Terms of service

MY BRITISH ROOTS

Terms & Conditions

Last updated: 2026

These Terms & Conditions apply to services purchased from My British Roots (“My British Roots”, “we”, “us” or “our”).

Please read these Terms & Conditions together with our Research Agreement and Privacy Policy before purchasing or commissioning our services.

By placing an order with us, you agree to these Terms & Conditions. Where a Research Agreement is required, research will not begin until the required information and confirmations have been received.

Nothing in these Terms & Conditions affects your statutory rights as a consumer.

1. About My British Roots

My British Roots provides professional genealogical and family-history research services, reports and related products.

My British Roots
Trading name: My British Roots
Legal name: My British Roots
Business address: 10 Furnival Drive, Stoke Prior, Bromsgrove, B604FX
Email: support@mybritishroots.com
Website: mybritishroots.com

If My British Roots operates through a limited company in the future, the company name, registered number and registered office should be added here.

2. Our Services

We provide genealogical and family-history research services.

Our core services may include:

Snapshot — £99
A focused introductory piece of genealogical research into a specific person, connection or clearly defined question.

Essentials — £325
A broader genealogical investigation designed to develop a meaningful section of your family history.

Heritage — £725
A more extensive investigation allowing your ancestry and family story to be explored in greater depth.

Legacy — £1,495
Our most comprehensive standard research package, designed for customers seeking an extensive family-history project.

The precise scope and deliverables of your service will be those described on our website at the time you place your order.

We may introduce, remove or change services and prices from time to time. Changes will not retrospectively alter an order we have already accepted unless agreed with you.

3. Placing an Order

Orders are normally placed through our website.

You are responsible for checking that the package you purchase is appropriate for your requirements.

After placing an order, you may be asked to complete our research questionnaire and provide information necessary for us to begin your research.

Our acceptance of your order does not guarantee that any particular genealogical result will be discovered.

We reserve the right to decline a research project where we reasonably believe that we cannot provide the requested service, the request falls outside our expertise or service scope, there are legal or ethical concerns, or insufficient information is available to undertake meaningful research.

If we decline a project before substantive research has begun, any amount paid for the research service will be refunded.

4. Prices and Payment

Prices displayed on our website are stated in the currency shown at checkout.

Payment is normally required in full when an order is placed unless we expressly agree otherwise.

Any applicable taxes will be dealt with in accordance with applicable law and displayed or accounted for as required.

Customers purchasing from outside the United Kingdom are responsible for any charges imposed by their bank, card provider or payment provider in connection with currency conversion or international transactions.

We may change our prices at any time, but this will not affect orders already accepted.

5. What You Are Purchasing

When purchasing a genealogy package, you are purchasing our professional research service and the deliverables described for that package.

You are not purchasing a guaranteed number of ancestors, generations, records or discoveries.

Genealogical research depends upon surviving historical evidence.

Records may be:

missing;
destroyed;
inaccessible;
incorrectly indexed;
inaccurate;
incomplete;
illegible;
contradictory; or
unavailable for the relevant period or location.

Consequently, we cannot guarantee that research will reach a particular generation, identify a particular person, prove a family story or produce a particular result.

Further information about our research methodology and limitations is contained within our Research Agreement.

6. Information You Provide

You agree to provide information that is accurate to the best of your knowledge.

This may include names, dates, locations, family relationships, existing research, photographs, certificates and other documents.

You do not need to know every answer.

However, inaccurate information can cause research to follow an incorrect family line and may affect the work we are able to complete within the purchased package.

If substantial additional research becomes necessary because materially incorrect information was supplied to us, we will discuss this with you before undertaking work outside the original scope.

You must not knowingly provide material that you do not have the right to provide to us.

7. Research Questionnaire

We may require completion of our research questionnaire before work begins.

The questionnaire allows us to establish your known family information, research objectives and any existing evidence.

Our estimated research timescale will normally begin once:

payment has been received;
the required questionnaire has been submitted;
the Research Agreement has been accepted; and
we have received the information reasonably necessary to begin the project.

If we need clarification before research can begin, the timescale may begin once that clarification has been received.

8. Estimated Completion Times

Our usual target timescales are approximately:

Snapshot: 5–7 working days
Essentials: 2–3 weeks
Heritage: 3–4 weeks
Legacy: 4–6 weeks

These are estimates rather than guaranteed delivery dates unless we have expressly agreed a specific deadline with you.

Genealogical research can occasionally require additional investigation or depend upon third-party archives and databases.

We will make reasonable efforts to keep you informed if a significant delay occurs.

