Local Research Services

For those of us who have developed an interest in our ancestors, but are perhaps unable to spare the time, or who's geographical proximity to their familial history is prohibitive, I can offer services to visit places and archives that would be otherwise out-of-reach to discover further information that may not be available online.

 

A large percentage of local archives' indices have been presented as searchable databases online, but a significant portion of them remain unindexed and hence offline for the time being, so there is often something additional to discover amongst the physical records.

​

The time required for such undertakings naturally depends on the place said information is to be found, but nominally I can cover England and Wales, with special arrangements for longer excursions to Scotland and Ireland happily negotiated.

​

Such services include, but are not limited to:

• Research at local archives, libraries and museums, with transcriptions or photographs of documents where necessary.

• Photography of buildings, churchyards and memorials.

• In-person interviews with relevant individuals or relatives.

​

I will detail a full itinerary for my trip, based on discussion with you, having booked in advance to ensure the pertinent places are available and that specific documents are ready for me. Note that the nature of research means that a trip may either not yield as much information as hoped, or may yield a lot more information than expected. Unfortunately, I cannot control that; but even a zero or low-yield journey can answer important questions and is valuable in itself.

​

Please refer to my fees page for the cost of these services. Note that the major component of such fees will be travel and, if necessary, accommodation costs.