Search Scotland, Post Office Directories

The records are presented as images and do not have transcripts. We have digitised these records through a method called OCR, which allows you to search through the whole document. We have provided search tips below.

The detail you will find on each page will depend on the type of directory, but most will give you the following facts about your ancestor:

• Name
• Occupation
• Residence

The post directories in this collection may focus on a particular town or district or you can find national postal directories. The majority of post directories comprise a description of the place, along with lists of people by occupation. For example, you will find lists of magistrates, councillors, sheriffs, police officers, and merchants.

It is important to remember that post directories are not complete lists of all the residents in the town or county. Also, many directories fail to include women in their lists.

Use the previous and next arrows on either side of the images to explore the directory. Viewing previous pages will help you understand why your ancestor has appeared in the directory. You can use the image counter at the bottom centre of the image to skip to an exact image number.

Post directories are an excellent source for family historians wanting to trace ancestors on a yearly basis. Directories allow you to fill in the gaps between the census records. They can also provide vital information about your ancestor’s residence, which can lead to the discovery of more records. They are a great source for local historians. Directories can add historical context to your ancestor’s story. Directories will give you a better understanding of where your ancestor lived, such as how many businesses were in the town, how many schools, what day was the market day, and how big was the town.

Aberdeen & Vicinity Directory 1824-1826, 1828-1830, 1832-1840

Aberdeen Post Office Directory 1848-1854, 1856-1912, 1914-1916, 1918-1942

Aitchison's Edinburgh & Leith Directory 1797-1800

Alloa Almanac & Directory for the County of Clackmannan 1887

Angus & Mearns Directory 1846-1847

Arbroath Year Book & Directory 1891, 1894, 1899, 1901, 1923

Arbroath Yearbook & Eastern Forfarshire Directory 1915, 1925-1926

Ayr & District Directory 1914-1915, 1920-1921, 1926-1927, 1928-1929, 1930-1931, 1934-1935

Ayr, Newton & Wallacetown Directory 1845-1846

Ayr, Newton & Wallacetown Post Office Directory 1849-1850, 1858-1859, 1861-1862, 1864-1865, 1867-1868,

1870-1870, 1873-1874, 1876-1912

Ayrshire Directory 1851-1852

Ayrshire, Dumfriesshire, Wigtownshire & Kirkcudbrightshire Business Directory 1893

Banffshire County Directory 1898

Black's Morayshire & Upper Banffshire Directory 1863

Bon Accord Directory 1841-1846

Bon Accord Post Office Directory 1846-1848

Border Counties Business Directory 1897

Brechin Almanac & Directory 1892, 1894, 1896, 1900, 1907, 1914

British Medical Directory 1853

Brown's Hamilton Directory 1855-1856

Bute County Directory 1889-1890, 1893-1916, 1922-1928

Carment's Dalkeith & District Directory 1887-1889, 1891, 1894, 1899

Clarke's Airdrie Directory 1896

Clarke's Barrhead & Neilston Directory 1895

Clarke's Business Directory of Scotland 1895

Clarke's Motherwell Directory 1896

Commercial Directory of Scotland, Ireland & Northern Counties of England 1820-1822

Cook & Wylie's Stirling Directory 1897, 1904, 1906, 1909

Cornwall's New Aberdeen Directory 1853-1854

County Directory of Scotland 1862, 1868, 1872, 1875, 1878, 1882-1889, 1893-1896, 1901-1904

County Directory of Scotland 1882-1889, 1893-1896, 1901-1904

Court & City Register 1781

Dalkeith District Directory 1890

Denovan's Edinburgh & Leith Directory 1804-1805

Directory to Gentlemen's Seats in Scotland 1843, 1852, 1857

Dumfries & District Post Office Directory 1911-1912

Duncan & Jamieson's Stirling & District Directory 1868-1869

Dundee Directory 1809, 1818, 1837-1838, 1842-1843, 1850, 1853-1854, 1854, 1856-1857, 1874-1875, 1878-

1916, 1918-1923, 1925-1942

Dundee General Directory 1822

Dundee Post Office Directory 1844-1847, 1861-1862, 1864-1865, 1867-1872

Dundee Register & Directory 1824-1825, 1829-1830, 1834

Dundee Register 1783

Dunfermline Almanack & Register 1835

Edinburgh & Leith Post Office Annual Directory 1807-1810, 1825-1832, 1835-1836

Edinburgh & Leith Post Office Directory 1846-1879, 1882-1891, 1896-1899, 1906-1909, 1912-1942

Edinburgh & South of Scotland Trades Directory 1900

Edinburgh County Directory 1870-1871

Edinburgh Post Office Annual Directory 1806-1817, 1819-1827, 1832-1833, 1836-1846

