Tracing your house history
Tracing your house history can involve looking at different aspects – owners and occupiers of the property, the local community in which the house stands and the building itself. As with family history it can be a process of checking records back in time to research the property.
Examples are given here of the type of material available at Watt Library, online and at other organisations. Staff are happy to advise further, whether in person, phone, letter or email.
Owners and occupiers
Census returns
These can be one of the most useful sets of records for finding out who lived in your house in the past with details of:
- Names of residents
- Age of residents
- Marital status
- Relationship to head of household
- Occupations
- Birthplace
1841 is the first year for which records survive. Censuses take place every 10 years. There is a 100-year closure on access to records, so the 1901 census is the latest available.
The Watt Library holds on microfilm the Census returns for 1841-1901 for the old Renfrew County area now covered by Inverclyde Council. The census is arranged by parish and then by street name. There is an index for each census, compiled by Watt Library staff, although the 1901 census index is still to be completed.
The following website has useful links to online Census records:
http://www.censusfinder.com/scotland.htm
Valuation rolls
From 1855 onwards, annual valuation rolls of property were kept for each burgh and county. They record the name of the owner, tenant and occupier. The rolls are not indexed and the lack of street names, house names or numbers means it is not always straightforward to find the property you are looking for. The Watt library holds a large collection of valuation rolls.
See the National Archives of Scotland website (www.nas.gov.uk) for the Research Guide Valuation Rolls which gives more details, together with information on the online project for Virtual Volumes
Post Office Directories
For most of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries the Post Office published a directory for Greenock. These directories were published annually and contained names and addresses, professions and many other interesting pieces of local information. The later directories also include information on Gourock.
These directories are now an invaluable source for those researching local and family history. Hitherto the only way to access the directories was to visit the Watt Library in person but now the directories have been digitized by the National Library of Scotland and have been made available as free downloads online enabling genealogists and other researchers to download the directories year by year. The directories on our website cover the years 1783 to 1912.
Sasines
Sasines are legal documents recording the transfer of ownership of land or of a building and have been the mainstay of land ownership record from the 17th century onwards. The General register of sasines is kept in the National Archives of Scotland in Edinburgh. See the Record Guide – Sasines of the NAS website.
Wills
Wills and inventories are a good source of information on property. Wills for 1513-1901 can be accessed online at the Scotland’s People website (www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk).
The local community
Maps
The Watt Library has pre-Ordnance Survey maps from 1857-1860, 1898-99 and 1930, as well as Ordnance Survey map series 1, 2 and 3. Such maps can often be useful for establishing the location of addresses obtained from census returns.
The National Library of Scotland Maps Department holds an extensive collection. Many maps are available online with zoom options to view detail and print copies. www.nls.uk/collections/maps
Publications
The Statistical Accounts of Scotland are detailed contemporary parish reports on the economic and social state of Scotland, giving background information on how people lived. The Old Statistical Account was written from 1791 to 1799, and the New Statistical Account from 1834 to 1845. The can be searched online at www.statt-acc-scot.edina.ac.uk/sas. The Watt Library has print copies available for reference.
The Watt Library book collection includes books of old photographs of the Inverclyde area.
Photographs
The Watt Library has a large collection of local photographs dating back to the 19th century, featuring houses, churches, factories, shops, etc. This collection has been united with the photograph collection of the McLean Museum and is available to view on its web pages:
http://www.inverclyde.gov.uk/community-life-and-leisure/mclean-museum-and-art-gallery/museum-collections/photographs/
Other Inverclyde history websites of interest
Inverclyde’s Heritage
Inverclyde Heritage is a local history learning resource for Inverclyde, Scotland. Created and maintained by a group based at the Watt Library in Greenock.Here you can find a range of information on topics such as the history of Inverclyde’s people, it’s industry and lots more.
http://www.inverclydeheritage.org.uk/
PortGlasgow4u
The aim of this site is to tell you about the history of Port Glasgow and its buildings and people. Next to Greenock and overlooking the River Clyde with its wonderful views the photo galleries will guide you through the past and into the present
http://www.portglasgow4u.co.uk/
Inverclyde Tourist Group
Inverclyde Tourist Group has compiled a directory of the statues, street art, urban art, memorials street architecture located in Inverclyde. It seeks to provide the student, enthusiast, historian, scholar and the local population with a comprehensive catalogue, detailing location, sponsors, responsible artist, history and background of all the listed pieces.
http://www.inverclydetouristgroup.co.uk/content/andy/