Our membership
We’re a diverse community – expert, novice, published historian, first-time tree-tracer – learning and improving together, sharing ideas and advice, generous with our knowledge and time.
By joining you'll gain access to many types of rich and unique resource, education and training, but one of the greatest benefits is becoming part of our member community and being able to call on the knowledge and expertise of so many family historians across the UK and the world.
Family history research can be a solitary activity and our new members tell us it’s so useful and refreshing to be able to speak with others who share their interest and who can help them overcome barriers in their research.
See below for an explanation of our membership types. If you have any questions please get in touch.
Membership options
Public access
In the Learn section of this website there are family research guides and tips that are open to everyone. You can also conduct basic searches of our online digital collections without charge.
You can sign up to attend any of our talks, lectures and courses. Non-members pay a surcharge, but attendance is open to all. And likewise with our shop – you can browse or purchase without having to be a member.
As we are a self-funded charity, with no government funding, we rely on membership fees and donations to preserve our collections and keep the society going. So if you’ve tried a few things online or attended a course we’d ask you to think about becoming a member or maybe making a donation.
We are working to preserve the records of everyday lives and make them available to anyone wanting to understand where they’ve come from and any support you can give is hugely welcome.
Associate members
Associate member have full access to our online digital collections and catalogue plus our expert team of professional genealogists. They also get the chance to tap into our member community whose expertise and experience covers any research question you’re ever likely to encounter.
Associate members get:
- A selection of free member-only sessions (such as our paleography club and book club, as well as our brick wall busting and lunchtime sessions)
-Access to our online digital collections
- Quarterly Digital Genealogists’ Magazine
- Our team of professional genealogists and member community experts
- Access to talks and lectures and our online shop at a member's rate
- 50% discount on visitor passes to our London library
£56.00, annually.
Full members
Full membership grants you everything that’s available to associate members plus access to the crown jewels of genealogy – our magnificent collections – housed in our London-based library.
Full members get:
- Full access to our London-based library and its unique records and collections
- Use of the main pay-per-view or subscription family history websites while you’re in the library
- A selection of free online member-only sessions (such as our paleography club and book club, as well as our brick wall busting and lunchtime sessions)
- Access to our online digital collections
- Quarterly Digital Genealogists’ Magazine
- Our team of professional genealogists and member community experts
- Access to talks and lectures and our online shop at a member's rate
Please note that we are currently closed while we set up our new research centre and library.
£80.00, annually.