National Monuments Record of Scotland

The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) is funded by the Scottish Executive and is based in Edinburgh. Its main objectives are 'to record and interpret the sites, monuments and buildings of Scotland's past, promoting a greater appreciation of their value through the maintenance of the National Monuments Record of Scotland (NMRS), and presenting them more directly by selective publications and exhibitions.' To achieve these objectives the RCAHMS carries out a programme of field surveys recording both the built heritage and cultural landscape of Scotland. It makes this information available through the NMRS, as well as by publication or exhibition.

There are currently 240,000 archaeological sites, monuments and buildings recorded in CANMORE, the NMRS database. This is an online database that has recently been expanded to include a map-based search facility, CANMAP.

The NMRS also holds an extensive collection of photographs, drawings and manuscripts, including microfiche copies of the Ordnance Survey 1st and 2nd edition 6" map series; copies of General Roy's Military Survey of Scotland (dating to c1750) and the national collection of both vertical and oblique aerial photographs ranging in date from the 1940s through to the present day.

The NMRS is open to the public from Monday to Friday 9.30am to 4.30pm and enquiries are welcome by letter, telephone or e-mail.

The RCAHMS is the contact point for Sites and Monument Record information for Dundee City, East Dunbartonshire and West Lothian Councils.

NB consultation of CANMORE and CANMAP is no substitute for formally seeking information from the NMRS about what is on a particular farm because the database cannot be interrogated on a farm-by-farm basis and it cannot supply map-based data eg. to show the extent of sites. It is essential that the data is interpreted and its limitations understood.

Staff at the NMRS are pleased to assist with enquiries and to provide information but cannot provide advice on the management of archaeological sites.

Contact Historic Scotland for Scheduled Ancient Monuments; local authority archaeologists for non-scheduled monuments and independent contractors where there is not a local authority archaeology service.

Contact the Curator of Collections and Public Services for further details or information.

RCAHMS Publications

RCAHMS have an excellent series of publications based on the work carried out by their officers which provides a fuller understanding of the importance of preserving archaeological features and the historic environment. They can be divided into the following sections:

• Archaeology
  Ten of the twelve publications listed here are relevant for the amount and type of information that can be recovered by archaeological field survey.
• Architecture and Industry
  Included in this category are the Farm Building Surveys for three areas, Covering East Central Scotland, Sutherland and Orkney.
• Broadsheets
  Recommended as low-cost information sheets, suitable for display.
• Inventories
  Traditionally the RCAHMS produced County Inventories for the areas they surveyed. These are excellent for an overview of these areas but must not be seen as listing all sites within one area. The Inventories are now all out of print and can now only be found through second-hand bookshops or public libraries.