Thank you for considering choosing Lancastrian Research for your local and family history enquiries.

I can help you with all kinds of historical research queries focused on the Lancaster (UK) district. From discovering the history of your house or exploring an ancestor’s past to helping research and answer your local history questions, I am very happy to be involved with projects both large and small.

I use a wide variety of sources both digital and archival obtained from numerous repositories to investigate your questions. Along with my findings I can provide photographs, maps or videos or can even arrange to meet you to give you a personalised guided tour around the sites connected with your enquiry (subject to access).

My background as a social historian means I seek to discover the stories behind your enquiry. Facts are useful but rarely give us the full picture of what life was like for your ancestors or the building you’re researching. I aim to provide as rounded an impression as possible in my findings.

Examples of Past Work

• A client asked me to track down his relatives who had ended up in the workhouse and sanatorium. Parish and poor law records provided dates and reasons and confirmation of an adoption were discovered along with burial information.

• A customer wanted to find out about how and when his period home was connected to Lancaster’s growing electricity and telephone services in the late 19th century, this was part of a wider research project into Lancaster’s early electricity generating schemes.

• One client had a Lancastrian Suffragette as an ancestor; her political life was well documented but the customer wanted to know how her later life unfolded and where she was buried.

• Another enquirer owns a 17th century Lancaster cottage and wanted to find out as much about the past occupants as possible.

• A customer had discovered the name of the yard where her ancestor had lived but struggled to locate it. The location was found and maps and photos of the site today were provided.

• A consulting firm working for a property developer wanted to find out the history of a semi-derelict 18th century property and map the development of the building and surroundings over time as well as investigating a possible connection that the original owners were involved in the slave trade.

• A client wanted to find out if the forced sale and demolition of an ancestor’s business or their criminal convictions were contributing factors in their untimely death.