210:(23 & 24 Vict., c.85), were passed which amended some of the sections of the 1854 Act. The original Act had placed considerable burdens on the sheriffs of the Scottish counties, who had already played a role in the taking of decennial censuses. The amending Acts reduced their responsibilities by appointing registration district examiners to inspect the registers. They also made revised provision for the transmission of the parochial registers up to the year 1820 to the General Register Office Scotland (GROS), and the registers for the years 1820–1855 to the custody of the local registrars. These registers were to be retained by the registrars for 30 years, after which they were to be sent to the GROS.
199:
the
Scottish Registrar General in Edinburgh. Compulsory civil registration began in Scotland on 1 January 1855, and coverage seems to have been complete for marriages and deaths. Birth registration took rather longer to bed down, but by the time of his first annual detailed report, published in 1861, the first Registrar General for Scotland, William Pitt Dundas, claimed that: "there is good reason for believing that very few births indeed now escape registration."
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131:
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of the Church of
Scotland were, in most cases, appointed as the first registrars under the Act. Where the parish or burgh was too large for a single registrar, the sheriff was empowered to divide it into districts. Registers were to be produced in duplicate, and one was to be sent to the Office of
476:. Initially, the General Register Office had been located in General Register House. The building was erected on its present site near the Old Register House. The site was acquired in 1856 and the building was opened on 30 March 1861, though not completed until 1864 at a total cost of £40,000.
295:
Originally, this was the supervision of birth, death and marriage registration. It was expanded to include the conduct of the 1861 Census and all subsequent ones (working closely with the
Registrar General to ensure consistency) and other statistical functions.
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area of
Edinburgh, where population, household and vital statistics data (including Scotland's census) are housed; and Cairnsmore House on the Crichton Estate in Dumfries, home of Scotland's NHS Central Register. All three buildings are now part of the
185:
created the
General Register Office of Births, Deaths and Marriages, headed by the Registrar General with the appointment of registrars in every parish. It also provided that the Registrar General should produce an annual report to be forwarded to the
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to be laid before
Parliament, containing a general abstract of the numbers of births, deaths and marriages registered during the previous year. The first general abstract (relating to 1855) was submitted in 1856.
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were initially kept separate, but on the retirement of Duncan
Macniven in August 2011, George Mackenzie was appointed Registrar General in addition to his existing role as Keeper.
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On 1 April 2011 GROS was merged with the
National Archives of Scotland, with which it already had close ties and shared management of the Scotland's People Centre in
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was the first holder of the combined post of Deputy Clerk
Register and Registrar General from September 1854 until April 1880. His successor,
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was passed which provided for the appointment by the
Secretary of State for Scotland a whole-time Registrar General, Dr
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From 1855 the role of accumulating and publishing statistics from data has fallen to one person. These people were:
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The parochial and burgh divisions in Scotland were adopted as the basis of registration, and the
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On the formation of National Records of Scotland, the positions of Registrar General and
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122:. All the former department's functions continue as part of the new body.
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1064:(*) = Culture and Major Events is shared between two Director-Generals.
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699:- A genealogical research site administered by the GRO for Scotland
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946: Health and Social Care Finance, Digital and Governance
803: Legal Services (Solicitor to the Scottish Government)
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Registration of Births, Deaths and Marriages (Scotland) Act 1965
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Registration of Births, Deaths and Marriages (Scotland) Act 1854
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357:
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Dr Charles Milne Glennie CBE, 13 April 1982 – 31 October 1994
903: Fiscal Sustainability and Exchequer Development
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GROS had two other main buildings: Ladywell House, in the
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enacted that all parish ministers should keep a record of
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The development of the General Register Office (Scotland)
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and marriages. This situation continued until 1854, when
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Scottish Government news release, accessed 18 April 2011
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James Craufurd Dunlop, 1 January 1921 – 2 September 1930
288:
KCB. The last person to hold the combined posts was Sir
178:
passed an Act transferring responsibility to the State.
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relating to the formalities of marriage and conduct of
1068:
The Scottish Government webpage, Retrieved 2024-07-15.
974: Social Care and National Care Service Development
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Equality, Inclusion and Human Rights Directorate
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William Pitt Dundas, 12 September 1854 – 28 April 1880
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Audrey Robertson, 29 September 2012 - 3 February 2013
767: Tackling Child Poverty and Social Jusitce
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Anne Slater (Interim), April 2018 - 16 December 2018
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Victor Colvin Stewart, 4 August 1978 – 12 April 1982
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George MacKenzie, 8 August 2011 – 28 September 2012
158:, but only for their own church members. Later the
88:from 1854 to 2011. It was also responsible for the
330:Roger Montgomerie, 19 April 1880 – 25 October 1880
787: Corporate Transformation and Workplace
417:James Meldrum, 1 November 1994 – 21 February 1999
938: Chief Operating Officer, NHS Scotland
1050: Performance, Delivery and Resilience
405:Archibald L Rennie, October 1969 - 11 June 1973
1102:Defunct departments of the Scottish Government
962: People, Appointments and Governance
423:Duncan Macniven, 4 August 2003 – 5 August 2011
420:John Randall, 22 February 1999 – 1 August 2003
1112:Marriage, unions and partnerships in Scotland
954: Healthcare Quality and Improvement
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585:gro-scotland.gov.uk, accessed 10 October 2008
566:gro-scotland.gov.uk, accessed 10 October 2008
508:General Register Office for England and Wales
266:The Registrar General was also Deputy to the
8:
783:Communications and Ministerial Support
678:gro-scotland.gov.uk, accessed 13 August 2011
639:gro-scotland.gov.uk, accessed 13 August 2011
292:KCB, in office from May 1909 to March 1919.
