Leading expert in Chancery records
Tudor and Stuart records
Transcription of hard to read documents
Palaeography one-to-one tutorials
Areas of Expertise
Lifetime’s professional research experience in place-based original records, with 40 years’ experience as a historical researcher in
Courts of Equity
Deeds
Manorial Records
House History
Bringing to life the former owners and earlier inhabitants of an old house
Family History
Bringing pre 18th century ancestors to life using legal and place-based records
Village/Manor History
Expand a house or family history into full village or manorial history
Local History
Using original rectords to bring ordinary people in ordinary places to life
Academic Research
Research support for academics, with speciality in Equity court records, particularly Chancery
Legal Research
Historical record service for lawyers, in original records in the National Archives
Professional Research for Academic and Amateur Historians
Susan Moore is a specialist in the records of the Equity Courts, particularly the Court of Chancery. Her entire working career has been spent as a freelance professional historical researcher since graduation from the University of St Andrews in the 1970s.
Although now based in Somerset, Susan spends most of her time carrying out research in the National Archives, visiting other archives as the need arises, so there is scarcely an archive or type of record that has not been looked at during her long career.
Land ownership and occupation is at the heart of most of the current projects, with successful completion of
- Biography of 150 people associated with a medieval manor house
- The history of a Somerset village and manor
- The history of various gentry families in north west Devon
- Work on tax records in the National Archives to clarify the medieval and early modern ownership and occupation of lands in north west Wales, and
- A long project researching the move by a family to the far west of Cornwall from the Devon border, now confirmed as the early 1580s by records of the court of the Star Chamber.
All research is undertaken personally by Susan Moore.
Research Services
Commissioning Your Project
Get in Touch
Contact Susan outlining your request, with full details of the information you already have and what you hope to find
Develop Strategy
A research programme will include an ongoing list of potentially relevant sources
The Research
All work is charged on a time basis, and most research tend to extend to several days, in some cases weeks
The Report
In two parts: full research notes, and a detailed explanation of what has been found, with image of relevant document
Testimonials
You are, by a country mile, the best researcher I have had the pleasure to collaborate with.
Thank you for your patience, competence, & clarity. Many researchers do their job, & all deserve full credit, however your especial respect for clues of an amateur allowed me to feel included throughout this project, which is to your good account.
You are grounded in facts, yet see fuzzy old clues as a way to search outside the box, for more of the story.
It has been fascinating to read about people’s daily lives and how the village used to be, aside from the useful family information.
Finally had a chance to read through the latest report - what a fascinating slice of manorial history! Lovely stuff, thanks again. Quite the incredible list of character assassinations in the latest report! My wife and I were very entertained reading through it. What a messy situation, and it is nice to get a touch of gender equality in the history of the manor's rogues!
Thank you very much for your courteous and prompt attention to my cause and the several queries arising therefrom. I'm greatly indebted to your advice and for your research on my behalf.
