Staff on duty in the search rooms are happy to answer enquiries from the general public, whether in person, over the telephone, via letter or via email. Our enquiries normally relate to family history, the history of a house or piece of land, the history of a community, or research into a particular subject or topic. Before making an enquiry it is worth checking our detailed guides (available through the menu on the left) to research to check if your question has already been answered. You may also wish to consult the community history pages for enquiries relating to specific towns and parishes in Wiltshire. A maximum of twenty minutes per enquirer is currently available free of charge to help answer these enquiries.

Prolonged research 

Whilst we aim to provide as much information as we can by correspondence, we understand that many researchers would love to visit us and use the records we have available but are unable to do so for logistical reasons. If your enquiry requires more than twenty minutes research, we now offer a paid research service which can undertake prolonged searches for you.

The service can be used to:

• Research aspects of family history
• Investigate matters of local or community history
• Search for documents relating to the history of a house or building
• Find maps and plans relating to businesses

The paid research service can also take digital images of any record within our archives and provide them to enquirers on a disc.

The cost of using the service is £20 per hour. If you are interested in using the service or wish to discuss your requirements, please email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .