The splendid National Library of Scotland have now put an astonishing 694 Post Office Directories online at http://www.nls.uk/family-history/directories/post-office.

These volumes are invaluable for family history and even more useful for local history.
Back in 1988 Stirling Council Libraries republished Duncan and Jamieson's 1868/9 Directory for the Stirling area. But the new website has this with eleven other examples.

They can be viewed online or downloaded as PDF files and, of course, are fully searchable. This really is the sort of thing that makes the web worthwhile. Here is a list of the heads of household on my road in 1865-6 (when the houses were still being built). Now a list of 12 bakers in the town and area in 1909.
So, even if you are not presently working on a project with some specific questions, it's worth taking a look just for fun!

The National Trust for Scotland are organising a day of archaeological test pitting at the Bannockburn Heritage Centre on 31st March. This will involve creating small trenches to look for evidence of the Battle of Bannockburn. The investigation is taking place ahead of major works at the site as it prepares to mark the 700th anniversary of the battle in 2014.

So, if you fancy some experience, this looks like a fun day and I am assured that it is suitable for children. There will be two sessions, one at 10am and one at 2pm.

Find out more and reserve your place from Derek Alexander, archaeologist with NTS at; DAlexander@nts.org.uk

War memorials are prominent features of many towns and villages across Scotland. They are of interest in themselves and, of course, to the families of those commemorated. So, a new website listing memorials in Scotland promises to be useful. It is researched by the Scottish War Memorials Project and hosted by the Scottish Military Research Group. Find the site at http://warmemscot.s4.bizhat.com/warmemscot.html

A splendid blog post on the Herald website by Andy Wightman, well-known expert on land ownership in Scotland on a subject of great importance to Stirling and to SLHS, the King's Park. http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/bloggers/why-is-an-ancient-scottish-royal-park-about-to-be-flogged-off-for-a-million-quid.20120356
The park has been crown land since the twelfth century and most of it is still in crown hands. It is by far the finest medieval royal landscape in Scotland and of European importance. There is huge potential for further research, for interpretation and to integrate the park with the newly-presented royal lodgings of Stirling Castle.
Control and ownership of the crown estate in Scotland is one of the issues being considered in the current Scotland Bill; within weeks, ownership could pass to Scottish ministers. But, as Wightman points out, the Crown Estate Commissioners are prepared to sell the park to Stirling Council who would then lease a large part to the private Stirling Golf Club, effectively giving them control of much of the area. The Council appear to be willing to spend up to £1m for this - even though they might get more effective control and management by simply waiting a few weeks for the Scotland Bill to pass.
Many private individuals and Kings Park Community Council have expressed concerns and such a move would certainly not help Stirling Local History Society in their plans to investigate these crucial landscapes. Have you been aware of widespread local discussion of this crucial issue? What do you think should happen. Do feel free to comment here or elsewhere.

Programmes like 'Who do you think you are?' are a symptom of widespread interest in family history. And there is little doubt that most people to be found in historical archives today are bent on finding out about their family past.  It can all be a bit bewildering for beginners and even those well on the way might save time and enrich their research with some expert advice.
So, Stirling Council Archives are offering a six week course on how to go about it, including hands-on experience of handling original documents. There will be six sessions between 17 April and 22 May 2012 and sounds like very good value to me. The sources they are covering will also be of interest to local historians so, if you have a pet local history project but don't know how to start, this might be for you.
You need to book by 30 March . The booking form with further information is attached. 

Francis Frith was a late nineteenth century photographer who published many views from across Britain (www.francisfrith.com). BBC2 are to show a series of programmes about the photographs and how the world has changed since Frith's day. The series, made by Reef TV, is introducted by John Sergeant and runs from 12th March 2012 each weekday evening for two weeks, starting at 6.30pm.
The programme on 21st March will feature Loch Katrine, Callander, Stirling Castle, Stirling Old Bridge and the Falkirk Wheel.
There is also a 'book of the series' also called Britain's First Photo Album and featuring the views and people involved.

Scottish Local History Forum is to hold a workshop in Maryhill Burgh Halls, Glasgow on 19 May 2012. Directed to organisations, local history societies and individual members it wll include talks, displays and opportunities for networking and will cost only £10.

Further details will be available nearer the time and we will post them here as they become available.

Meanwhile, potential exhibitors are invited to contact the Forum - details from thei

Maps are key to many historical studies and we are fortunate, in Scotland, to have ready and free access to so many via the National Library of Scotland, maps website http://www.nls.uk/collections/maps/index
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News arrives today of an even wider collection with some intriguing search facilities.
'Where we used to live'  is described as ' broadest single collection of historical maps  from  around the world' it is provided through the JISC-funded Old  Maps Online, Described by its creators as like Google for old maps,  will  act as a central  repository to a vast collection of maps held by institutions  across the globe.  

It would be good to hear your feedback about the site and how it compares with others.