County Record Offices

Surrey History Centre

Your area may have a local history centre and will definitely be worth visiting. My local history centre based in Woking, Surrey is a very good example, which I visit personally and via their online resources. The Surrey History Centre has proved to be a very good friend throughout my research and has provided me with invaluable information about my Surrey ancestors.

To discover what is available online, go to Surrey County Council, http://www.surreycc.gov.uk/surreyhistorycentre.

The Surrey History Centre is a resource of printed materials (archives, books and collections) relating to Surrey’s past and present. At step 1 choose ‘Archives or books’ and then ‘Collections’.

Surrey History Centre Defections Catalogue

For a Basic Search, enter your search below and click on the SEARCH button.

I searched through the extremely interesting collection and eventually came across the names of two possible ancestors:

Item ref: 892/5/15

Grant of annuity by StephenTickner of Bramley in Shalford, husbandman, to John Balchin of Thorncombe Street, Shalford, yeoman, and Richard Punter of Bramley, yeoman.

Close or croft of land and pasture called The Heather Bonners (6a), through which a footway leads from Hascombe towards Bramley; and parcel of pasture and woodground called Bonners Brooke (lOa).

The premises lie together in Bramley abutting E on a close of Stephen Tickner called The Upper Bonners, W on the highway between Hascombe and Guildford, N on a close called The Further Bridges, parcel of Burtley Farm, and S on two other closes of Stephen Tickner called The Barne Field and The Plottes.

A £5 annuity out of the premises is to be paid jointly to Balchin and Punter and their heirs as a dower for Margaret, now wife of Stephen Tickner, for her life time, should she survive her husband; the first payment to be made at the first quarterly festival after Tickner’s death. Steward’s memorandum, nd [?c.l700], is endorsed that a quit rent to the manor of Bramley is payable on Bonners and that this deed is of use in identifying where the premises are.

Date(s):26Febl625

Item ref: 892/5/23

Grant by John Caryll of Tangley, esq, lord of the manor of Bramley, to William Tickner of Bramley, esq.

Cottage, garden and orchard (½a) at Palmers Cross in Bramley.

The lord grants the premises, which are already in Tickner’s occupation, to be held of the manor of Bramley on a 1000 year lease at 12d rent pa and two fat hens, payable at the manor house at Tangley, suit of court, heriot 5s and relief 5s.

Date(s): 28 Sep 1652

What was most interesting about this find was the fact that two other possible family names were also included, Balchin and Punter, and to me this meant I was on the right track and would now start obtaining sources from church and manorial records to prove this branch of my family history.

A visit to the Surrey History Centre produced the original source documents enabling me to have photocopies taken for my family file (see the example showing Stephen Tickner’s marriage to Margaret Punter). This is only one example of what I found. Original sources are often not easy to read so it is worth obtaining a copy to study at your convenience.

Although I could see the original manorial document, obtaining a copy was difficult which is why I have only this small piece above. The document dated 26 February 1624 was on beautiful thick waxy paper, but was quite fragile. I could have ordered copies via their website as the Surrey History Centre offers a Digitisation Service that provides copies of documents that are not suitable for photocopying. For those unable to visit the Surrey History Centre they also offer a paid research facility.

If you go back to the main page and select ‘How to use Surrey History Centre’ you will be given the following information:

At Surrey History Centre you can …

• visit our search room to consult documents and local studies materials
• get advice on sources relevant to your research
• attend events and view special exhibitions
• watch archive films
• use your portable computer
• use our refreshment room
• use the Internet and CD-ROMs for research
• buy books, cards, maps and gifts in person in our foyer or by post from Surrey County Council’s Online Shop.

When you visit …

• it is advisable to book: please telephone us on 01483 518737
• bring a Surrey County Libraries ticket or a County Archive Research Network (CARN) card to use our collections. If you do not have either of these, bring something official as proof of ID and address, such as a driving licence or bank statement
• bring pencils ro write with (no pens)
• bring a 20p piece for a locker to store your belongings, including handbags. For coats there are secure hangers for which you will need a £1 coin. Both coins are returnable.

Surrey History Centre can also …

• offer, free of charge, advice and information about our archives and local studies collections
• provide brief answers to telephone enquiries
• supply copies from our catalogues and finding aids
• provide digital copies of documents
• provide fiche copies and film copies of many Surrey parish registers
• provide photocopies of documents – see Surrey History Centre table of fees
• provide a research service at a reasonable hourly charge
• help educational users of all ages to make the most of original sources – see our Surrey history resources for teachers
• give guided tours of our facilities to groups by appointment
• visit your local group or society to give talks
• offer advice on donating and loaning to Surrey History Centre
• offer advice from our Conservation Section on caring for your records
• encourage use of sources in local areas through our outreach programme.

Surrey History Centre, 130 Goldsworth Road, Woking, Surrey GU21 6ND Tel: 01483 518737 Email: shs@surreycc.gov.uk

In the last section above, whilst on their websites, if you click on the fourth bullet point down’provide digital copies of documents’ you will be tkaken to the Digitisation of archive and library material page and here you can look at the service provided and the list of costs for this service:

Surrey History Centre services and table of fees

Certified copies
Photocopies
Microform copies
Digital imaging service
Reproductions of historic maps of Surrey
Books
Paid research service (See table below).
Publication fees

Below are the costs for the Digital imaging and paid research services:

Digital imaging service

	Fee at SHC	Handling fee for postal orders within UK and EU	Handling fee for postal order from rest of world
A4 basic paper	£3.50 (£2.98+52p VAT)	£2.00 per order (£1.71 + 29p VAT)	£2.00 per order
A4 photo quality paper	£7.00 (£5.96+££l.04 VAT)	£2.00 per order (£1.71 + 29p VAT)	£2.00 per order
A3 basic paper	£7.00 (£5.96+£1.04VAT)	£2.00 per order (£1.71 + 29p VAT)	£2.00 per order
A3 photo quality paper	£14.00 (£11.92 + £2.08 VAT)	£2.00 per order (£1.71 + 29p VAT)	£2.00 per order
Images on CD	£6.00 (£5.11 + 89p VAT) for first image £3.00 (2.56 + 44p VAT) for subsequent ones	£2.00 per order (£1.71 + 29p VAT)	£2.00 per order
Copies of Dennis photographs	No public photography permitted of these items. Copies provided by SHC digital imaging service with additional charge of £5.00 (£4.25 + 75p VAT) per item for conservation of Dennis Archive	£2.00 per order (£1.71 + 29p VAT)	£2.00 per order

Paid research service

	VAT is shown for UK and EU orders	Fee for orders from rest of world
½ hour	£11.00 (9.36 + £1.64 VAT)	£22.00
1½ hours	£33.00 (£28.09 + £4.91 VAT)	£33.00
2 hours	£44.00 (37.45 + £6.55 VAT)	£44.00
2½ hours	£55.00 (£46.81 + £8.19 VAT)	£55.00
3 hours	£66.00 (£56.17 + £9.98 VAT)	£66.00

You can order a wide variety of documentation. The costs are listed on their website.