West Lothian Family History Society

West Lothian Family History Society was established in 2000 to help people researching their family history in the West Lothian area.

Information about West Lothian Family History Society

Reference Library

The Society has a Reference Library, situated in the Lanthorn Community Education Centre, Kenilworth Rise, Dedridge, Livingston, EH54 6JL.

Accessibility

The Centre has disabled parking and disabled toilets.

Resources at the Centre

Resources available in the Library include:

• 1851 Glasgow Herald – Births, Marriages and Deaths
• 1861 Street Index – Glasgow
• Asylum Warrants (Greenock, Captain Street – Poorhouse & Asylum Wards 1850-1877)
• Baptism Indexes
• Burial Records
• Census Indexes
• Croft Histories (Isle of Lewis, Isle of Harris, Isle of North Uist, Isle of South Uist, Isle of Berneray)
• Death Records
• Gazetteer of Scotland
• Genealogical Reference Books
• Interment Records
• Irregular Border Marriages (Lamberton Toll 1833-1849)

Resources also include:

• Irregular Border Marriages (Berwick – Recorded in Berwick Advertiser and other Border Papers 1808-1864)
• Kirk Session Records
• Local History Books
• Marriage Records
• Monumental Inscriptions
• Old Parish Registers – Deaths and Burials Index
• Passport Applications – Glasgow Office 1858-1899 and 1907-1914
• Paupers, Voters & Ratepayers 1837-1869 (Kilmarnock)
• Post Office Directories
• Roslin Chapel Communion Roll 1829-1842
• Roslin Free Church Communion Roll 1843-1855
• Scottish War Memorials Project

Resources also include some relating to New Zealand and Australasia:

• Convict Ticket-of-Leave Register Toodyay ACC.721/30-31
• Directory of Scots in Australasia 1788-1900
• Obituaries Scottish/Nova Scotian Settlers in NZ 1933-1979

Members Area

A Members’ Area is available on the site, which includes the following articles, databases and indexes:

• 1911 Census in Blackridge
• Bathgate in the Great War
• Members’ Interests – surnames currently being researched by members
• Relationship Chart
• Scottish Naming Patterns
• War Graves in West Lothian Cemeteries
• The Way Westrigg Was
• West Lothian Courier BMDs

Publications

Publications sold by the society include:

• 1851 Census Indexes
• Armadale – The Irish Shearers’ Invasion
• Brewers and Breweries of Linlithgowshire
• Burial Indexes
• Cholera in West Lothian
• Early Days in Armadale
• Inventory of Scottish Graveyards
• Legacy o’ the Last Lum (Armadale)
• Linlithgowshire Associate Congregation Baptisms 1738-1863
• Local History Books

Publications available for sale also include:

• Minute by Minute – The Royal Burgh of Linlithgow (Extracts from Town Council Minute Books 1739-1848)
• Monumental Inscriptions
• Old Armadale and Blackridge by John Hood
• Old Linlithgow
• Ordnance Survey Map of Bathgate 1896
• Suffragettes in West Lothian
• West Lothian Churches
• West Lothian Place Names
• Winchburgh Railway Disaster 1862
• The Winchburgh Murders

The Society’s publications also include the Linlithgow Poorhouse CD, which includes:

• Admissions 1894-1910
• Deaths and Discharges 1894-1910
• Death Register 1859-1912
• Register of Lunatics 1859-1909
• Lunatic Discharges 1860-1910
• Roll of Sick 1907-1910
• Census 1861-1911

If you are struggling with your research, or need help to begin your research, the Society can offer advice. You should email your query to them at WLFHS Help, trying to be as specific as possible regarding your problem

Website:
https://www.wlfhs.org.uk