208:Registration (Scotland, Amendment) Act, 1860
408:William Baird, 12 June 1973 – 3 August 1978
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711:
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513:General Register Office (Northern Ireland)
396:CBE D Litt, 1 June 1959 – 4 September 1966
164:General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
474:Office of Her Majesty's Works in Scotland
438:Paul Lowe, 17 December 2018 – 14 Feb 2023
270:. The Deputy Clerk Register had to be an
221:, to form National Records of Scotland.
54:Oifis Choitcheann a' Chlàraidh na h-Alba
907: Internal Audit and Assurance
883: Lifelong Learning and Skills
867: Early Learning and Childcare
751: Local Government and Housing
734:Directorates of the Scottish Government
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432:Tim Ellis, 4 February 2013 - April 2018
322:List of Registrars General for Scotland
114:On 1 April 2011 it was merged with the
815: Scottish Procurement and Property
402:CB MC, September 1966 - September 1969
64:that administered the registration of
27:Directorate of the Scottish Government
383:, 1 September 1937 – 30 November 1948
370:, 3 September 1930 – 14 February 1937
301:Registrar General (Scotland) Act 1920
274:of not less than ten years standing.
7:
990: Energy and Climate Change
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337:, 17 November 1880 – 12 January 1881
309:Medical Superintendent of Statistics
42:General Register Office for Scotland
994: Environment and Forestry
986:Agriculture and Rural Economy
239:William Robertson from 1871 to 1878
36:Logo of the General Register Office
942: Digital Health and Care
845:International Trade and Investment
791: COVID Inquries Response
441:Janet Egdell, 15 Feb 2023 - Sep 24
206:(18 & 19 Vict., c.29) and the
162:, following the suggestion of the
104:every ten years. It also kept the
96:in Scotland. It administered the
25:
347:, 13 January 1881 – 30 April 1909
316:Keeper of the Records of Scotland
204:Registration (Scotland) Act, 1855
899:Budget and Public Spending
755: Public Service Reform
444:Alison Byrne, Oct 2024 - present
202:In 1855 and 1860, two Acts, the
106:Scottish National Health Service
851: Jobs and Wellbeing Economy
839: Economic Development
811: Propriety and Ethics
799: Financial Management
692:October 2014 archive of website
390:, 1 December 1948 – 31 May 1959
262:Registrars General for Scotland
533:Office for National Statistics
18:Registrar General for Scotland
1:
1013:Strategy and External Affairs
528:National Archives of Scotland
243:Robert James Blair Cunynghame
146:were responsible for keeping
134:New Register House, Edinburgh
116:National Archives of Scotland
1044:Parliamentary Counsel Office
966: Population Health
595:National Records of Scotland
576:NHS Central Register (NHSCR)
491:National Records of Scotland
350:Sir James Patten McDougall,
225:Superintendent of Statistics
120:National Records of Scotland
950: Health Workforce
871: Education Reform
863:Children and Families
354:, 1 May 1909 – 7 March 1919
58:non-ministerial directorate
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658:. 4 May 1909. p. 485.
771: Ukraine Resettlement
635:25 September 2011 at the
160:Privy Council of Scotland
1092:Demographics of Scotland
1024:Culture and Major Events
958: Mental Health
833:Culture and Major Events
503:Demographics of Scotland
970: Primary Care
620:Retrieved 26 March 2016
581:15 October 2008 at the
518:General Register Office
918:Health and Social Care
887: Safer Communities
674:11 August 2011 at the
600:19 August 2014 at the
562:8 October 2008 at the
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290:James Patten McDougall
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932:Chief Nursing Officer
924:Chief Medical Officer
911: Tax and Revenues
858:Education and Justice
827:Chief Economist
655:The Edinburgh Gazette
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394:Alexander Burt Taylor
386:Edmund Albert Hogan,
333:William Pitt Dundas,
305:James Craufurd Dunlop
249:James Craufurd Dunlop
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102:Scotland's population
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1097:Archives in Scotland
255:Peter Laird McKinlay
1107:New Town, Edinburgh
879: Learning
278:William Pitt Dundas
268:Lord Clerk Register
62:Scottish Government
1087:Scottish genealogy
1018:Constitution
1006: Offshore Wind
875: Justice
795: Digital
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457:New Register House
449:New Register House
144:Church of Scotland
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807: People
311:) was appointed.
282:Roger Montgomerie
257:from 1930 to 1960
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245:from 1879 to 1901
236:from 1855 to 1870
16:(Redirected from
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742:Communities
650:"No. 12139"
286:Stair Agnew
234:James Stark
150:records of
1081:Categories
544:References
176:Parliament
138:Initially
1026:(*)
894:Exchequer
835:(*)
778:Corporate
523:Genealogy
219:Edinburgh
156:marriages
140:ministers
82:adoptions
74:marriages
981:Net Zero
672:Archived
633:Archived
630:About Us
598:Archived
579:Archived
560:Archived
557:About Us
497:See also
493:estate.
272:Advocate
168:baptisms
152:baptisms
118:to form
90:statutes
86:Scotland
78:divorces
56:) was a
822:Economy
472:at the
172:burials
142:of the
126:History
60:of the
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749:·
468:, the
388:C.B.E.
378:C.B.E.
368:I.S.O.
352:K.C.B.
345:K.C.B.
148:parish
98:census
70:deaths
66:births
1060:Notes
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381:FRSE
335:C.B.
181:The
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40:The
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