Thistle Heritage Services

How much will it cost? The fee is £16 per hour for research time. No further charge is made to cover admission fees, time taken to write up reports, travelling time, postage and packaging. The only extra charge is to cover the cost of items supplied which have to be purchased, e.g. copies of documents or illustrations.

How much research is involved? Customers will obviously wish to know in advance how much they can expect to pay. In most cases, it should be possible to agree in advance the number of hours a search is likely to take, and payment is based on this time. As a rough guide, a family tree based on either the maternal or paternal line of one particular ancestor provided from the statutory records of births, marriages and deaths should take about five hours; if supplemented by material from other sources such as census records, up to ten hours.

How do I pay? Payment is requested by sterling cheque or money order. For payment in other currencies, please add the equivalent of £5 to cover bank charges. It is regretted that payment by credit card cannot be accepted at present.

When do I pay? No advance payment is required. Research is undertaken in good faith. An invoice will be submitted along with material supplied, and payment becomes due only at this point.

How much information is required to start? As much as possible, since even apparently insignificant information can be useful. One Scottish ancestor's full name, with date, and if possible, place of birth marriage or death should be enough to make a start.

What if nothing can be found? In the event that the desired material cannot be retrieved, a minimum charge of one hour's research time, i.e.£16, will apply.

When can I expect results? Normally, research results will be sent out within one month. Special arrangements can be made for material required urgently.

How will the material be sent? A presentation folder containing research results will be sent by post. Alternatively, the results can be sent by fax or as an e-mail attachment.