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Researching local and family history is a pastime that has become more and more popular in recent years, with television programmes such as 'Who do you think you are?' and 'House Detectives' reflecting this trend and inspiring people to have a go.

This guide aims to help those who want to begin the research process, but are not sure where to start. Following the links on this page will lead you to straight forward explanations of where to start and what resources are available (many of them free) to the budding history detective.

Researching local and family history can become a fascinating and rewarding hobby, but be warned, it can also be extremely time consuming and occasionally fruitless and frustrating when trails go cold or lead to a dead end!