Our Aims and Policies
Research Service
Devon Heritage Services does not offer its own research service.
Therefore we do not offer a free look-up service; nor do we carry out genealogical, historical or property-related research ourselves. We only carry out Data Protection or Freedom of Information-related research requests or those involving research into records where public access is restricted – asylum, hospital, workhouse and Public Assistance Institution records.
Data Protection and Freedom of Information requests
These are dealt with by staff through our Devon Heritage Services general enquiry service. There is a charge for these enquiries at the rate of £15 per 30 minutes and £30 per hour. This service deals with enquiries which request access to medical patient records (including lunatic asylum patient records), and similarly restricted records less than 100 years old.
Devon Heritage Services also offer a limited service which provides transcriptions or abstracts of original documents. The fee is £30.00 per hour; orders are accepted only at the discretion of the Collections Development Manager.
Please email details of your request to devrec@devon.gov.uk or write to us at Devon Heritage Services, Great Moor House, Bittern Road, Sowton, Exeter, Devon EX2 7NL.
Prepayment or provision of card payment details is necessary before any research request is undertaken by Devon Heritage Services. Please read about the choices in how to pay before making your request.
Research on genealogical, historical or property-related topics must be undertaken by private researchers, and details of these can be obtained from the following organisations:
Devon Family History Society
The society is run by volunteers, and maintains a list of researchers willing to undertake work in the Devon Heritage Centre at Sowton, Exeter, as well as at the North Devon Record Office or Plymouth and West Devon Record Office.
For a list of researchers, please contact the society directly by post, telephone or email.
Postal address: Devon Family History Society, P.O. Box 9, Exeter EX2 6YP, Devon, United Kingdom
Link to Devon Family History Society website
Email: enquiries@devonfhs.org.uk
Telephone (Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, 10.30a.m. - 4.00 p.m.) 01392 433212
North Devon Athanaeum Research Service
The Athanaeum staff can search any of the records held by the North Devon Athenaeum and Local Studies Centre, as well as those records held by the North Devon Record Office, so this service is especially suited to those with genealogical, historical or property-related research enquiries in North Devon parishes.
For fees and more information on how to apply, see the North Devon Athanaeum webpages.
The Association of Genealogists and Researchers in Archives (AGRA)
Members of this association are experienced researchers in genealogy and other fields of historical research
For a list of researchers, please contact the society directly by post or email.
Postal address: Enquiries – AGRA, 43 Bowes Wood, New Ash Green, Longfield, DA3 8QL, United Kingdom
To make a general enquiry, use the on-line form on the AGRA website.
Link to AGRA Website
