The Scottish Catholic Archives
A source for Theology and Religious Studies
Andrew R Nicoll, Scottish Catholic Archives
(First published in Dunaskin News, November 2003)
The Scottish Catholic Archives was founded in 1958 when Columba House was acquired to house the material previously located at Blairs College, Aberdeenshire. The ‘Historic Collection’ comprising the records of the Scottish Mission (from 1627); the records of the Scots Colleges of Paris, Douai, Madrid and Rome (from c1600); the records of the Monastery of St James, Ratisbon (from 1177); the Scottish Seminaries (from the 18th century) along with many other smaller collections formed the core. The Scottish Catholic Archives holds the largest body of material relating to the Scottish Catholic Church at home and abroad in the post reformation period.
In the 45 years since the founding of the Scottish Catholic Archives, the holdings have expanded to include the records of the Diocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh (1846-1998), Galloway (1847-1995), Argyll and the Isles (1493-1996), Motherwell (1837-1987), Aberdeen (1821-1920) and Dunkeld (1559-1996); the records of Fort Augustus Abbey (1597-1998); the records of the Eastern District Vicariate (1713-1986) plus a large number of gifts and deposits. Added to these records are approximately 30 estate collections of varying sizes, covering the mainly the north-east of Scotland. The Archive holds approximately 300,000 items of correspondence dating from about 1627-1900. The correspondence includes letters to and from Scotland and the continent and are particularly valuable in understanding the European scene surrounding the exiled Stuarts. The Blairs letters match the early Stuart papers at Windsor in their historical importance and neither should be studied in isolation.
The Scottish Catholic Archives holds a significant amount of 18th and 19th century Liturgy and Lectures and Sermons. Named collections include those of William Guthrie (late 18th century); John Farquharson (early 19th century); Charles Fraser (early 19th century) and Ronald McDonald (1778-1779). The Lectures and Sermons are grouped by subject: Devotional and Spiritual; Theological; Catechetics; Religious controversy; Sermons; Philosophy; Natural Philosophy, Poetry and Music. Liturgy is composed of sections headed Mass; Rites; Office and Devotions.
The Religious Education collection comprises material mainly used for education of Catholic children, with a reasonable proportion of the material emanating from the late 19th century and continuing well into the 20th century. This forms an invaluable source for studying the development of Catholic education in Scotland.
Columba House also contains a research library housing some 10,000 books and periodicals which form an invaluable support tool for readers. Consisting mainly of Catholic and Scottish history texts and resources, the collection is quite possibly unique in Scotland for research into the Scottish Catholic Church at home and abroad. Added to the printed materials, approximately 100 microfilms bring copies of related material to Edinburgh and allows a number of collection elements to be studied in a wider context.
The catalogues at Columba House are currently in manuscript form, with retro-conversion underway (albeit slowly). The Scottish Catholic Archives is a Scottish Archive Network (SCAN) partner archive and collection level descriptions will begin to appear there in the future. Access is available to researchers on production of suitable identification. It is always advisable to contact the Archivist before planning a visit to ensure that material is available for consultation. A Summary Catalogue of Collections is available from the Archive Collections and Catalogues section of the website.
For more information on the Scottish Catholic Archives, go to http://www.scottishcatholicarchives.org.uk.