Welcome to the Gazetteer for Scotland Help document. Below is a list of contents, click on the relevent link to access the section you require, or scroll down the page.
The screen layout of the Gazetteer for Scotland is arranged like that of a book and remains consistent throughout the site on each page as follows:
The left-hand gold bar contains links. You can return to the title page by clicking on Gazetteer for Scotland. You can click on HELP to get advice on how to use the Gazetteer, and Glossary to find definitions of the terms used in the Gazetteer. The other links take you to different search pages. These search pages are:
You are at the Welcome page for the Gazetteer for Scotland. You can enter the Gazetteer by clicking on Enter the Gazetteer for Scotland in the middle of the page. You can also select any of the links on the left-hand side by clicking on them. They will take you to information on Background, Credits, Copyright, Disclaimer, Feedback, Gaz Stats, Sources and Links, together with access to an Any Word search and the Member's Area.
The basic layout of this screen and all the screens you will see is:
The left-hand gold bar contains links. You can return to the title page by clicking on Gazetteer for Scotland. You can click on Help to get advice on how to use the Gazetteer. The other links take you to different search pages. These search pages are:
When you enter the gazetteer you can use clickable maps to move from one of two overview maps of Scotland to more detailed maps of Council Areas and particular Settlements. There is both a map of Old Counties and a map of Modern Council Areas. You move to one of the regions shown on the map by positioning the cursor anywhere on the region and clicking your mouse or select a region from the list at the bottom of the map. You can move to a more detailed map of the Central Belt of Scotland by positioning your cursor over one of the regions which does not have a name.
The tab bar gives you access to more information about the Settlement through the tabs: Overview, More information, Map, Photographs, Sounds, Video and Links. Click on the tabs to move around and see different types of information for this Settlement. If the tab is yellow with a faint icon there is no information of this type available for this Settlement at present.
The tabs on the right-hand tab bar are dynamic. When you see a white tab you are currently viewing that page. When you see an icon on a yellow tab you can select this tab. When you see a yellow tab with a faint icon that there is no data for this entry and you cannot select the tab.
You move to one of the regions shown on the map by positioning the cursor anywhere on the region and clicking your mouse or select a region from the list at the bottom of the map. You can move back to a map of Scotland by selecting All Scotland from the list below the map.
The tab bar gives you access to more information about the Settlement through the tabs: Overview, More information, Map, Photographs, Sounds, Video and Links. Click on the tabs to move around and see different types of information for this Settlement. If the tab is yellow with a faint icon there is no information of this type available for this Settlement at present.
The tabs on the right-hand tab bar are dynamic. When you see a white tab you are currently viewing that page. When you see an icon on a yellow tab you can select this tab. When you see a yellow tab with a faint icon that there is no data for this entry and you cannot select the tab.
This shows you a clickable map of the Council Area. You can move to information about a settlement by clicking on one of the blue dots.
The tab bar gives you access to more information about the Settlement through the tabs: Overview, More information, Map, Photographs, Sounds, Video and Links. Click on the tabs to move around and see different types of information for this Settlement. If the tab is yellow with a faint icon there is no information of this type available for this Settlement at present.
The timeline lets you enter the Gazetteer through various time periods which are listed. You will be presented with lists of years, which relate to the births and deaths of famous people, dates of battles, historic buildings, bridges and so on.
A link at the beginning of each time period allow you to move back to the previous period, while another link at the end of the time period advances you to the next period.
Note that, within a single year, events on the timelines are not necessarily presented in chronological order.
The tabs on the right-hand tab bar are dynamic. When you see a white tab you are currently viewing that page. When you see an icon on a yellow tab you can select this tab. When you see a yellow tab with a faint icon there is none of this data for this entry currently available and you cannot select the tab.
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This page gives a brief overview of the Council Area, Settlement, Famous Person, Feature, Attraction, or Family, together with a picture (if available). The tab bar gives you access to more information through the tabs: Map, More Details, Photographs, Sounds, Video and Links. Click on the tabs to move around and see the different types of information available for this entry. If the tab is yellow with a faint icon there is no relevent information of this type available for this entry at present. |
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This page shows you additional information for the page you are browsing. For a Council Area it provides some basic statistical details and an
address. For a Settlement it provides the population of the settlement from decennial censuses.
A classification of type is displayed for features and attractions, along with key
statistics.
