Detailed List of ResourcesCensus: Giffnock Heritage Centre
- 1841 to 1901 for East Renfrewshire (microfilm)
- 1841 index and census for Cathcart, Eaglesham, Mearns & Neilston Parishes (CD-Rom)
- 1841 Census Surname Index for Glasgow City – Govan & Gorbals (CD-Rom)
- 1851 Census Index for Glasgow, Barony and Govan (CD-ROM)
- 1861 Index to census of Lanarkshire (Also includes the Marine returns for the whole of Scotland) (CD-ROM)
- 1881 British Census and National Index: England, Scotland, Wales, Channel Islands, Isle of Man, Royal Navy (CD-ROM)
- GRO 1891 Index to Scotland Census (Microfiche)
Census: Barrhead Heritage Centre
- 1841 to 1901 for Neilston Parish including Barrhead and Uplawmoor (microfilm)
- 1841 census of Neilston and 1851 census of Neilston and Barrhead can be searched online at www.barrhead-scotland.com
Old Parish Registers: Giffnock Heritage Centre
- 1659 - 1854 Eaglesham – births & marriages (microfilm)
- 1727 - 1854 Busby/Mearns – births & marriages (microfilm)
- 1674 - 1854 Eastwood – births & marriages (microfilm)
- 1690 - 1854 Cathcart – births, deaths & marriages (microfilm)
Old Parish Registers: Barrhead Heritage Centre
- 1654 - 1854 Neilston Parish (microfilm)
- 1659 - 1861 Barrhead and Neilston (microfilm)
International Genealogical Index (IGI): Giffnock Heritage Centre
- IGI for England, Scotland and Wales 1654 - 1854 including information about births, christenings and marriages. Mainly pre 1855 for England, Scotland, Wales.
Other Genealogical Indexes and Directories
- Soldiers Who Died in the Great War: 1914 - 1919 (1988) Naval & Military Press. (CD-Rom)
- British Isles Vital Records Index. 1st ed., containing details of 5 million births, christenings and marriages 1538 - 1888 from selected parishes and other sources in the British Isles, including: England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and the Isle of Man. (CD-Rom)
- Renfrewshire Poll Tax 1696 & Hearth Tax 1691 (CD-Rom)
Newspapers: Giffnock Heritage Centre
- Extra 1994 – present (microfilm)
- NEW! 'The Pollokshaws News and East Renfrewshire Advertiser' ,August 1885 - December 1902, (microfilm)
Newspapers: Barrhead Heritage Centre
- Barrhead News 1897 - 1957 (microfilm)
- Barrhead News 1958 - 1993 (microfiche)
- Barrhead News 1994 - present (microfilm)
Newspapers: Off-site storage
- Mercury 1972 - 1992 (paper)
- Extra 1975 - present (paper)
- Barrhead News 1957 – present* (paper),
*1977 - 1982 at Paisley Central Library
Valuation Rolls: Giffnock Heritage Centre
We have incomplete runs of the following:
- Barrhead - 1898 - 1973
- Cathcart - 1902 - 1969
- Eaglesham - 1930 - 1992
- Eastwood - 1898 - 1992
- Mearns - 1898 - 1992
- Neilston - 1940 - 1975
These contain listings for smaller areas in East Renfrewshire: for example, Busby is listed in the valuation rolls for Mearns until 1970 after which date it is listed under Eastwood. To check if we have rolls for certain areas or dates, please contact:
Heritage Services: Giffnock Heritage Centre, Giffnock Community Library, Station Road, Giffnock, East Renfrewshire, G46 6JF. Visit in person or contact us on 0141 577 3872 or at localstudies@eastrenfrewshire.gov.uk
Electoral Registers: Giffnock Heritage Centre
- 1974 - 1975 Eastwood (Broom, Busby, Clarkston, Eaglesham, Giffnock, Kirkhill, Mearns, Netherlee (1974 only), Stamperland, Thornliebank)
- 1984 - Eastwood (Broom, Busby, Kirkhill only)
- 1985 - Eastwood (Busby only)
- 1986 - Eastwood (Busby only)
- 1988 - 1994 Eastwood (complete)
- 1995 - present East Renfrewshire (complete)
Book Collection
Throughout all our libraries we have over 600 books on local history available for lending. You can find them by searching our public catalogue. We also have around 300 additional books in the Heritage Centre at Giffnock Community Library available for consultation only, some of which are rare or out of print. Barrhead and Neilston Libraries also have an additional small collection of around 150 local history books for you to consult within each library. To find out about these reference books, check the public catalogue or come into Giffnock, Barrhead or Neilston libraries and have a look at what we have.
Maps
East Renfrewshire has a collection of over 600 maps. Maps give the earliest pictures of the local area and are instrumental in local history and heritage studies. Not only have maps allowed people to navigate territory but they are also important records of land ownership, town and agricultural development. Maps are also important tools for those interested in family history as they aid the search for family homes, places, streets and buildings, which may no longer physically exist.
Many of the maps in our collection are held in Giffnock Heritage Centre. The collection consists of originals and copies of maps of the areas making up East Renfrewshire. They range in date from 1654 to more recent Ordnance Survey maps and are organised by place, then by date. The Ordnance Survey maps date from 1863 and there are also some extracts from Pont’s maps and Roy's Military maps. The places covered by the collection include: Barrhead, Busby, Clarkston, Eaglesham, Giffnock, Newton Mearns, Neilston, Thornliebank and Uplawmoor and some of the older areas known as Eastwood and First District, Renfrew.
There is also a collection of outsize maps kept offsite, which covers most of the areas within East Renfrewshire. Arrangements can be made by prior appointment with the Heritage Services staff at Giffnock Heritage Centre to view these maps.
The local history librarian also has electronic access to Ordnance Survey maps, giving access to recent maps and also older versions of the same area, which allows comparisons to be made of chosen areas over time. The older periods covered include: 1856, 1896, 1910 and 1934 and the areas covered are only those areas making up East Renfrewshire.
Heritage Services staff are based at Giffnock Heritage Centre, Giffnock Community Library, Station Road, Giffnock, East Renfrewshire, G46 6JF and can be contacted in person, on 0141 577 3872 or at localstudies@eastrenfrewshire.gov.uk