9. Additional Research and Costs

Your purchase covers the research included within your selected package.

Research can sometimes reveal additional branches, ancestors or questions that would benefit from further investigation.

We will not automatically charge you for additional research.

Where additional work falls outside your package, we may explain the available options and offer further research for an additional fee.

You are under no obligation to purchase additional research.

Similarly, where research would require an unusually significant third-party expense — such as purchasing a specialist archive record — we will seek your agreement before incurring that expense on your behalf.

10. Historical Evidence and Research Conclusions

Genealogy involves interpreting historical evidence.

We will make reasonable professional efforts to distinguish established evidence from hypotheses or uncertain conclusions.

Historical records may contain errors and different records may contradict one another.

New evidence may also become available after your research has been completed.

Accordingly, genealogical conclusions represent our reasonable interpretation of the evidence available during the research project and should not be regarded as an absolute guarantee of biological or legal relationships.

Our Research Agreement provides further information about how we approach evidence and uncertainty.

11. Sensitive or Unexpected Discoveries

Family-history research can reveal unexpected information.

Examples may include adoption, illegitimacy, previously unknown relatives, disputed parentage, criminal proceedings, institutionalisation, family separation, deaths or other sensitive historical circumstances.

By commissioning genealogy research, you acknowledge that such discoveries are possible.

Where relevant to the research, we will aim to present sensitive findings factually, respectfully and within appropriate historical context.

12. Living Individuals

Our principal focus is historical genealogical research.

Information concerning living individuals will be handled with appropriate care and in accordance with our Privacy Policy and applicable data-protection law.

You should not provide private or sensitive information relating to another living person unless you have an appropriate basis for doing so.

We may decline to investigate or disclose information concerning living people where we consider this inappropriate, disproportionate or legally problematic.

13. DNA

DNA testing and detailed genetic genealogy analysis are not included within our standard research packages unless expressly stated otherwise.

You should not send raw DNA data to us unless we have specifically requested it as part of a service designed to handle such information.

DNA-related services may be governed by additional terms and privacy requirements.

14. Your Completed Report

Research deliverables are normally supplied digitally.

Depending upon the package purchased, your finished material may include:

a professionally designed family-history report;
ancestor profiles;
family-tree information;
historical context;
timelines;
maps;
historical record extracts or images where permitted;
photographs supplied by you; and
source and research information.

The exact deliverables depend upon the package purchased.

Physical books, printing, framing, postage and other physical products are not included unless specifically stated.

15. Corrections

We take reasonable care when preparing our research and reports.

If you believe we have made a factual, transcription or presentation error, please contact us with details.

Where we determine that an error has been made by us, we will correct the relevant part of the digital report without additional charge.

This does not include:

information that was incorrect when supplied to us;
newly discovered evidence;
changes in interpretation caused by new evidence;
additional family branches;
additional research questions; or
substantial alterations requested for personal preference.

Such requests may require additional research or design work and may be quoted separately.

16. Customer Delays and Non-Response

Genealogical research sometimes requires clarification from the customer.

If we contact you requesting information that is reasonably necessary to continue your project, the research may be paused until we receive a response.

Any estimated completion date may therefore be extended.

If you do not respond for an extended period, we may place the project on hold.

We will make reasonable attempts to contact you before treating a project as inactive.

17. Cancellation Rights

If you are a consumer purchasing our services online, you may have a statutory right to cancel your service contract within 14 days of the contract being made.

Nothing in these Terms & Conditions limits your statutory cancellation rights.

Because genealogy research is personalised and we may be able to begin shortly after receiving your questionnaire, you may choose to expressly request that we begin providing the service during the 14-day cancellation period.

Where you make such a request and subsequently cancel before the service has been fully performed, you may be required to pay a proportionate amount for the services supplied up to the point at which you informed us of your cancellation, as permitted by applicable law.

Where the service has been fully performed during the cancellation period following your express request to begin and the legally required acknowledgement concerning the loss of the cancellation right has been provided, your statutory right to cancel may end once the service has been fully performed.

Your questionnaire contains a separate confirmation where you can expressly request that research begins during the cancellation period.

18. How to Cancel

If you wish to exercise a statutory right to cancel, please contact us clearly stating that you wish to cancel.

You can contact us at:

Email: support@mybritishroots.com

You may provide your name, order number and sufficient information for us to identify your order.

You do not need to provide a reason when exercising a statutory cancellation right.

Where required by law, you may also use the model cancellation form provided at the end of these Terms, although use of that form is not compulsory.

19. Refunds

Where you validly exercise a statutory right to cancel before research has begun, we will provide any refund required by law.

