The National Library of Scotland has a large and varied collection of manuscripts and archives, covering many aspects of the lives, activities and interests of Scots at home and abroad.

Dating from the 17th century to the present day, they include papers of major politicians, military leaders and other public figures of international significance, as well as large contemporary institutional archives from a wide range of modern Scottish cultural, political, scientific, sporting and trade union organisations.

Of particular interest to local and family history studies are the surviving records of many of the old Scottish trade incorporations, dating from the 15th to the 19th centuries, such as the records of The Perth Hammermen and The Edinburgh Candlemakers.

The Library has also acquired large estate collections of Scottish landowning families from throughout Scotland, including the Sutherland Papers (Sutherland) and the Minto Papers (Roxburghshire).

For further details of the Library’s Manuscript Collections see https://www.nls.uk/collections/manuscripts/collections