Many people would like to know more about their Scottish ancestors or where their family came from. If you would prefer to discover your Scottish roots by browsing the finished article rather than taking up the research yourself, our family history reports bring your past to you! 

Our family history reports follow one line of your Scottish ancestry - for example, your father, your paternal grandfather, his father and so on, or your mother, your maternal grandfather, his father - which line to trace is your choice. This research uses civil birth, marriage and death records to trace the direct line, but also includes siblings' details where they are mentioned in census returns.

A standard report using civil birth, marriage and death records (1855 onwards) and census returns (1841-1911) tracing the Scottish ancestry of a person born in Scotland in the early 1900s might be expected to go back to the late 1700s, depending on record availability.

In your family history report you should discover:

- when and where your ancestors married, where they were living and their occupations, their parents’ names, the religious denomination, who the witnesses were and who performed the ceremony;

- when and where they were born, their parents’ names, their father’s occupation at the time and who registered the birth;

- when and where they died, their occupation at the time, their age, parents’ names, the cause of death and who registered the death;

- where they were living in each census between 1841 and 1911 (as appropriate), along with the other people in the household

A family history report is presented in a comb-bound book, allowing any further research to be included in the future.  Reports include transcriptions of the records used. If you would like additional digital copies of the original register, these can be purchased on your behalf at cost (currently 30p per copy) if requested when you order the report. We can include your family photos to illustrate the report if you wish.

You will also receive an A3 family tree from the research.  

Options for further research are included if you are inspired to find out more, plus a workbook to help those who want to take the research forward themselves. A research log will detail the searches carried out, both successful and unsuccessful, to prevent any duplication of research in the future.

Other binding options are available - please ask for details.

Our family history report service has the flexibility to include additional research on topics you would like to know more about.

You may have a family story you would like to investigate in more detail. Past clients, for example, have wanted to know the origin of a middle name commonly used in the family. Others wanted to know more about the experiences of a particular ancestor - in nursing; killed in action in war; a dancing master in 1840s Hamilton  - or simply to confirm (or disprove) a family myth.

Research into family stories depends on the complexity involved and location of records. Based on your requirements, we will prepare a written research brief with a cost quotation.

Gift certificates are available which can be used for any of our services - perfect for that “hard to buy for” family historian! Certificates are valid for 12 months from issue and can be for a money value or a number of hours' research. 

Ideal for a very special occasion, such as a significant birthday, anniversary or perhaps a wedding, these gifts are normally based on a standard report, but can be varied to meet the exact needs of the occasion. Two lines of research, for example, would be more appropriate for a wedding gift. 

Presentation of the research will also be very important - you want your gift to make an impression! Our consultation process will help you to get just the gift you’re looking for.

Please note that, for privacy reasons, in order to research a third party’s family history, permission will be required in writing from their next of kin.