighting documents in NRS which chart her relationship with Scotland.

The Queen is a direct descendant of Robert II, King of Scots, on both sides of her family and so enjoys a unique link with Scotland.

The feature includes images of one of her earliest signatures as a new queen in 1952, to her opening of the ScotlandsPeople Centre in General Register House in 2008 (pictured),  as well as some little-known documents  preserved in NRS which illustrate her royal role.

The new feature is one of many on our site which explore the unique photographs and records in our collections. Other new features include one relating to the Battle of Jutland in 1916, and the death of Charles Whitehead Yule, a member of staff in General Register House, who was killed in action one hundred years ago.