Bulk data for research
Explore how Free UK Genealogy’s records could support your research.
We welcome enquiries from academic researchers and others undertaking research with a clear public benefit. This page explains our approach to bulk data access, the costs of arranging an extract, and the information we need to assess your request.
You can express an interest while planning a project or preparing a funding application; you do not need to have every detail settled.
Availability and conditions depend on the records requested and their proposed use. Submitting an expression of interest does not guarantee access or commit you to paying a fee.
Data available for research
Bulk extracts are available from FreeBMD, FreeREG and FreeCEN, subject to an agreed scope and terms of use.
FreeBMD: births, marriages and deaths. Transcriptions of the civil registration indexes of births, marriages and deaths for England and Wales. These are index entries, rather than the full information contained in certificates.
FreeREG: baptisms, marriages and burials. Transcriptions of baptism, marriage and burial records from parish registers, non-conformist records and other relevant sources in the UK.
FreeCEN: census records. Transcriptions of historical census returns, providing information about individuals and their households.
Understanding coverage
Coverage varies by location and period, and transcription is ongoing. A dataset’s overall date range does not mean that every record within that period has been transcribed. We will confirm what can be supplied for your request.
Future access: FreePRO
FreePRO is our developing probate index project, using OCR alongside human transcription to make historic probate records more searchable and accessible.
The index contains information that may be useful for research, including names, addresses, occupations and estate values.
FreePRO is still in development and is not currently part of our bulk data service. We will update this page as future research access becomes available.
What we can provide
We can provide one-off extracts of existing transcribed records from FreeBMD, FreeREG and FreeCEN for approved research uses. Tell us which records, dates, places and fields would support your research, and we will assess what can be supplied.
The scope and file format will be agreed before an extract is prepared. Our standard provision covers an extract of existing data, rather than research or analysis carried out on your behalf. Requests involving substantial additional processing, data cleaning or linking may require separate assessment and an additional charge.
You do not need to know the exact number of records at the enquiry stage. A clear description of the material you need is enough for us to begin assessing your request. An indication of the record types and approximate years you need will also allow us to estimate the cost using our standard pricing model.
Costs of bulk data provision
Our websites remain free to search. Arranging a bulk extract is a separate service, and our charges contribute towards the administration, licensing, infrastructure and technical work involved in providing access.
For a standard one-off extract, the indicative cost is:
£1,000 organisational/access fee, plus £7 per million distinct records supplied.
For example, an extract containing 10 million distinct records would have an indicative cost of £1,070, before any applicable VAT.
We will confirm the scope and cost before you commit to an agreement. Additional charges may apply where a request involves substantial bespoke processing, cleaning, transformation or other technical work beyond a standard extract.
Pilot and feasibility projects
A limited extract for a pilot or feasibility project will normally have a reduced organisational/access fee of £500, plus the standard £7 per million distinct records supplied.
If the same project proceeds to a full extract within 12 months, £250 of the pilot access fee will be credited against the standard £1,000 access fee for the full project. The remaining £250 recognises the separate work involved in arranging and supplying the pilot extract.
The credit normally applies where the institution, research project and broad licensing arrangements remain substantially the same. Significant changes may require a fresh assessment.
Research with limited funding
Where limited funding would otherwise prevent worthwhile academic or public-benefit research, we may be able to consider a reduced fee. Please explain any funding constraints in your expression of interest. Concessions are considered individually and are not guaranteed.
All prices are in pounds sterling. VAT will be added where applicable.
What happens next
Once you submit an expression of interest, we will review the scope of the data you need, your proposed use and the likely volume of records involved.
We may contact you if we need further information before confirming what can be supplied. Where possible, we will then provide an indicative cost based on our standard pricing model.
If we are able to proceed, we will agree the final scope of the extract, the fee and any particular technical requirements with you. A written licence agreement will normally be required before the data is supplied.
The agreement will set out how the data may be used, stored and shared, together with any requirements around attribution, publication and deletion or retention at the end of the project.
Submitting an expression of interest does not create an obligation on either side. No data will be supplied, and no fee will become payable, until the arrangements have been agreed.