Scotland Land and Property

Land records can help you determine where and when your family lived in a specific place. Sometimes these records will be based on inheritance, and such records will often mention two or more generations of a family. In Scotland the land system had feudal roots in which the crown owned all of the land.

Jurisdictions
Many courts were involved in actions regarding land. Some of the most important courts were:


 * Chancery Courts
 * Court of Session
 * Sheriff Courts
 * Burgh Courts
 * Commissary Courts
 * Regality Courts

In general, there are three types of Scottish land records:


 * Service of Heirs or Retours
 * Sasines
 * Deeds

For More Information
For more information about sasine, service of heir, deeds, and other Scottish land and property records, see the following website and books:

National Archives of Scotland Look at the "Guides to Records".

Dobson, David. Scottish-American Heirs 1683-1883. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1990. (Family History Library.)

Encyclopedia of the Laws of Scotland. 16 vols and 2 supps. Edinburgh, Scotland: W. Green &amp; Son, Limited, 1926. (Family History Library .)

Gibb, Andrew Dewar. Students’ Glossary of Scottish Legal Terms. Edinburgh, Scotland: W. Green &amp; Son, Ltd., 1946. (Family History Library .)

Gouldesbrough, Peter. Formulary of Old Scots Legal Documents. Vol. 36. Edinburgh, Scotland: The Stair Society, 1985. (Family History Library .)

An Introductory Survey of the Sources and Literature of Scots Law. Vol. 1. The Stair Society. Edinburgh, Scotland: Robert Maclehose &amp; Co., Ltd. for The Stair Society, 1936. (Family History Library.)

Sinclair, Cecil. Tracing Your Scottish Ancestors: A Guide to Ancestry Research in the Scottish Record Office. Edinburgh, Scotland: Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, 1990. (Family History Library .)