The publications of the _Parish Register Society of Dublin_ might be consulted. The _Irish Association for the Preservation of the Memorials of the Dead_ has issued certain volumes which are most valuable, as they record and reproduce the inscriptions on many old Irish tombstones. The _Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland_, and the _Journal of the Cork Historical and Archaeological Society_, should also prove valuable to the searcher in Ireland. CHAPTER VIII THE PEDIGREE-HUNTER IN SCOTLAND AND THE PROVINCES The genealogist in Scotland will naturally direct his steps to Edinburgh, where his happy hunting-ground will be the Old Register House. This, however, is not thrown open to all comers in the hospitable manner experienced at the London Record Office, and application must be made by the genealogist for a special permit allowing him to make investigations in the Historical Search Department. The General Register House consists of three buildings, and is divided into the Old Register House and the New Register House. Amongst the important records kept there, the following may be especially mentioned:-- _Crown Writs._--These are similar to English Letters-Patent. An earlier series of these are known as Privy Seals, and date from 1498. _The Register of the Great Seal_, containing various records from 1315. _Exchequer Records_, dating from 1474, deal with matters relating to revenue, rentals of townlands, etc., and may disclose points of interest to the pedigree-hunter. _Privy Council Records._--These are of varied character and importance. They consist of Acts, Warrants, State Papers, Royal Letters, etc. Last, though possibly to the genealogist they may be the most important of all, we must mention:-- _The Sasine Records._--By means of these the history of real property in Scotland can be traced much more fully than is generally possible in England or Ireland. The name “Sasine” is the Scottish equivalent of the word “seizin”--the possession of land. _The Sasine Writs_ commence at different dates for various districts and for the several shires in Scotland. All such registers, however, are now superseded by the General Register of Sasines, which commenced in 1869. _Wills_, which are such an essential item in English and Irish pedigree-hunting, are not quite so important in connection with Scottish families, for up to 1874 a Scotsman could not devise land, so his will could only deal with personalty. Still, of course, wills must be looked up and noted in Scotland as they would be elsewhere. Neither are _Parish Registers_ so important a feature of genealogical research in that country as in England. The reason of this is that there was no early enactment there on the subject. So register-keeping by the parochial authorities was, up to 1854, a purely voluntary undertaking. Since this date a regular system of registration, like that in vogue in England, has been carried out.