VisitScotland hopes to avoid problem

The service comes at a cost, however. Users must pay �6 to access the database for a 24-hour period.

VisitScotland hopes the availability of the information will encourage tourists to come to Scotland to see their ancestors' homes.

VisitScotland marked the occasion with the launch of its own website - ancestralscotland.com - which aims to offer a one-stop internet guide to tracing family history.

It also provides a link to the GRO site, which leads to the 1901 census pay-per-view site, and offers information about genealogy.

The website launch in Glasgow was attended by Hamish Clark, a star of the Monarch of the Glen series.

Accessed online

Ayrshire-born supermodel Kirsty Hume; her husband Donovan Leitch, from Glasgow; actor Alan Cumming, from Carnoustie and US actor Kyle MacLachlan, are due to be at a launch in New York on Thursday.

The Scottish records from 1881 and 1891 can already be accessed online.

However, 1901 will become Scotland's first census of the Edwardian era to become available on the internet.

Officials estimate that more than 28 million amateur historians and people with Scottish ancestry will log on to trace their family roots.

Mental state

The information on offer includes a range of details about those living at the start of the previous century, including where they lived, their age and even their mental state.

The 1901 census website for England and Wales ground to a halt for several hours after its launch while technicians worked to improve access.

During Lords question time on Wednesday, the UK Government refused to say when full access to the site would be allowed.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal said access was currently limited to users at the London-based Family Record Centre, the Public Record Office and 150 libraries and service centres across England and Wales.