Family history and genealogy - searches
Family history resources for West Lothian are held in the West Lothian Local History Library in Blackburn.
- Census Records 1841-1901
- Old Parish records
- Monumental Inscriptions (pre-1855)
- Poll and Hearth Tax records of the 1690s
- Valuation Rolls 1855 to the present
- Voters' Rolls 1869 to the present
For online access to censuses and Old Parish Records, go to the Scotlandspeople (new window) website.
For free online access to old parish records, go to the Familysearch (new window) website.
For areas outside West Lothian, the Local History Library holds :
- IGI for Scotland and Ireland
- Index to the 1891 Census for the whole of Scotland
- the 1881 Census for Great Britain on CDs
- 1851 census indexes for many parts of Scotland
- Monumental Inscriptions for many parts of Scotland
Local newspapers are held from 1873 onwards. The three main ones - West Lothian Courier, Linlithgow Gazette and Midlothian Advertiser - are indexed, and the newspaper index (new window) can be searched online. The birth, marriage and death notices have not been indexed, but there is an index entry to all obituaries.
More on Births...
More on Deaths...
More on Marriages...
More on Burial Records ...
Traditional events
For a taste of the West Lothian – past and present – visit one of the annual events hosted by our traditional town centres.
Libraries
Not just books - DVDs, CDs and free Internet access. Something for all, from Storytime to local history.
Visit our country parks
West Lothian has three country parks each with its unique features and activities.