How to support our work

Deposit or Bequeath Your Research or Library Collection

Preserve your genealogical legacy by depositing or bequeathing your research or library collection to IHGS. Your collection—whether it includes research notes, certificates, pedigrees, photographs, digital files, or historical artefacts—will be securely stored, catalogued, and made accessible to IHGS members, researchers, and the public for future generations. This ensures both the safety of your materials and their value to the wider genealogical community.

Depositing Your Collection

We accept a wide range of materials for deposit, including but not limited to:

• Family histories and pedigrees
• Research notes
• Certificates
• Wills, probate transcriptions, and indexes
• Monumental inscriptions
• Poll books, army lists, school registers, and professional directories
• Pre-1841 census records
• UK migrant community and immigration records
• Textbooks
• Heraldry resources
• Royalty and peerage records

If you’re unsure about what to include, you can submit an inventory or photographs of your collection, and our team will assist in selecting suitable materials. We securely store both physical and digital collections, cataloguing them for easy retrieval. In some cases, access to specific items may be restricted due to legal requirements.

How to Deposit

1. Complete the application form to begin the process.

Download Application Form

       2. Sign the deposit agreement, transferring ownership of your collection to IHGS.

Download Deposit Agreement

      3. Make a one-off financial contribution to support cataloguing, digitisation, and storage costs (see our pricing details).

Pricing List

       4. Arrange and cover the cost of transferring your collection to IHGS in Canterbury.

Bequeathing Your Collection

You can also choose to leave your research collection to IHGS in your will, ensuring its preservation for future generations. To transfer copyright to IHGS, your solicitor can include a codicil similar to our sample codicil.

If you are an executor of an estate where a collection is not mentioned in the will and is not wanted by beneficiaries, you can complete the research deposit application and agreement to arrange its transfer to IHGS.

By depositing or bequeathing your collection, you contribute to the preservation of genealogical knowledge and support the mission of IHGS as a charitable organisation. Contact us today to learn more about safeguarding your research for future generations.