Might you be a proud Scot like Russell Crowe?

VisitScotland launches Free Ancestral Credits Promotion to Research your Roots

Film star Russell Crowe visited Scotland, the land of his mother’s roots, last month. The star had always believed his mother’s family, whose surname is Wemyss, had Scottish roots but the star has now confirmed this by tracing back several generations to the east coast of Scotland. Crowe said, "I’ve always been proud of my Scottish ancestry."

AncestralScotland.com is now offering you too the chance to research your Scottish roots for free until 14th July, with credits then valid for 12 months. Simply enter your details at www.ancestralscotland.com/scotlandspeople to claim your free credits and trace your Scottish lineage.

Millions of people all over the world claim Scottish roots. Scots, like many from small nations, have settled throughout the globe, and an estimated 50m people worldwide now claim Scottish ancestry.

Gillian Swan, VisitScotland’s Ancestral Marketing Manager, said, “Tracing your family history is a great way to help you answer these questions and to allow yourself to connect with your own personal history. The research you do will take you on a journey of discovery that leads you to explore the lives and times of ancestors who lived hundreds of years ago - and perhaps even thousands of miles away - in circumstances which are all but unimaginable today.

“Retracing the footsteps of your ancestors will not only bring the past to life, it will also make your home coming the most dynamic and exciting experience of your life. From the meaning of surnames to the jobs our ancestors did, ancestralscotland.com will help you explore your Scottish roots. Then it is a small step to making your own ancestral journey home to Scotland.

ScotlandsPeople is also one of the largest online sources of original genealogical information; with almost 80 million records to access there is every chance that you will be able to connect with your own Scottish ancestry. www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk

Madelyn Miller is a travel and food writer who loves visiting Scotland. She did a spa and golf trip once (she was better at the former than the later)

Read her stories on www.travellady.com, www.carladynews.com, wwww.yogayaya.com, www.cocktailatlas.com, www.chocolateatlas.com, www.coffeeatlas.com, www.teaAtlas.com