Statistical Accounts of Scotland
Scotland
The first ‘Statistical Account of Scotland’ was published between 1791-1799 in 21 volumes. It includes information on the geography, history, economy, and agriculture of most Scottish parishes. A second survey, called the ‘New Statistical Account of Scotland’, was compiled between 1832-1845. A Third Statistical Account was published between 1951-1992.
The Old, or First ‘Statistical Account of Scotland’ was intended as a complete survey of the country. It was organised by Sir John Sinclair who saw similar surveys being carried out during his travels in northern Europe. Sinclair was a lay member of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland and decided that the best way to achieve his work was to enlist Church ministers. The project relied on ministers to complete reports about their parishes and return them Sinclair. A questionnaire of queries was sent by an editorial board. Ministers were asked to volunteer their time to compile the reports and so many did not reply immediately leading Sinclair and the board to further encourage ministers. Responses therefore varied in length, theme, format and quality and were edited by the board before publication.
When the Statistical Account was published, the term ‘statistics’ was relatively new. Sinclair discussed his reason for choosing it. ‘I thought a new word might attract more public attention, I resolved on adopting it, and I hope that it is now completely naturalised and incorporated into our language.’[1]
The New Statistical Account of Scotland (NSA) was launched by the Society for the Benefit of the Sons and Daughters of the Clergy in Scotland. Several considerations influenced the launch of the NSA, including the rise in factual publications such as encyclopaedias and gazetteers. John Sinclair had allocated the expected profits of the OSA to the Society during the 1790s, to entice the ministers of the Kirk to complete his survey. Initial good relations had soured, however, as it became clear that the OSA had made a loss, unfortunately a substantial one. This led to a bitter dispute between the Society and William Creech the OSA’s publisher. The Society ultimately settled Creech’s debt for £500 and in return secured publishing rights to the OSA. It then set out to exercise those rights in an effort to recoup its outlay. Sir John Sinclair played no direct part in the setting up of the NSA. The Society felt Sinclair had mishandled the OSA and should share in its losses. Any influence exerted by Sinclair was of the indirect kind, though he gifted copyright of the OSA to the Society in 1824. ‘
The proposal of a new Statistical Account was made by Sir Henry Jardine, a lawyer by training and a Government official with interests that included antiquarian and charitable affairs. As president of the Society during 1830-1, he was in a strong position to influence the launch of the NSA. The editorial work of the NSA was carried out by John Gordon, an education official.
The NSA fared no better than the OSA commercially. The explosion in commercial ‘statistical’ publishing of every kind such as almanacs, directories and gazetteers meant that the NSA had many competitors. These publications usually took less time to publish and were often cheaper. The NSA was additionally unsuitable for Government purposes due its discursive and incomplete contributions. Even so, it is not without distinction. It is a more rounded compilation than the OSA.[2] Partly this reflects the structured approach of the questionnaire and the new subjects it contained. Partly it also reflects the measured approach of its compilers.
Statistical Accounts Online Service © University of Glasgow and University of Edinburgh. http://stataccscot.edina.ac.uk
The NSA is the account of a new Scotland, recognisable but markedly different in other ways from the nation of the 1790s. Together with the OSA, it remains an enduring mine of information for historians and one of the two principal snapshots of Scotland for the period between 1790 and 1850.[3]
Both surveys are a useful source of information about Scotland in the period of the Enlightenment and Industrial Revolution. To historians, for example, they reveal information about agricultural improvements in the eighteenth century.
The Statistical Accounts of Scotland Online provides access to digitised and fully searchable versions of both the Old Statistical Account (1791-99) and the New Statistical Account (1834-45). An invaluable resource for historians, these uniquely rich and detailed parish reports cover a vast range of topics including education, trades, agriculture, religion and social customs.
References and Resources:
The Statistical Accounts of Scotland are available online at http://stataccscot.edina.ac.uk
Information for this post was taken from the Statistical Accounts of Scotland and the National Library of Scotland’s Statistical Account sites.
Bruce Lenman, Enlightenment and Change: Scotland 1746-1832 (2009)
Graeme Morton, Ourselves and Others: Scotland 1832-1914 (2012)
[1] ‘History of the origin and progress of the Statistical Account of Scotland’, by Sir John Sinclair, 1798
[2] The New Statistical Account, 1834-1845, https://stataccscot.ed.ac.uk/static/statacc/dist/exhibition/nsa
[3] Ibid.
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