Widows' Fund

• Reference:GB 1487 WS/4/2
• Dates of Creation:1780 - ongoing
• Language of Material:English

• Scope and Content

  The Widows' Fund of the Society of Writers to HM Signet is one of the earliest recognised pension funds in Scotland. It was first mooted in 1780, and came into being via Act of Parliament in 1807.

  The records of the Widows' Fund listed here are in addition to the correspondence of the Collector of the Fund, which is to be found under WS/3/1/5, and to the Widows' Fund material contained in the Jardine Papers (the Signet Papers) at WS/3/4.

  The records of the Widows' Fund are rich in genealogical material, and include dates of birth, marriage and death, information as to personal circumstances, and home addresses describing the reach and scope of a major Scottish professional network of the nineteenth century and later.