Researching Scottish Ancestry

My attempts to trace our ancestry back from Glasgow into the Scottish Highlands led me to an organization called British Ancestors. They specialize in this kind of research and, for a fee, will attempt to trace your line.

Giving them my data on the brothers Peter and John McLaren and their wives produced some speculation and the following disclaimers:

• The main thing to remember when considering pre-1855 Scottish events is that it was not compulsory to register births and marriages at that time. Many events, as many as 70% in some areas, were not recorded. Those that were recorded are mainly in the Old Parochial Registers (OPRs), but these generally cover the Established Church of Scotland only.
• The name of McLaren is fairly common and it is also quite likely that their births were not recorded.
• It is important to note that these two births are only possibilities, it is equally likely that the births were not registered at all.

With this information and for other reasons, I have abandoned any attempt to work back from the 1800's in Scotland.