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Debrett Ancestry Research
Professional family history research from a name you can trust
What we do
For more than 40 years, professional genealogists at Debrett Ancestry Research have been helping families to discover and document their ancestors.
Thinking about giving a research programme as a Christmas gift?
Visit our Gift Section to see the options.
All walks of life
Our clients have included celebrities and peers, but to us every family history is of equal importance and fascination. We can help you to discover more about your ancestry, whether you are new to genealogy research, or have reached a point in tracing your family tree at which you need a professional genealogist.
Choose a programme
Choose one of our Ancestry Research programmes for a professional, meticulously presented exploration of your British family history. The results will be a lasting resource for your family. Our reports and family trees are detailed and attractively presented, and make excellent gifts for a special occasion.
IN-DEPTH RESEARCH
The Internet has revolutionised genealogy. However, computers have not (yet…) replaced experience and expert analysis. Online family trees need to be treated with great caution. And there are still discoveries to be made off the beaten track, for example in old periodicals or obscure printed sources.
Keeping it safe
An online family tree may seem like a good way of recording a family’s past, but it should be regarded as at best a convenient tool. We believe that family history is too precious, and often too complex, to be entrusted to cyberspace. There is no substitute for meticulous and painstaking research, set out with care and precision in a printed document that can be handed down to the next generation.
Taking it further
Having completed one of our research programmes, you might want to come back for more: to explore a different surname line, or to push the ancestry as far back in time as possible. When we have traced a family back as far as we can (or as far as you want us to) some clients choose to take the family history a step further, by commissioning a bespoke Family Biography: this is a professionally written, illustrated history of the family from the earliest known times up to the present.
It isn't always easy...
Every family history is different, and there can be pitfalls along the way: a birth that wasn’t recorded, a change of name, a family that travelled widely, leaving few records behind them. We can’t promise to break through all brick walls, but our long years of professional research experience count for a great deal, and we welcome challenging cases.
Our ancestry services
We offer three levels of in-depth ancestry research, Limited, Standard and Extended, all of which lead to a professionally presented, bound report. Every project is different, and no genealogist can predict the outcome of research with any certainty. If you are not sure which programme to choose, use our Free Assessment service for advice, with no obligation to proceed.
When we have traced your ancestry back as far as we can, or as far as you wish, we can create from this a Family Biography: a detailed, illustrated history of your family from the earliest known generation up to the present. This is when your family history will really begin to come to life.
Debrett’s pedigree charts are unique, using our own in-house design procedure to create an attractive and detailed summary of your ancestry. We can combine information provided at the outset with what we subsequently discover.
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“I am truly impressed by the quality of your work and also very grateful. There is so much in the report that I did not know and would never have discovered without Debrett’s professional help.”
S Coffey, Ireland
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We are experienced
Ancestry Research as a gift
Ancestry research programmes make ideal gifts for special occasions, and the high-quality presentation of our reports and family trees make them particularly suitable.
There are two options:
ANCESTRY GIFT PACK (recommended)
Select an ancestry research programme and select the gift option when you place your order. We will send a gift pack, either to you or to the recipient. This comprises a gift card, a brochure and a blank family tree form, so that the recipient can provide the starting information. Gift packs are valid for up to two years.
or
SURPRISE ANCESTRY REPORT
If you would rather commission the ancestry research yourself, as a surprise, try to obtain as much starting information as possible from family members. As a rough guide, a Standard Programme will take two to three months to complete, but this cannot be guaranteed. Need more advice? Contact us at info@debrettancestry.co.uk or call 01962 841904
About us
High quality, professional genealogical research
In addition to our in-house team of professional genealogists, our nationwide network of expert ancestry researchers provides access to archives throughout the UK and Ireland.
High quality research
Fair pricing




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Call Us
(+44) (0)1962 841904
Message Us
Get in touch. Ask any question or start a Free Assessment.
Open Hours
M-T: 9.30 am – 5pm, F-S, closed
Debrett Ancestry Research Ltd
Department WP
PO Box 379
Winchester
Hampshire
SO23 9YQ
United Kingdom
Email: info@debrettancestry.co.uk
Average rating on Yell.com
5 stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Luccam House, Hockley Mill, Church Lane
Twyford, Hants. SO21 1NT