BSc (Hons) PhD OMLJ FIGRS FHEA CBiol QG
Consultant Genealogist and Heraldist, Author, Broadcaster, Lecturer

Shennachie to the Chief of Durie

Academician, Académie Internationale de Généalogie

Fulbright Senior Scottish Studies Scholar, 2015-16

Right of Audience at the Court of the Lord Lyon

Freeman and Burgess of the City of Glasgow

Older documents can be a challenge...

...and it's not just the unfamiliarity of the handwriting.

All documents were written at a specific place and time, for a particular purpose and in the context of the local law and practice.

It may be important to know why an inheritance was transferred by a will, a testament dative, an indenture, a trust disposition and settlement or some other form of deed.

Then there is the language - not only the legalese, but your vital document may be in Latin, Scots or another tongue.

The clue to understanding and interpreting a document is knowing:

• where it was written

• when it was written

• why it was written

Overcoming that brick wall in your family history may involve understanding a perplexing document. 

We have the expertise to help transcribe, translate and explain.