Edinburgh Evening News Obituaries: Search by Name & Recent Deaths

Searching for an obituary in a city like Edinburgh can feel like piecing together a puzzle — especially if you’re trying to find someone’s final notice from decades ago. The Edinburgh Evening News has been printing obituaries since its founding in 1873, and today you can access many of those records online for free, whether you’re a genealogist or just checking on a neighbour.

Obituary articles in British Newspaper Archive: 1,110 ·
Facebook group ‘Deaths in Edinburgh’ followers: 1,632 ·
Top obituary search platform: Legacy.com ·
Funeral Guide pages of Edinburgh death notices: 50

Here are the key facts about Edinburgh Evening News obituaries at a glance:

Can I search obituaries by name in Edinburgh?

The short answer: yes, but not all platforms offer the same depth. Two main channels allow surname-based searches for Edinburgh Evening News obituaries: Legacy.com and the newspaper’s own website.

Using Legacy.com to search by name

• Legacy.com hosts a dedicated Edinburgh News obituary page with a “Search by Name” field. Enter a surname and see matching notices — recent results include surnames like BELL, GIBB, GRAY, GRUBB, and JEFFREY (search results on Legacy.com).
• The platform is free to browse, though some advanced features (like sending flowers) require an account.

Using the Edinburgh News website search

• The Edinburgh News itself publishes a weekly obituary roundup on its site, but its internal search tool is more limited. You can find recent death notices by browsing the obituaries section, but there’s no dedicated surname index like Legacy.com.
• For older editions, the newspaper’s own online archive may require a subscription through the publisher, JPIMedia.

Bottom line: If you want to search by name right now, start with Legacy.com — it’s the most direct free option. The Edinburgh News website is better for browsing the latest weekly roundup than for a systematic name search.

How can I check if someone has died in Scotland?

Beyond newspaper obituaries, Scotland has an official death registry and several funeral-notice aggregators that cover the entire country.

Official death records from the National Records of Scotland

• The National Records of Scotland (official death registry) maintains a statutory register of deaths. You can request a search by name, date, and location — this is the most authoritative source for recent and historical deaths in Scotland.
• Access is not free for detailed searches; statutory extracts cost a fee, but the existence of a record can be checked online via the Scotland’s People website.

Using funeral notice aggregators

• Sites like Funeral Notices (death notice aggregator) list death notices from across Scotland, including Edinburgh. The platform also allows you to create and submit notices, so it functions as both an index and a submission tool.
• Edinburgh Evening News obituaries naturally cover the Lothians region, but for areas outside Edinburgh, these aggregators offer broader coverage.

What this means: The official register is your best bet for a legally certain record, while aggregators are faster for casual searches and often free.

How to see who has passed away recently?

If you want the most recent death notices in Edinburgh, three channels stand out.

Edinburgh News recent obituary page

• The Edinburgh News publishes a weekly obituary roundup on its website, typically updated every Friday. You can find it under the “News” or “Community” section — it lists names, ages, and service details.

Social media groups for recent deaths

• The Facebook group “Deaths in Edinburgh” (1,632 followers as of early 2025) is a community-run page where members post recent death notices, often copied from local papers. It’s immediate and free, but not comprehensive — some notices may be missed, and posts are user-generated.
• Funeral Guide sorts death notices by date, with the most recent at the top, covering 50 pages of Edinburgh listings.

The trade-off: For speed, the Facebook group gives you notices within hours. For reliability, the Edinburgh News weekly roundup is verified by the newspaper’s editorial team.

What is the local Edinburgh paper?

Knowing where the obituaries originate helps you understand the scope and limitations of each source.

Edinburgh Evening News history and ownership

• The Edinburgh Evening News was founded in 1873 and has been the city’s daily evening paper ever since. It is owned by JPIMedia (now National World) and publishes obituaries both in print and online.
• Its obituary coverage traditionally focused on Edinburgh and the Lothians, so if the deceased lived outside that area but had family locally, the notice may still appear.

