Record Copying Fees

[M.T.H]

Hi folks,

To my great suprise, I recently discovered that my ggrandfather and his brother were sent out to Canada as part of the Home Children emigration scheme in 1890.

I posted a request for help on the Canada boards and received some fantastic help and support from everyone in my quest to find out more.

We were able to determine which organisation sent the boys out from details on a passenger manifest. I discovered that the organisation still exists as a registered charity in the UK, so I emailed them to ask if they had an archive, and if they did, whether there would be any records relating to my ggrandfather and his brother.

I received a reply from the post adoption manager telling me that yes, they do have  detailed records about the boys and gave me a description of the documents and the type of information they can contain.

They then dropped the bombshell, that if I would like photocopies sent to me it would cost me £50!!!!!

To say that I'm quite shocked at this charge is something of an understatement, when I questioned it their reply was;

We are a charity and rely heavily on the donations we receive to enable us to do the work we do.  The fees we charge are only a small contribution towards the actual cost involved in terms of time spent by paid staff in the careful checking and collating of records, be they adoption, fostering, residential or emigration records.  Obviously the fee would also apply if someone were to visit us in person, though we would keep it at £50 despite the extra time involved.

I would of been happy to have made a reasonable donation! but for now, they have priced this information out of my reach.

I just wanted to put the question to the wider Rootschat community, is this charge reasonable? and to warn others who might be considering similar research.


Cheers,

Mick

[stanmapstone]

Tyne and Wear Archive Services charge £25 an hour. So for 1-2 hours it would be £50. Durham County Record Office also charge £50 for up to 2 hours research.
Stan

[M.T.H]

Hi Stan,

I had supplied them with all the details they needed. They told me that it was because I had given them such detailed information (sailing dates, ship name, ports and also the names of the priest and the Nuns that escorted them as well as the full details of the boys concerned) that they were able to locate the records.

Can't see that they had an awful lot of research left to do, if any at all!

Mick

[PaulineJ]

Sorry to disagree, but I really don't think that the charge is extortionate. Apart from anything else, you are just viewing the time to collect the records from the archive; How much has it cost the charity to maintain and store that archive for the last 115 years?...

You have also (you write) been given a detailed description of what you will get.
That's far more than most enquirers know when money is sent off. Also, (for now at least) that charge is outside your means. Well, I can empathise with that but bottom line is that it isn't a charity for your personal benefit.

Sorry (again),
Pauline

[behindthefrogs]

If you really want to pay for research try the Royal College of Arms.  I was quoted £125 to provide a copy of a coat of arms and the pedigree that supported it when I had supplied all the supporting information.  I had said that I didn't need a copy of the actual arms, the blazon (formal description)would be sufficient if it was easier.

If they have any sort of filing system it should have taken more than fifteen minutes to provide what I required.

David

[indiapaleale]

I , too, think that £50 is not an unfair charge for the records.

I have 7 children (my grandfather's nephews and nieces) who were sent to Canada as British Home Children and, through the kindness of the volunteers at the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa, I was able to obtain records of 6 of these children.

The records held by the sending organization, in my case, Middlemore Homes, contain facts that I could never have otherwise gleaned regarding the children's home life and the circumstances that led to their placement in the orphanage.

I was happy to send more money than I was quoted for these documents that are now so valuable to me as I continue my search for my relatives.

I'm sorry if the £50 is beyond your means at the moment but I believe that if you can manage to spring for it in the future you will find it worth your while.

India
2nd cousin of the & Aldridge (Alldridge) children from Birmingham

[suey]

Hello Mick, my mothers brother was shipped out to Canada when he was 11, she never saw him again, she is 90 now.

It cost my family £100.00 in all to find information regarding both him and my mum from the time they were taken into 'care' To us it was worth every penny and we have subsequently had a reunion with our Canadian cousin who we never knew existed until two years ago.

As Pauline said at least you know what you're getting, we had no guarantee that the RO's would find anything at all.

We're all so used to the kind folk on here and other forums, including your goodself, who give freely of their time and knowledge that sometimes it seems hard when we have to put our hand in our pocket...all I can say is if you want those documents badly enough better start saving    

Suey

[KathMc]

Mick,

I can understand why you would feel it is a lot of money. I know at this point it isn't something I would be able to afford, but as everyone has said, it is a reasonable amount. And considering you will know what you are getting, it's a great deal. I have had to pay for research, only to find there were no results, and I was still out the money. So, forgo certs for the next few months and tuck the money aside for this. I do believe it will be well worth it.

Kath

[behindthefrogs]

There is unfortunately a huge difference between paying £50 pounds for information about intimate family which proves invaluable and paying the same sum in order to make a minor step on a line of research.  I agree that it is worthwhile in the former but frequently can't justify it in the latter case.  I often wonder if those bodies which charge large sums for information which they have readily available would not find it more profitable if it were cheaper and available to those pursuing a line of research.  That is even taking into account what it has already cost to put together.

Looking back on my experience I can think of many occasions when I have not paid for information which I would have readily purchased at £10 or less.  I think we were both losers.

David