Making an enquiry

We can give advice about our sources and provide references to collections which we believe may be of use to you in your research free of charge. If you are unable to visit in person to look at the records then we offer a research service. We charge £35 per hour with a minimum charge of £17 for a 1/2 hour search and a maximum of 2 hours. For more lengthy paid research we can supply a list of local record agents.

What we need to know
Please explain clearly the information that you require and include any relevant details or documents that might help us. If you are contacting us by email it is useful for us to know if you are local and able to visit the office if necessary.

Merchant Seamen enquiries >
To search the Central Index Register of Merchant Seamen we charge £15 which entitles you to a search for up to 3 people with the same family surname and copies of anything we find.

Baptism Certificates
The cost of searching for and producing a certified copy of a baptism entry is £3.10, although the certificate is free if you visit and look for the entry yourself.

Certified copies of Motor vehicle registration documents
Searches can only be made for these by providing the registration number. The distinguishing letters used by Southampton County Borough Council were OW, TR and CR. The cost of a certified copy is £1.50, including postage. Uncertified copies are charged at our standard copying rate of 20p per A4 sheet.

How to pay
Payment should be sent to us by cheque or Postal Order, in sterling currency only, made payable to 'Southampton City Council'. We are not able to accept payment by credit card.