The Caithness Archives, preserves the official records of The Highland Council and its predecessor authorities, including the former Regional, County, District and Burgh Councils. These, along with over 1,000 privately deposited collections, can be viewed within our archive searchroom. A summary of our main holdings is outlined below. You can also search our online catalogue for more detailed information.
Local Government Records
- Burgh records for Thurso and Wick (1589-1975)
- Commissioners of Supply and Highway Authorities (1720-1929)
- Caithness County Council (1889-1975)
- Highland Regional Council (1975–1996)
- The Highland Council (1996- )
Key Record Series
- Education records from the 1860s, including school logbooks and admission registers
- Customs and Excise records (1855-1989) including records of the port of Wick including the Royal Naval Reserve (1905-1961) and Registers of Fishing Boats with a WK registration (1869-1989)
- Wick Harbour Trust records (1829-1990) including minute books, details of harbour works, and Harbour Masters’ records (1850-1980)
- Northern Constabulary records (1841-1974) of the Caithness Constabulary, including records of crimes and other offences, lockup books, and WW2 war incident files (1858-1975)
- Sinclair Macdonald and Sons, Architects of Thurso records (c.1880-1960s) including plans and drawings of Caithness buildings
- The Wick Society Collection (1476-2022) comprised of many sub-collections varying in both subject matter and chronological scope, all detailing the rich and absorbing history of Wick and wider Caithness
- Abridgements of Sasines (1646-1970)
- Poor relief records (1845–1930) including Parochial Board minute books, Records of Applications and General Registers of the Poor
- Property valuation rolls (1868–1989) including details of properties and people
Privately Deposited Collections
In addition to official records, we hold over 1,000 privately deposited collections, including:
- Estate papers including those of Pulteneytown, Southdun, Stemster and Thrumster Estates
- Personal papers including those of Hetty Munro, John Mowat, Iain Sutherland and Harry and Peggy Barrett
- Business and industrial records documenting the impact of the herring boom (19th century) and Dounreay Nuclear Site (1954- )
- Records of institutes and societies such as SWRIs, Co-Operatives, Masonic Lodges and Debating Societies
- Records of community organisations featuring theatre companies, galas, music festivals, Scouts, Boys Brigades and Girl Guiding
- Records of sports including football, golf, badminton and swimming clubs
For further details on our collections, please see our Index to Collections.
Donate to our Archives
The Archive Service preserves, conserves and makes accessible over 700 years of Highland history. There is no charge to visit our Archive Centres and access the collections we hold, but High Life Highland is a charity and we rely on your donations.