Difference between Edinburgh Evening News and The Scotsman

• The Scotsman is a national daily based in Edinburgh but with a broader Scotland-wide readership. The Evening News is more local. However, because both papers are owned by the same parent, some obituaries may appear in both — but the Evening News usually has more city-level notices.
• When searching, check both titles if you’re unsure: Legacy.com’s Edinburgh obituary page actually lists notices from “Edinburgh News” and “The Scotsman” together.

The implication: If your search on Legacy.com yields multiple entries, they may come from either paper. Look at the header of each notice to see which publication it originally appeared in.

How do I look up the death of someone online for free?

Free options exist, but each has limitations. Here’s how to make them work.

Free resources: Legacy.com, Funeral Guide, British Newspaper Archive

• Legacy.com offers free name-based browsing of Edinburgh News obituaries. You can see the notice text, leave condolences, and find service details — no subscription needed.
• Funeral Guide lists death notices for Edinburgh with no paywall. It also includes “in memoriam” and “acknowledgements” sections.
• British Newspaper Archive has a free search that lets you see that an article exists, but viewing the full article requires a subscription or credits. However, partner libraries (e.g., the National Library of Scotland) offer free access on-site.
• Facebook group “Deaths in Edinburgh” is entirely free and does not require an account to view public posts.

Limitations of free searches and potential paywalls

• Not all obituaries printed in the paper are indexed online. A TalkingScot forum discussion from a user trying to find a 1963 notice highlights that older obituaries may not be freely available online.
• The British Newspaper Archive’s subscription is £12.99/month, but free viewing is available at some public libraries and archives.
• FamilySearch has a Scotland, Midlothian, Edinburgh obituary collection (1739–1920), but it is a catalog record rather than a full-text search — the actual images are on FindMyPast, a paid service.

Bottom line: Free searches work well for recent deaths (last 2–5 years) and for names that are less common. For older or very common surnames, you may need to pay for a subscription or visit a library.

Comparing the main platforms

Five platforms dominate the Edinburgh obituary landscape, each with a different balance of cost, coverage, and ease of use.

The pattern: Free platforms give you quick access to recent notices; paywalled archives unlock depth. Choose based on whether you need yesterday’s news or a century-old record.

Upsides and downsides of online obituary searching

The choice depends on whether speed or accuracy matters most for your search.

Step-by-step guide: How to find an Edinburgh Evening News obituary

1. Start with Legacy.com. Go to the Edinburgh News obituary page and type the surname in the search box. Browse the list of results — each entry shows the full name, age, and publication date.
2. Check the Edinburgh News website. If the death is very recent (within the last week), the newspaper’s own site may have a roundup. Look under “News” or use the site search.
3. Try Funeral Guide. Visit the Edinburgh death notices page and scroll through the 50 pages of listings. You can also filter by district.
4. For older deaths (pre-2000), use the British Newspaper Archive. Search for the name and restrict results to the Edinburgh Evening News. A free search shows you the article snippet, but viewing the full page requires a subscription.
5. If you still can’t find it, consider the National Records of Scotland. Order a death record search through Scotland’s People for a definitive, official result.
6. As a last resort, post in the Facebook group “Deaths in Edinburgh”. Provide the name and approximate year — local members may share a notice from their own files.

What we know for sure — and what remains uncertain

Based on the available sources, some claims are well-supported; others are still open questions.

These gaps highlight the need to check multiple sources when verifying an older death record.

“Our Search by Name feature makes it easy to find Edinburgh obituaries, whether you’re looking for a recent notice or one from a few years back.”

— Legacy.com (obituary archive platform)

“The British Newspaper Archive holds over 1,110 obituary articles from the Edinburgh Evening News, but full access requires a subscription – free search results show summaries.”

— British Newspaper Archive (historic newspaper archive partnered with the British Library)

For anyone tracing Edinburgh roots, the choice is clear: start with Legacy.com for recent notices, then move to the British Newspaper Archive for history, or visit the National Records of Scotland for official records. Free options exist, but completeness often requires a subscription or a library visit. The local Edinburgh Evening News obituaries remain a vital record of the city’s lives — and with the right tools, you can access them without stepping out the door.

For those seeking recent death announcements, the Edinburgh Evening News obituaries page provides a comprehensive archive of notices and search tools.

Frequently asked questions

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