An insight into archive research at Aberdeen City & Aberdeenshire Archives, by Dee Lawlor
It was 2019 and I had been working as a freelance writer for two years. Though I had always had a great love for history and folklore, my work was mostly focused on science - I was also an Editor on an Irish magazine. My first book, Introduction to Light Microscopy, had been published earlier in the year and so far, I hadn’t made any plans to do another one. That is, not until a shortcut down Correction Wynd would lead me down a path I really hadn’t expected to take.
On the corner of St Nicholas Lane, there is an art
installation, Gallus Quines by Carrie Reichardt. Like many people, I had
never known that Aberdeen had a connection to the witch trials – to be honest,
I hadn’t even known that Scotland had a connection to the witch trials –
and this homage to its victims really caught my interest.
As soon as I got home, I started Googling the Aberdeen witch trials. One of the first pieces of information I found was a news article about the discovery of a metal ring in St. Mary’s Chapel that was believed to have been used to restrain the witch-accused. The article also mentioned that the Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Archives still had the original 16th century court records from the trials. Adamant that I wanted to see these court records for myself; I immediately went to the archive website and made an appointment.
The day of my appointment, I was greeted by Martin. He took me on a tour of the archives where I got to see the beautiful two-story charter room.
Here there are books and documents dating back centuries – a treasure-trove of information for anyone looking to do historical research. I was then shown the original court records from the 16th century witch trials. It felt like such a privilege to see these documents first hand, when you think what these pieces of paper had witnessed.
They were written in old Doric and were terribly difficult to read with an untrained eye.
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| Strathanchyn Dittay |
However, Martin was able to refer me to a digital version of the documents that I was able to comfortably work with. This also meant that I was able to continue my research and transcription work in my own time from home. He was also able to recommend some other resources that were of great use to me.
Ultimately, my transcription and translation work took over
a year! In that time, the archive staff were still at the other end of the
email, helping me whenever I needed it. My book Contagious Enemies – the Aberdeen
Witch Trials was published in February 2026.
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| Aberdeen Dean of Guilds Accounts from 1597 showing materials bought for execution of witches |
Knowing I had this valuable resource – where information is accessible and the archivists are so supportive, spurred me on to research and write more. My most recent book, Scotsferatu – the Vampire in Scottish Culture and Folklore was published in September. Though there wasn’t much information in the archive on vampires in Scotland, the archivists were again able to direct me towards other resources that were really helpful for my research.
The value of the archive is not just in the documents it
holds but in the people who work there. The staff I have met have all been
incredibly knowledgeable and well-read; and their ability to find information
and resources is unsurpassed.
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| Staff members in the Charter Room |
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| Staff members working in the archives search room |
When I made that first appointment back in 2019, I had no
idea that a simple trip made purely out of curiosity would result in me
becoming an author, particularly not in history and folklore, given that my
background was science. I am now three books down and have two more in the
pipeline. Suffice to say, I will be making many more trips to the archive.
Dee Lawlor
You can make an appointment to visit Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Archives via email: aberdeencity.gov.uk. Our visitor information and catalogue are available online here:
https://sites.aberdeencity.gov.uk/AAGM/plan-your-visit/archives
https://archives.aberdeencity.gov.uk/CalmView/
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