Below this it shows more detailed information on the Geography, History and Industry for the Council Area or Settlement. This is followed by a list of publications relating to sources we have used or recommended for further reading. Finally, at the bottom of the page, you can see a list of any related Settlements, Families, Famous People, Features or Attractions. |
For a settlement
, this page shows you the following additional pieces of information. First it provides a classification of the 'Settlement Type', primarily based on population, as follows:
Below this any additional information on the Geography, History and Industry for the Settlement is displayed.
This is followed by a list of publications for further reading. Finally, at the bottom of the page, you can see a list of all the related Features, Families, Famous People and Attractions for this Settlement. You can use this list to move to any of the Places or People shown by simply clicking on the name. A "related entry" may be one which is geographically close to the entry you are reading, or it may simply be mentioned in the text (or the entry you are reading may be mentioned in the text of the related entry)
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This page provides historical information, drawn from The Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland: A Survey of Scottish Topography, Statistical,
Biographical and Historical, edited by Francis H. Groome and originally published in parts by Thomas C. Jack, Grange Publishing Works,
Edinburgh between 1882 and 1885. This is the first of three editions of this work, and we feel the most interesting, as it comes before the
administrative reorganisation which tool place in 1891. Some entries are quite short, others extraordinarily long. Please remember this
is a historical description dating from the 1880s; names may have changed, administrative divisions will certainly be different and there are
known to be
occasional errors of fact in the original text, which we have not corrected because we wish to maintain its integrity.
A link to a historical (19th century) map is also provided. Other maps of different dates can be found under our More Details or Maps tabs. |
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Map Layers Five different map layers are provided (Map, Photo, Terrain, OS and Historical) and are accessed via buttons at the top-right hand side of the map. Generally more detail appears as you zoom in. The 'Map' layer is a road map, and a little limited in terms of detail outside urban areas. This is the first map to appear. The 'Photo' layer provides a satellite image or detailed air photo image (when zoomed in). The 'Terrain' layer is somewhat similar to the default road map but includes hill-shading to highlight the shape of the terrain at lower levels of zoom. The 'OS' button displays the familiar Ordnance Survey maps at either 1:50,000 (Landranger) or 1:25,000 (Explorer) scales. These maps provide much more detail, especially in rural area, but are rather 'busy' so our overlaid symbols get a little lost. |
Finally, we have a 'Historical' layer, which is the default for Old Counties. This layer is provided with the kind permission of the National Library of Scotland (NLS) and includes various historical maps increasing in detail as you zoom in. In turn, these layers are:
Scrolling and Zooming
Zooming in and out of the map can be achieved by moving the zoom bar on the left-hand side of
the map. Zooming can also be achieved by double left clicking on your mouse (Zoom in). The map can be scrolled in any
direction either by clicking on the arrows in the top-left of the map, or by clicking and holding down the
mouse button and moving the cursor. The position can be reset using the symbol immediately beneath the zoom-bar.
The Markers
Each marker represents a particular place in Scotland stored within the Gazetteer for Scotland database. The marker is
comprised of a symbol indicating the category of place it is and, optionally, a number which links the symbol with the list of
names in
the key below the map (you can turn the key on using an option within the extended mapping facilities using the "+" menu - see
below).
The number of markers on the map is limited to 100 or so to enable smooth loading of the page.
This is achieved by reducing the area displayed and the boundary of that area is indicated by a box on the map,
centred around the central point of the map. To view markers outwith this boundary, click on the 'shift map content'
link within the information window of a marker which is situated close to the boundary of the box besides the area
you wish to see.
Accuracy of Markers
The location of some markers may not appear to be in entirely the correct location on
the map. This is due to the fact that the place
co-ordinates were originally not intended to be used
for these new mapping technologies. However a
process of updating of marker positions is on-going
and you can also request a marker is moved by
repositioning it within the Marker Information
Window. Sometimes the underlying maps are not
terribly accurate, so it may be we are correct and
the Google map is wrong. Please don't hesitate to
return feedback if you wish to draw attention to a
particular problem.
