Strange Ancestry Occupation .....

scooter · Post by **scooter** » Sun Feb 25, 2007 1:22 am

Hello, I've found an Archibald Wishart (65) living at Raeburn Cottage in Edinburgh on the Ancestry transcriptions with what looks like an occupation that says 'Assistant Keeper of General & Trastiaula Registrar Davies Edinburgh'

Does this mean anything to anyone out there? I've not looked at the image on SP (685/02 227/02 007) as I don't think he's anything to do with me, I'm just curious about the strange job (or strange translation!)

Best,

Scott

Post by **emanday** » Sun Feb 25, 2007 2:33 am

I think this is yet another example of the OCR transcription, (which Ancestry don't admit to using), of the original documents coming up with unintelligable placenames and occupations.

Search for "OCR Madness" on this forum to read some other examples.

Post by **AndrewP** » Sun Feb 25, 2007 4:03 am

Hi Scott,

Which census?

All the best,

AndrewP

Post by **SarahND** » Sun Feb 25, 2007 4:14 am

Hi Andrew,
I just checked the ancestry index and it was 1851. He appears to have died by 1861 and the only possible one I found in 1841 was a writer to the signet (or rather, a "Writer Cathe Lignat"

)
Regards,
Sarah

Post by **AndrewP** » Sun Feb 25, 2007 5:32 am

Hi Scott & Sarah,

I see why I never found him earlier. In SP he is indexed as Wishert - and certainly that is what appears to be in the image. I have uploaded the image.

http://talkingscot.com/gallery/displayi ... ?pos=-1079

I make him out as: Assistant Keeper of General &c. particular Registrar sasines Edinburgh

That doesn't make much sense to me. Any other offers for that?

All the best,

AndrewP

Post by **AnneM** » Sun Feb 25, 2007 9:34 am

Andrew

You're absolutely right. He was assistant to the Keeper of the Register of Sasines, i.e. land transaction deeds, which in my day, the early 80s, was still called that and was at Meadowbank House. I've mercifully not done any conveyancing for a long time (I always thought it was a job to make you fit to slit your wrists). However, I think it's now called the Land Registry since they moved to registration of title. I suspect it's still at Meadowbank House, though obviously that beautiful edifice did not exist when Archibald Wishert was around. I suppose then it was in one of the Register Houses where the old Sasines are now.

Anne

Post by **AndrewP** » Sun Feb 25, 2007 11:07 am

Hi Anne,

Looks like this organisation has been through another name change and comes under the Registers of Scotland (not the General Register Office of Scotland as Wikipedia tells us) nowadays. In Edinburgh, they still seem to be at Meadowbank House, but also in Erskine House (previous site of Mary Erskine's School I believe) in Queen Street; and an office in Glasgow.

http://www.ros.gov.uk/

The Registers of Scotland was due to relocate elsewhere in Scotland under the Scottish Parliament's controversial policy of dispersal of such offices. They protested loudly and the move is on hold.

All the best,

AndrewP

Post by **SarahND** » Sun Feb 25, 2007 12:26 pm

Interesting! You never iknow what you'll learn on this forum. Thanks for the post, Scott

Regards,
Sarah

scooter · Post by **scooter** » Sun Feb 25, 2007 12:51 pm

Dear All,

Wow, that was interesting! Thanks so much everyone for taking an interest, and nice that it kind of led somewhere else by the end of it!

"I think this is yet another example of the OCR transcription, (which Ancestry don't admit to using)" :x

Very best,

Scott

Post by **AnneM** » Sun Feb 25, 2007 7:10 pm

Hi

Husband having returned from his walk. I asked him as he is a property lawyer which I'm not and he says that that part of the organisation is now called the Land Registry which is under the auspices of the Registers of Scotland.

Previously the Register of Sasines was a Register of Deeds, though it was registration which gave full ownership of the property. Until the deed transferring the property was registered all the person buying it had was a right to sue if anything went wrong. So if your seller went insolvent in the meantime between you coughing the money and the deed being registered you could be in serious trouble if the trustee got his hands on it first.

Now the register is a register of title which means that what is in the register is guaranteed but the problem of not having full ownership till the title is registered still exists as an ex minister in Aberdeen can testify. That case went all the way to the House of Lords.

Anne