Would you like to know more about your ancestral roots?  Maybe there’s an old family story you’d like to get to the bottom of, or a mystery ancestor?  Perhaps you just want to know more about where you’re from, and the journey your family has taken through time to where you are now, or you may want to have a family tree drawn up as a special gift for a loved one.

Alternatively, you may already be well into your family history research and would like help with a brick wall.  Or perhaps you’re an experienced or professional genealogist living far from your current area of research and would like a qualified genealogist to visit archives or other locations to examine specific documents on your behalf?

Whatever the reason, I can offer a genealogy service tailored to your needs.
I am a qualified and experienced professional genealogist and family historian.

I hold the Pharos Family History Skills & Strategies intermediate qualification, achieved with Distinction, and the Pharos / Society of Genealogists Advanced Certificate, also achieved with Distinction.

I’m also an Associate of AGRA – the Association of Genealogists and Researchers in Archives.  As such I operate fully according to the professional standards set down by the AGRA Code of Practice.  I also offer clients the peace of mind of the AGRA Complaints Procedure.

The following links will take you to pages that give more information about what’s possible, but they are intended only as starting points.   Please do get in touch if what you’d like doesn’t seem to be covered.

Custom projects to investigate a family story, a brick wall or a specific question or task – if you’d like to explore a family story or perhaps learn more about the life of one particular person, or if you’ve hit a brick wall and would like some input.

Family Tree ‘packages’ – where little or no information is currently known and the focus is on building a family tree or part of a tree starting with yourself or another named person and working backwards in time.

Custom work for professional genealogists – this is for professional or experienced genealogists who would like me to visit archives local to me to examine and copy specific documents on your behalf.  The archives I use are listed below.

Archives or online?
Please note that often, research can be carried out entirely online, using digital images of original documents.  However, where this is not the case, it will be necessary to visit the relevant archives.  The ones I visit are as follows:

• Isle of Wight County Records Office, at Newport IOW
• Hampshire County Record Office, at Winchester.  The Anglican Winchester Diocese holdings and part of the Portsmouth Diocese are also lodged here.
• Portsmouth Archives.  Part of the Portsmouth Diocese holdings are lodged here.
• Southampton Archives
• West Sussex County Records Office, at Chichester
• West Yorkshire Archives, at Leeds, Bradford or Wakefield (I visit regularly because this is my personal primary area of interest)

If an in-progress research project extends to other archives not included in the above list a visit may still be possible.

[Please note that Catholic sacramental records (Baptism, Confirmation, Marriage) are recorded in the relevant parish register which usually remains in the parish, not in the relevant Catholic Diocesan Archives.  Examination of the registers is at the discretion of the parish priest but may be restricted to relatives, or it may be possible to obtain a certificate of the entry from the parish administrator.  Unfortunately these records are often not digitised and not available via any genealogy website.]

If you’d like to proceed
Click here for what we’ll need to do next

Caveat
Please bear in mind that no genealogist can guarantee to be able to provide you with the answers you’re looking for.  Sometimes the records are simply not there, and sometimes ‘clues’ left by an ancestor are false – they didn’t want to be ‘found’.  In such cases all we can reach about a particular individual is a likely hypothesis or, sadly, a ‘brick wall’.

That said, I undertake to research thoroughly and methodically.  My report will set out clearly everything I have done to move you towards your research goal, including negative search results and my analysis of conflicting evidence, with an explanation of any reasons for not being able to answer your research question.  Please note, therefore, that:

• Charges agreed for custom projects will be payable in full, even if nothing is found;
• Charges agreed for ‘family tree’ packages will be adjusted if lack of evidence means the agreed number of generations cannot be researched.

Fees:
Initial consultation, 30 to 60 minutes: no charge 
During the initial consultation, we will discuss your personal needs and agree an initial action plan.  If you wish to proceed I will then prepare a full research plan.  Communication with the client can be by email, telephone, Skype, etc.

Research: £40 per hour
Fees are based on full hours, and apply to Research, Analysis, Transcription, Report writing, Family Tree charts, etc.

Expenses: billed at cost
Including:
Civil birth, marriage and death certificates, wills, etc – the need / purpose for these to be discussed with the client prior to ordering
Photocopies, Archive fees and permits
Postage, if required

Travel expenses
Travel on the Isle of Wight: no charge
Travel to West Sussex County Record Office and Hampshire County Record Office will be by public transport and is billed at cost
Travel to West Yorkshire Archives will be combined with other research and a contribution to costs agreed on per-case basis.

Payment Terms
Payment is in pounds Sterling (£) by BACS transfer or PayPal.
A 50% deposit plus any already identified expenses is required prior to commencement of the research.  The remainder is to be paid within one week of completion of the project.

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Other possible contracts undertaken:

One-to-one assistance with your own research: £20 per 40 minutes
Discussions by telephone, Zoom, Skype, in-person if you’re local.
Guidance on how you might progress your own research.

Speaking engagements: negotiated on per-case basis
Including:
Lectures, workshops, groups

Writing: negotiated on per-case basis
Including:
Articles for publication, chapters, etc

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Click here to read a selection of Testimonials from past clients.
Click here to contact me.