Estate Records

If your ancestors were part of the Highland Clearances, it becomes difficult to find documentation for them. That's where consulting the Estate Papers might help. To find out about your ancestor prior to the Clearances, the best resources for finding ancestors who might have been cleared are the Estate Papers. Specifically the Rental Books, Accounts of Arrears and Removal Lists. These records, while some may be on deposit with an archival facility, remain the property of the family, so the place that houses them can not digitize or publish them. They are rarely indexed, generally just catalogued, so they require patience to have a look through them. 

Here's where to find some of them:

• The Sutherland Estate Papers are on deposit at the National Library of Scotland
• The Cromartie Estate Papers are on deposit with the National Records of Scotland
• The Argyll Estate Papers remain with the Duke of Argyll and are accessible by visiting the archives at Inverary Castle
• The Buccleugh Estate Papers are on deposit with the National Records of Scotland
• The Islay Estate Papers are at the Mitchell Library in Glasgow
• The Angus MacLeod Estate records are available for consultation at the family's archives on the Isle of Lewis
• Gairloch Estate records are held at the Gairloch Museum and Archives and can be viewed by appointment