The Marker Information Popup Windows
Information is shown here about the name,
and descriptive category, of the place. In addition there are three buttons; the
'Zoom' button re-positions the map at a larger, closer-in, scale. The page symbol
button is a link to the place's own details pages within the website. The third symbol
opens the equivalent map for that place, re-generating the icon content centred around
that position. The target symbol (if shown) allows the marker to be repositioned
should it be wrongly located. A red lollypop will appear - move this to the correct
location. Our editors will check and confirm your change before it becomes permanent.
The Key
The optional key lists each
icon visible on the map in categories of different
types and their respective symbol. By clicking on
the name of the place, the map recentres upon that
icon. The map key id corresponds to the number which
appears on the right hand side of the place icons on
the map. Clicking on the tick box besides the list
of icons in the key, will either remove or restore
the icons on the map.
Other Facilities
There are many other mapping facilities (including hundreds of other map layers) within the big
"+" on
the right-hand side of the map. Here you will find the additional facilities divided into tabs: 'Symbols',
'Maps', 'Tools' and 'More'.
Use the "+" and "-" to open and close a side-menu where you will find these facilities, which include:
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Clicking this tab will display all additional pictures of the Council Area, Famous Person, Settlement, Family, Feature or Attraction. |
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Within the Council Area pages clicking this tab enables you to hear the first part of the Overview text read by someone from this Council area. Within the Settlement pages it enables you to hear the pronunciation of the Settlement name and, in some cases, some additional phrases. You simply click on phrase or 'Pronunciation of Settlement' and the sound file will download. If you do not have a sound card in your computer you will not be able to hear the sound. All sound files are .WAV format. |
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This page enables you to download a video clip of the Council Area.
You need to be able to play RealMovies (.RM) files. If you do not
have the appropriate software installed you will not be able to see this file.
To download RealPlayer software from realnetworks.com click here |
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This page enables you to view any comments added by members for that entry. You can also add your own comments. |
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This page enables you to view the details of any links for that entry. Links are provided to a small number of official sources of information only (currently the Royal Commission for the Ancients and Historic Monuments of Scotland and Historic Scotland |
Use SEARCH (Any Word) to create a list of all settlements, features, attractions, families and famous people containing the letters you enter. Position your cursor in the box and type in the letters you want to search for. Select or de-select types of record and then click on the Search link. You must enter at least two letters in the search box.
You can search for Famous People from this page. Follow the instructions on screen. Select a category from the list, select a Council Area and then click on Search.
You can search for Features and Attractions from this page. Follow the instructions on screen. Select a category, type and subtype (if available) from the lists, select a Council Area and then click on Search.
Using this page you can search for places (settlements, features, attractions or people) by stored statistics. You can select from a list of database statistics and optionally enter a range of values (sensible values will be provided if you don't enter anything). Each feature may include one or more statistics. You can, for example, list all of the highest mountains, deepest lochs or longest rivers in Scotland usng this option. The population figures are from the 1991 Census. The values are always listed from the largest in descending order.
Use the detailed instructions on the 'statistics' page to guide you through the search procedure.
For settlements, features and attractions you can search either all of Scotland or just one council area. For searches involving famous people this option is ignored by the system. This is because famous people are less often associated with a modern council area. They are much more likely to be associated with individual settlements or features.
| Code | Meaning | |
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| Yes | This is a settlement of interest to tourists, or a tourist attraction, but we have not yet rated it. | |
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This is a settlement or tourist attraction which you should not miss. | |
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This is a settlement or tourist attraction which is worth diverting for. | |
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This is a settlement or tourist attraction which you should try to include in your itinerary | |
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This is a settlement or tourist attraction which you should visit only if you have time. | |
| No | This settlement is not of interest to tourists. | |
| N/A | A classification is not yet available. |
This page provides information about the Gazetteer project. Clicking on the list of contents takes you to that section. You can return to the title page by clicking on the Gazetteer for Scotland link in the top left-hand corner or return to the page you left using your browser's Back button. You can also select any of the links on the left-hand side by clicking on them. They will take you to information on Background, Credits, Copyright, Disclaimer, Feedback, Gaz Stats, Sources and Links, together with access to the Any Word search and the Member's Area.
This page shows the copyright statement for the Gazetteer project. You can return to the title page by clicking on the Gazetteer for Scotland link in the top left-hand corner, use one of the links on the left or return to the page you left using your browser's Back button. You can also select any of the links on the left-hand side by clicking on them. They will take you to information on Background, Credits, Copyright, Disclaimer, Feedback, Gaz Stats, Sources and Links, together with access to the Any Word search and the Member's Area.