If you expressly requested that research begin during the statutory cancellation period and work has already been undertaken when you cancel, we may deduct or charge the proportionate amount permitted by law for services supplied before cancellation.

Nothing in this section affects any right you may have to a refund or other remedy where services have not been provided with reasonable care and skill or otherwise fail to conform to your statutory rights.

Refunds will normally be made using the original payment method unless otherwise agreed or required.

20. Digital and Personalised Deliverables

Our genealogy reports are created specifically for individual customers.

Once research has been completed, the resulting report is normally delivered electronically.

Any statutory rights applicable to services, digital content or personalised products remain unaffected by these Terms.

Nothing in these Terms seeks to remove rights that cannot lawfully be excluded.

21. Intellectual Property

Genealogical facts themselves are not owned by My British Roots.

However, original material created by us may be protected by intellectual-property rights.

This can include:

original written narratives;
report layouts and designs;
graphics;
branding;
illustrations;
original research commentary; and
other original creative material.

When you purchase a research package, you may use your completed report for personal and family purposes.

You may share it with relatives and print copies for your personal use.

You must not commercially reproduce, resell or republish substantial original My British Roots material, templates, branding or report designs without our permission.

22. Material You Provide to Us

You retain ownership of photographs, documents and other material you provide to us where you own the relevant rights.

You grant us permission to use that material as reasonably necessary to carry out your research and create your commissioned report.

We will not use identifiable private family photographs or your completed family-history report for public marketing or promotional purposes without obtaining appropriate permission.

Third-party archive material remains subject to any copyright, licence or usage restrictions imposed by its owner or provider.

23. Third-Party Websites, Archives and Databases

Our research may use information from third-party services, archives and genealogy databases.

We do not control these organisations.

We are therefore not responsible for:

inaccuracies in their records;
transcription errors;
incorrect indexing;
temporary service outages;
changes to their collections;
records being removed or restricted; or
changes to third-party access policies.

We will use reasonable care when interpreting information obtained from such sources.

24. Liability

We do not exclude or limit liability where it would be unlawful to do so.

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, or any other liability that cannot legally be excluded.

We provide genealogy services for personal family-history purposes.

Our research should not be relied upon as professional legal, medical, financial, inheritance or nationality advice.

In particular, a genealogy report should not be relied upon by itself as legal proof of:

inheritance rights;
entitlement to an estate;
citizenship or nationality;
biological parentage; or
another legal status.

Where you require evidence for a legal process, you should obtain appropriate professional advice.

25. Events Outside Our Reasonable Control

We will not be responsible for delay caused by circumstances outside our reasonable control.

Examples may include major technical failures, third-party archive closures, prolonged database outages, serious illness or other events that materially prevent the service being provided.

Where such an event significantly affects your project, we will take reasonable steps to minimise the impact and communicate with you.

Your statutory rights remain unaffected.

26. Complaints

We want customers to be pleased with both the research process and the finished family history.

If something has gone wrong, please contact us first so that we have an opportunity to investigate and resolve the issue.

Email: support@mybritishroots.com

Please include your name, order number and a description of the issue.

We will aim to acknowledge complaints promptly and provide a substantive response within a reasonable period.

Nothing in this complaints procedure affects your statutory rights.

27. Privacy and Data Protection

We process personal information in accordance with our Privacy Policy and applicable data-protection law.

Because genealogy can involve information about family members and historical records, our Privacy Policy should be read alongside these Terms and our Research Agreement.

28. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms & Conditions from time to time.

The Terms applying to your order will normally be those in force when your order was placed, subject to any changes required by law or expressly agreed between us.

The current version will be available through our website.

29. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales.

If you are a consumer resident elsewhere in the United Kingdom or another jurisdiction, you may also benefit from mandatory consumer protections applicable in your place of residence.

Nothing in these Terms deprives you of consumer protections that cannot lawfully be excluded.

Model Cancellation Form

Complete and return this form only if you wish to cancel the contract.

To:
My British Roots

10 Furnival Drive, Stoke Prior, Bromsgrove, B604FX
Email: support@mybritishroots.com
Website: mybritishroots.com

I hereby give notice that I cancel my contract for the supply of the following service:

Service ordered: ______________________________

Order number: _________________________________

Ordered on: ___________________________________

Name of consumer: _____________________________

Address of consumer: __________________________

Signature of consumer: ________________________
(only if this form is submitted on paper)

Date: _________________________________________

Contact Us

If you have any questions about these Terms & Conditions, please contact:

Your story started here.