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Published: Wednesday, 28 August 2024 at 08:30 AM


ScotlandsPeople, the Scottish government’s family history website, will be unavailable from 1 to 3 September before a new version is launched.

The website holds millions of crucial records for tracing Scottish ancestry, including civil birth, marriage and death records, wills and the 1911 and 1921 Scottish censuses.

A statement on ScotlandsPeople’s website says: “Scotland’s People will be unavailable from 00.01 BST on Sunday 1 September, to 12.00 BST on Tuesday 3 September in preparation for launch of our refreshed website. Priority certificate ordering will be unavailable from 13.00 BST on Thursday 29 August. Thank you for your patience.”

A spokesperson for ScotlandsPeople told Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine: “The new website will have a fresh and modern feel. It’s been designed to enhance user experience and accessibility. Searching the records will also be simpler and quicker.

“The site is compliant with WCAG 2.2 guidelines and has a double AA standard, which means it’s easily accessible for all users. This allows a wider and more diverse audience to explore their Scottish heritage.”

Site users can use their existing accounts to log into the new website and saved information will still be available.