Scotland

This article details connections between British India and Scotland.

Historical Background

Early Regimental Influence

A number of Scottish regiments were serving in India by the late eighteenth century – for example the 42nd , 72nd, 73rd, 74th, 75th, 76th, 77th and 78th Regiments of Foot were all Highland Regiments recorded as being in India well before 1800.

Religious Influence

The influence of the Scottish Church in India was felt in Bombay as early as 1820 and soon spread to other areas. Many churches and cemeteries in India evidence a strong Scottish presence. For example, Church of Scotland Burials in Assam.

Industries

Scotsmen formed the backbone of many industries and, in particular, those associated with planting – eg . Jute, Indigo and Tea. In fact, it was a Scotsman, Robert Bruce, who discovered the first tea in Assam in 1823.

Moreover, the climate of the hill station of Coorg, towards Bangalore has encouraged its nickname as the Scotland of India. This is a region also known for its tea and coffee plantations.

Useful Databases Online

If your ancestors went out to India from Scotland then there are many online resources to assist in tracing background. Some of these are mentioned below:-

Fibis Resources

• The Scots Overseas a referenced list of men and women who emigrated or adventured to British India compiled by David Dobson.

India Related Links

• Indexes with an India connection transcribed from the "Emigrants from Glasgow and the West of Scotland" Further details are held on this excellent family history website.
• National Archives of Scotland have a free searchable index revealing many records of interest to the British India family historian. – copies of the actual records may be obtained from the Archives. For example, a search of the online catalogue under reference GD51/4 throws up an index of almost 1,700 entries relating to persons applying for positions with the East India Company between 1781and 1830– with a note of patronage. These persons can also be found by an individual name search in the catalogue.

The National Archives of Scotland is now part of the National Records of Scotland, see link below.

• India papers of the National Library of Scotland

General Links

• National Archives Guide: Looking for records of a birth, marriage or death in Scotland and Ireland
• ScotlandsPeople. scotlandspeople.gov.uk. A free to search, but pay to view site containing “almost 80 million records” as at March 2010. Includes Births, Marriages, Deaths, Wills and Censuses.
  • Forenames and naming patterns in Scotland
  • In respect of Censuses, the 1911 Census in Scotland is only available on ScotlandsPeople, but earlier censuses in Scotland are available on websites such as findmypast, Ancestry and other genealogical websites.
• National Records of Scotland. nrscotland.gov.uk. Includes categories
  • Research/Family History
  • Research/Research Guides
• Cyndi’s List contains links to a large number of sites to help track down your Scottish ancestors.
• Online Scottish Directories from the collection of the National Library of Scotland on Archive.org. Also available on the National Library of Scotland website, where there is a Search facility. The collection on Archive.org is probably easier to browse, the collection on the NLS website easier to search.

Recommended Reading

• Records of Clan Campbell in the military service of the Honourable East India Company 1660-1858 by Sir Duncan Campbell, (London 1925), available full view at the Hathi Trust Digital Library.

External Links

• The Tiger and the Thistle Website project focusing on Tipu Sultan and the Scots in India, 1760-1800, now an archived website.
• Tracking down traditional Scottish food from Anglo-IndianFood.blogspot.com

Historical books online

• Account of the Clan-Iver [by Peter Colin Campbell] 1873 is available in two versions on Archive.org Version 1 is generally clearer print, but some pages, particularly at the beginning of the book may be clearer in Version 2. The book contains references to people in India.