This page shows the credits for the Gazetteer project. You can return to the title page by clicking on the Gazetteer for Scotland link in the top left-hand corner, use one of the links on the left or return to the page you left using your browser's Back button. You can also select any of the links on the left-hand side by clicking on them. They will take you to information on Background, Credits, Copyright, Disclaimer, Feedback, Gaz Stats, Sources and Links, together with access to the Any Word search and the Member's Area.
This page shows the disclaimer for the Gazetteer project. You can return to the title page by clicking on the Gazetteer for Scotland link in the top left-hand corner, use one of the links on the left or return to the page you left using your browser's Back button. You can also select any of the links on the left-hand side by clicking on them. They will take you to information on Background, Credits, Copyright, Disclaimer, Feedback, Gaz Stats, Sources and Links, together with access to the Any Word search and the Member's Area.
Use this page to find out what is happening to the Gazetteer and to tell us what you think of the Gazetteer. Click on Frequently asked questions, Known problems and Intended developments and programme of data collation to move to these sections or scroll down the page using the scroll bar. These sections may well answer the questions you have. You can return to the title page by clicking on the Gazetteer for Scotland link in the top left-hand corner, use one of the links on the left or return to the page you left using your browser's Back button. You can also select any of the links on the left-hand side by clicking on them. They will take you to information on Background, Credits, Copyright, Disclaimer, Feedback, Gaz Stats, Sources and Links, together with access to the Any Word search and the Member's Area.
This page gives you up-to-the-minute details of how many entries there are in the Gazetteer. You can see the number of entries grow week-by-week. You can return to the title page by clicking on the Gazetteer for Scotland link in the top left-hand corner, use one of the links on the left or return to the page you left using your browser's Back button. You can also select any of the links on the left-hand side by clicking on them. They will take you to information on Background, Credits, Copyright, Disclaimer, Feedback, Gaz Stats, Sources and Links, together with access to the Any Word search and the Member's Area.
This page lists the sources we have used to compile the Gazetteer for Scotland. You can return to the title page by clicking on the Gazetteer for Scotland link in the top left-hand corner, use one of the links on the left or return to the page you left using your browser's Back button. You can also select any of the links on the left-hand side by clicking on them. They will take you to information on Background, Credits, Copyright, Disclaimer, Feedback, Gaz Stats, Sources and Links, together with access to the Any Word search and the Member's Area.
The Member's Area gives access to a range of advanced features and facilities, including the ability to leave your own comments attached to any of our entries. Membership is free. For further information on the Member's Area look here.
Latitude expresses the distance North or South of the equator, whereas longitude expresses the distance East or West of an arbitrary line drawn through Greenwich (near London). We have adopted the convention of giving these values as 'decimal degrees', for example:
56.45° N or 3.25° W
The Gazetteer for Scotland provides a National Grid Reference to tell you where places are, and allow them to be located on British maps, particularly the Ordnance Survey Landranger Series.
The National Grid divides the country up into 100km grid squares and assigns each a two-letter prefix (eg. the NT square includes Edinburgh). Numbers are then added to give an exact location. Usually six numbers are used, giving a location down to 100m on the ground. The first three numbers give the East-West location (the 'x' dimension or easting) and the last three numbers give the North-South location (the 'y' dimension or northing).
Thus the National Grid Reference for Edinburgh Castle is:
NT 251 735
This means that the castle is in the 100km square labelled 'NT' and is 25.1km east and 73.5km north from the bottom-left corner of that square. You can click on the above reference to see the location on a example of an Ordnance Survey Landranger map (thanks to streetmap.co.uk)
The grid is overprinted on all Landranger maps as 1km squares to
allow easy location of places. Further information is available on the
Ordnance Survey Web Site, http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/
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Although these cookies are stored on your computer automatically by your web browser, we have no access to your computer beyond these files.
If you are unhappy about this widely-used mechanism, please do not use our site. If you do use our site, we will assume 'implied consent' in terms of the use of analytical cookies, although we will specifically ask for your consent in relation to login cookies.
More information on cookies is available.
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©1995-2012 The
Gazetteer for Scotland Sponsored by: The Robertson Trust, The Royal Scottish Geographical Society, The Institute of Geography, University of Edinburgh. |