An experienced member of staff will carry out your research and provide a basic research report including copies (either by post or email) of relevant documents where possible. A simple search (up to 30 minutes) of specific sources costs £15 including VAT.

Once we've received your request, we aim to respond within 10 working days. If you've asked for your research report and any copies to be sent by post, please allow an extra 5 days for delivery.

Research sources

Specific sources that we can search include, but are not limited to:

• church records (please consult our guides to parish registers before requesting)
• council minutes
• court records (please note, recent court registers are closed for 30 years under the Data Protection Act 1998)
• General Register Office indexes of births, marriages, and deaths (this will provide the details needed to order a certificate, and give you the year and quarter of the event)
• ship registration

Copies of research sources

Where possible, your research report will include a photocopy, print, or watermarked scan of the entry. You can choose from the following options:

• black and white photocopies or prints - up to 6 single-sided A4 sheets, or 3 single-sided A3 sheets
• colour photocopies or prints - up to 2 single-sided A4 sheets, or 1 single-sided A3 sheet
• watermarked scan - up to 4 images

Costs

£15 for up to 30 minutes of searching.

Pay for research

The quickest way is to pay for your research services online.

Please note, all research and copies of documents are for private research purposes only. If you want to publish any of the information provided - for example, in a publication, book, website, social media, video etc. - you'll need to contact us to get a licence. Additional charges may apply.