Jersey Archive

Further assistance

If you have questions before your visit, need help identifying records, or would like advice about researching a particular person, place, family or topic, please contact the Jersey Archive team at archives@jerseyheritage.org. Staff are also available to assist researchers during their visit.

Before contacting us, we recommend searching the Jersey Heritage Online Catalogue in the first instance. The catalogue provides access to descriptions of our archival, museum and archaeological collections, and the library and photographic collections of the Société Jersiaise, and will often answer common research questions. Many catalogue entries include digitised records, images and additional contextual information that may not be visible through internet search engines or third-party websites. More information about searching the catalogue is available on our Help page.

Researchers undertaking family, local or historical research may also wish to subscribe to the Jersey Heritage Online Catalogue. For an annual fee of £40, subscribers gain access to a growing range of digitised records and resources, enabling many enquiries to be researched independently without the need for a bespoke research request.

Paid research service

For those who are unable to visit in person, or who require further assistance, Jersey Archive may be able to undertake research on your behalf through its paid research service at £30 per hour, with a maximum of five hours’ research at any one time. This service is primarily intended to support family history and local history enquiries, although other research requests may also be considered.

Please note that Jersey Archive has limited staff resources and receives a high volume of enquiries. As a result, we cannot guarantee that all requests for paid research can be accepted, and we may need to prioritise enquiries according to available capacity and the nature of the research required.

Where Jersey Archive is unable to undertake research on your behalf, those pursuing family history enquiries may wish to contact the Jersey branch of the Channel Islands Family History Society (CIFHS), which offers its own research services and support.

We aim to respond to initial enquiries within two weeks, although more complex enquiries, research requests and copying orders may take longer to complete.

Using AI tools for research

Many researchers now use generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini and similar services to help locate information and prepare research enquiries. While these tools can be useful for identifying possible avenues of research, they do not conduct archival research, consult original records, or verify information against archival catalogues and sources.

As a result, AI-generated responses can sometimes contain inaccurate dates, names, descriptions, references, or citations to records that do not exist. In some cases, details may appear convincing despite having no basis in the archival record.

Researchers should also be aware that AI tools may draw upon limited information indexed by search engines while overlooking additional context, explanatory notes, or digitised records available through the Jersey Heritage Online Catalogue. This can result in incomplete or misleading conclusions. In many cases, a subscription may provide access to digitised records and supporting information not available through a general internet search.

If you have used an AI tool to prepare your enquiry, we recommend checking any references, quotations, dates, document descriptions, or other information against the Jersey Heritage Online Catalogue before contacting us.

If a reference cannot be located, this does not necessarily mean that the record has been lost, withheld, or never existed. It may reflect an incomplete citation, confusion between sources or collections, or information that has been generated inaccurately by an AI tool. Jersey Archive staff will be happy to advise on appropriate research methods and help researchers identify relevant verified sources wherever possible.

Copying services

Jersey Archive is able to provide copies of most records that are open to public access but have not been digitised and made available online. Copying charges apply, with a minimum charge of £5.

To request copies of documents identified through the Jersey Heritage Online Catalogue, please complete a copyright declaration form. Please ensure that the form includes your signature, full details of the documents required and your postal or email address

Further charges may apply depending on the volume and format requested. Please refer to our table of fees for details.

Legal and court records

Jersey Archive is responsible for the care of and provision of access to original records transferred from the Probate Division, Royal Court, Public Registry, Family Division and Magistrates Court. Since their transfer from the Judicial Greffe in 2001, Jersey Archive has developed a close working relationship with the legal profession to support access to these records.

The Archive can provide copies of cases from original records for legal firms and also welcomes authorised researchers wishing to consult original material in person.To request copies of legal cases, please complete a copyright declaration form and provide details of the relevant court, volume and page number. Charges are outlined in the current table of fees.

Legal firms and other organisations may also wish to consider a Corporate Subscription to the Jersey Heritage Online Catalogue. For an annual fee of £500, a Corporate Subscription provides access to a wide range of digitised records and resources, including Royal Court records and copies of selected court records not currently available online.