Forfar Directory & Year Book 1885-1895, 1897-1911, 1939

Forfarshire Directory, 1887-1888 1887-1888

Fowler's Paisley & Johnstone Commercial Directory 1845-1846, 1848-1849, 1851-1854

Fowler's Paisley Commercial Directory 1838-1839

Fowler's Upper Renfrewshire Commercial Directory 1829-1832, 1834-1835

Galashiels & Selkirk Almanac and Directory 1890, 1894, 1897-1898, 1901-1903

General Almanack of Scotland and British Register 1809

Glasgow Directory 1799, 1801, 1803-1828

Glasgow Post Office Annual Directory 1828-1836, 1838-1856, 1910-1911, 1918-1919, 1922-1926, 1928-1929

Glasgow Post Office Directory 1838-1839, 1856-1912, 1931-1938, 1940-1942

Gray's Annual Directory & Edinburgh Almanac 1837-1838

Gray's Edinburgh & Leith Annual Directory 1832-1835

Greenock & District Directory 1930-1931, 1938-1940

Greenock & Port Glasgow Directory 1805

Greenock Directory 1815-1816

Greenock Directory 1923-1924

Greenock Post Office Directory 1841-1842, 1847-1911

Helensburgh Directory 1899

Hutchison's Greenock Directory

Hutchison's Greenock Directory 1841-1842, 1845-1846

Inverness Burgh Directory 1899-1942

Inverness County Directory 1887, 1889, 1899, 1901-1902, 1920

Inverness Directory 1873-1874

Irvine Post Office Directory 1896-1897

John Tait's Glasgow & District Directory 1783-1784

Jones's Glasgow Directory (re-print) 1787

Jones's Glasgow Directory 1789

Kelly's Directory of Scotland 1928

Kilmarnock & Riccarton Post Office Directory 1846-1847

Kilmarnock Post Office Directory 1868, 1872

Leslie's Directory for Perth & Perthshire 1885, 1887, 1889-1900, 1903-1908, 1911-1912

London & Provincial Medical Directory inclusive of Scotland 1861

Lothian's Annual Register for the County of Clackmannan 1877

MacDonald's Scottish Directory & Gazetteer 1884-1885

MacDonald's Scottish Directory & Gazetteer 1891-182, 1897-1902, 1904-1908, 1910-1914, 1926-1928, 1939-

1940

MacNeur & Bryden's Helensburgh Directory 1875

MacPherson's Hamilton Handbook 1862

Mansons' Shetland Almanac & County Directory 1892, 1898, 1906

Motherwell Directory 1899-1900

Musselburgh Directory 1903

Naismith's Hamilton Directory 1878-1879

New and Improved Edinburgh & Leith Directory 1824-1825

New Edinburgh, Leith & County Business Directory 1867-1970

New Edinburgh, Leith & County Household Directory 1868-1869

North Ayrshire Directory 1935-1937

Paisley Directory & General Advertiser 1852-1912

Perth Directory 1837-1838

Perth Post Office Directory 1845-1846, 1848-1851, 1854-1859, 1862-1863, 1865-1867, 1872, 1874, 1878, 1880, 1882, 1884-1885

Perthshire Directory 1889-1890

Peterhead Almanac & Directory 1853

Pigot's National Commercial Directory of Scotland 1837

Pigot's New Commercial Directory of Scotland 1825-1826

Pomphrey's Wishaw Directory 1893

Portobello & District Directory 1889-1890, 1892-1895

Roxburghshire, Selkirkshire, Peeblesshire & Berwickshire Business Directory 1893

Royal Kalendar or Annual Register, 1797 1797

Russell's Morayshire Register and Elgin & Forres Directory 1844, 1847, 1850, 1852

Rutherfurd's Southern Counties Directory 1866

Scottish Law List 1904

Slater's Glasgow Directory 1855

Slater's Royal National Directory of Scotland 1852, 1867, 1882, 1889, 1893, 1896, 1903, 1907, 1911, 1915,

1921

Stirling Directory 1865-1866, 1870-1871, 1881-1882

Stirling District Directory 1913-1914

Stirling Threepenny Guide & Directory 1866

Stirlingshire Burgh & County Directory 1886-1887

Stirlingshire, Dumbartonshire & Linlithgowshire Business Directory 1893-1894

Watson's Paisley & District Directory 1862-1863, 1865-1866, 1868-1871, 1873-1884

West Coast Almanac & Business Directory 1886

West Coast Directory 1883-1887

Westwood's Parochial Directory for Fife & Kinross 1862

Westwood's Parochial Directory for Fife & Kinross 1866

Williamson's Edinburgh Directory (re-print) 1773-1774

Williamson's Edinburgh Directory 1774-1776, 1784-1785, 1790-1792

Worrall's Directory of North-Eastern Counties of Scotland 1877

Zetland Directory & Guide 1861