We have a range of different products so that you can choose the one most suitable for you. These range from simple queries; basic one line trees; in-depth four line trees; bespoke conundrums to complicated genealogical puzzles. We also provide military research plans and forward research to locate long-lost cousins.
We will confirm upon receipt of your order what we can do for you but if you are ordering a straightforward family tree we will usually be able to determine the viability of this option in advance. If you have chosen the wrong product we will also advise you of better options in the form of a full online quotation for your agreement or otherwise.
From finding people to locating long-lost cousins; to proving or disproving a particular story of family lore. We have also been known to release quite a few skeletons from their closets!
Cases are researched in order of the date we receive them. If you have urgent requests for a forthcoming event such as a birthday, anniversary or Christmas present please let us know and we will see how we can assist. On such occasions it might be better to order a relevant gift card for the amount you wish to spend. This way, the intended gift recipient is able to assist in the research if required whilst immediately receiving one of the most thoughtful gifts that money can buy.
We are committed to discovering more for you so we will not just provide you simple records without context. Take a look at our case histories to see what other information we like to provide.
Most of our services are available on a fixed price basis so that you know what you are due to pay. You can add other services or products when ordering or later on if you need them.
You can but this method can prove more costly and the overall cost is more difficult to quantify. This includes a review of any prior research; communication with you; research and enquiries; preparation of lists of records, documents, manuscript; analysis; family tree where included; writing and preparing reports; delivery and phone calls where required. All these services are included in fixed price products.
Take a look at our Budget product in which you can specify the amount you want to pay for any sum over £200. Please submit your research enquiry and we will advise you what can be done. If there are no prospects for the amount you set we will refund any amount you have paid. On products like Platinum or Brick Wall it might be that we can research the case for an amount slightly less than that shown. On the other hand, you might consider that the scale of the task required is substantially more than the examples we have laid out and therefore would be prepared to pay more to include your case on our research calendar. If in doubt chat with us online or send an enquiry through and we will get back to you.
We will certainly try, as long as our initial enquiries indicate that significant progress can be made. The Pedigree service is designed for such cases. These might take a long time and not even become definitively solved and when some mysteries are centuries old that is understandable. Such cases would almost certainly lead to a situation where there is a great deal of additional hitherto unborn information brought to your research to date. Ideally it would lead to a solution or tow one that can be obtained subsequently through additional research. An example might be one in which we locate the place someone was originally from and then by using archival information narrow the candidates down to as few as possible, often with the aid of DNA.
We provide family tree research products based on the number of lines you want to follow. In the rare event that our initial enquiries indicate that research would not be productive or would take too long, we will revert back to you and make a full refund if you do not agree to other options. If we have already started research and we have agreed to purchase certificates etc. we will agree an appropriate refund with you where applicable.
We will confirm via email what has been agreed after the initial consultation.
We can locate birth, marriage and death certificates; christening, marriage and burial church parish records; ancient house and land deeds; wills, administrations and other probate records; travel, migration, military and so much more.
You may, for instance, want to have a full set of parish records for a family in the 19th century or a full set of wills in the 17th century. You may want to investigate a whole family in Britain in the 1800s when you see some of them missing from censuses. In such circumstances we will provide you with a list of researched and located items with a guaranteed cost subject to your agreement.
For hard-to-find wills, parish records or certificates, the sum for each item includes a non-refundable search fee of half the amount required.
Please provide information relevant to your enquiry. For example, first and last names of ancestors or relations; locations; range of years; specific dates and events; occupations; religion; migration; military information; previous research; and any other information you may have. Please forward attachments separately.
If you have scant information, we can still help. If we need to work from one individual it would be very helpful to have that person’s birth and/or death certificate or at least the full name, locations and dates.
For research enquiries please provide any information you have no matter how trivial it might appear to be.
If you have already undertaken research we can also check this for you. Please ensure that you share your prior research otherwise it will in effect cost you for us to do the same work you have already done which, even on fixed products, might have the effect of reducing the time we can spend on new research.
Payment can be made securely by Paypal, credit/debit card through Stripe or by electronic bank transfer. You can also pay by invoice if you prefer.
Fixed Plan packages can help you save money against hourly plans with disbursements. The products shown below almost all include locating and purchasing records from third party organisations.
Civil records cost £29 each; parish records £25 and old manuscripts such as 17th century wills cost £39.50. Archival documents also include the cost of visits as part of the relevant package. The Budget service might have a birth and marriage certificate included worth £58. The Platinum service includes 12 documents so 4 civil (£116), 4 parish (£100) and 4 manuscripts would be worth £ 158=£374. The value on the Pedigree service would be well in excess of £400.
You can request additional record copies at any time. We will provide them at the current rate shown. Unless we state otherwise there will be no charge for researching these extra documents in order to provide you a list for your perusal.
Whilst these are generally straightforward, they can sometimes be complicated. A tree for the Smithers family would take less time than one for the Smiths, for example.
Research is managed in the order in which we receive initial deposits. We will agree an appropriate timescale at the outset but the time taken to do research can take from a few weeks to several months to complete depending on the product or type of records that might be required.
When we have received the final instalment we will send you digital copies of our report in PDF and Word format. It will outline our findings and normally include a chronological outline of events with further background information relevant to your ancestors or relations.
Depending on workload it might be possible to arrange express delivery by prioritising your case but a charge may be involved.
The Pewter product is usually suitable for specific questions or to investigate a particular family story or mystery with the Brick Wall product available for much more difficult cases.
Brick Wall service relates to a single issue preventing you from making progress with your research.
The Pedigree service refers to two lines of a tree (for example both parents’ lines) that taken back to as early as possible which is usually the 16th century. various matters you would like us to research for you but on a simpler basis than the Bespoke service which either relates to complex research goals or to a family tree of 1 or 2 lines back to the earliest parish records we can find involving archival research.
If you take out an instalment plan the final report will be provided to you upon clearance of the final payment.
Our skilled researchers will do their best to obtain the results you want but your goals cannot be guaranteed. We will let you know the chances of achieving your research goals following our initial enquiries. It may be that we find more than one possible candidate in a certain generation or face other issues such as missing records, time constraints or common surnames. We will let you know if this is the case and will ask you how you want to proceed.
Yes we do from time to time. Keep your eye on the internet voucher sites or our newsletters for great discounts or just ask…
No thank you. We ask for a deposit of 50% to start research with the rest to be paid at completion. If you require further items during the course of our research we will normally add these to the final balance due if you prefer.
For larger cases you can pay by 3 or 4 monthly instalments. We can even arrange payment up to 8 months for exceptional cases but you need to be aware that research would be staged over this full period and the results released upon receipt of full payment.
Of course. We can deal with any queries you may have. If you require ongoing assistance such as assistance in ongoing research and/or obtaining additional records or manuscripts over time we can collaborate with you for a monthly fee. For example, you might want to us to locate wills and other probate documents. We would help you find them, provide brief transcriptions and leave you to work on the time-extensive tasks of putting the facts/ relationships together whilst liaising with us over the results and next steps.