Brighton History Centre

Guidance Notes on Research Requests

Brighton History Centre is only able to undertake basic searches of material held by the Centre. Please visit the Local History and Family History sections of our website for details on the information we hold.
We cannot undertake detailed genealogical research. Most popular family history magazines carry adverts for professional genealogists who can be employed on your behalf.
Brighton History Centre cannot undertake any research requests that are likely to take more than 2 hours to complete.

Research requests that can be completed in less than 10 minutes will be peformed for free. All other requests will be charged at £10 per hour or part thereof.
All searches of census and newspaper material will take a minimum of 10 minutes to complete and will therefore cost at least £10.
Additional fees must be paid for any copies we produce on your behalf. Prints from microfilm will be charged at 80p per sheet. Photocopies will cost 50p per sheet.
Payment should be made after the research has been completed. In most instances, we will send you an invoice for the total amount owed.
Cheque payments from outside the United Kingdom will be liable for an additional processing fee of £15.
Credit or debit card payments can be processed by telephoning 01273 296972 during our opening hours.

Please supply us with all the relevant details for your request. In particular, we need to know the names of people concerned, the dates you wish us to search, and the material you wish us to examine.
Please phrase your request as a precise question. We cannot answer queries such as 'Tell me everything you can about the Jordan family in Brighton in the 1800s.' We can answer queries such as, 'Can you find a report of the suicide of Mary Jordan in May 1892?'
Please specify the maximum amount of research time for which you are prepared to pay. We cannot undertake any research requests that are likely to take more than 2 hours to complete.
Bear in mind that there is no guarantee that we will be able to find the information that you seek. All our staff have considerable experience in using the material held by the History Centre, but we cannot be held responsible for the accuracy or availability of information within these records. In particular, it is worth remembering that death notices are relatively uncommon until the 1920s.