What Anglia Research does

Anglia Research is a UK-based probate genealogy firm founded in 1979 in Ipswich by Peter Turvey, specialising in tracing missing beneficiaries, verifying family trees, and locating next of kin for intestate and unclaimed estates. The firm serves three primary customer groups: individual beneficiaries who may be entitled to inheritance shares, solicitors and probate practitioners requiring family-tree verification and expert research, and local authorities needing next-of-kin location and property tracing services. It also maintains a specialist Caribbean research capability via a Jamaica-based associate and regional lead, serving diaspora inheritance cases across Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago.

Core services are delivered by a team of professionally accredited genealogists using genealogical databases, historical records and census data, supported by a global network of over 200 research agents that enable cross-border beneficiary tracing. Anglia Research distinguishes itself through its concentration of accredited genealogists, AGRA and APR membership, FCA-authorised Missing Beneficiary Indemnity Insurance, ISO 9001 quality management, Cyber Essentials and Good Business Charter accreditation. The firm operates multiple offices across the UK (Ipswich HQ, London, Southport, Edinburgh), Ireland (Dublin) and the Caribbean (Kingston, Jamaica).

Anglia Research is family-owned and controlled by the Turvey family, with Peter Turvey (founder and Managing Director), Philip Turvey (Executive Director) and Richard Turvey (Case Operations Manager) holding senior leadership. Revenue is generated primarily through contingency fees of typically 15%-plus-VAT to 40% of inheritance value recovered, supplemented by fees from its FCA-regulated indemnity insurance product and ancillary services such as financial asset and bankruptcy searches, estate distribution guidance, and media consultancy. The firm has no external institutional investment or private equity backing.

Name

Anglia Research

Legal name

Anglia Research Services Limited

Website

https://angliaresearch.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Anglia Research is a UK probate genealogy firm founded in 1979 that traces missing beneficiaries and verifies family trees for individual heirs, solicitors, and local authorities, using a global network of 200+ research agents and a regulated indemnity insurance product.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Probate Genealogy Services

NAICS

Trusts, Estates, and Agency Accounts (52592)

akta.pro primary industry

Estate & Probate Administration Services (FSAEAKAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Estate Planning & Trust Structuring Advisory (FSAEAKAC)

Keywords

• Probate genealogy research
• Missing beneficiary tracing
• Family tree verification
• Intestacy research services
• Heir location services

Headquarters

HQ city

Ipswich

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Probate Genealogy Research Services: The company takes a percentage of any inheritance due to beneficiaries they locate and assist. Fee structure is based on contingency/performance model where payment is received upon successful claim resolution. One source mentions typical industry fees ranging between 15% plus VAT to 40% of inheritance value.
2. Missing Beneficiary Indemnity Insurance: Anglia Research is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority for indemnity insurance business, offering Missing Beneficiary Indemnity (MBI) policies to Personal Representatives as a protective product alongside their research services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Anglia Research is a probate genealogy firm that traces missing beneficiaries and heirs entitled to shares of unclaimed or intestate estates, verifies family trees for estate administration, locates next of kin for public sector intestacy cases, and provides FCA-authorised Missing Beneficiary Indemnity Insurance. The firm operates a global network of over 200 research agents, with particular specialisation in Caribbean genealogy, and serves individual beneficiaries, solicitors, and local authorities.

Product overview

Anglia Research is a probate genealogy firm offering a comprehensive suite of research services to locate missing beneficiaries and heirs. The core product is probate genealogy research, supported by specialized modules including family tree verification, statutory will research for Court of Protection, Missing Beneficiary Indemnity Insurance (FCA-authorized), international bankruptcy and insolvency searches, financial asset searches, estate distribution guidance, property tracing, media consultancy, and public sector services. The company serves three primary client segments: beneficiaries/relatives entitled to inheritance, legal professionals and probate practitioners, and public sector organizations. Research is conducted through a global network of over 200 agents, with particular expertise in Caribbean genealogy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Finding Missing Beneficiaries Tracing missing beneficiaries named in wills or entitled under intestacy rules, ranging from simple address verification to complex international research cases using a global network of over 200 research agents.
• Family Tree Verification Service

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully traced thousands of missing heirs in the UK and around the world with an enviably high success rate
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Barnardo'scoreOthers · 1 September 2024Two-year charity partnership running until September 2026. Anglia Research supports Barnardo's through fundraising campaigns, employee donations, and awareness initiatives. The partnership acknowledges Barnardo's role in assisting cases where deceased persons were in their care as children.
• Association of Probate Researchers (APR)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2017Founding corporate member of APR, the first serious attempt to bring independent regulation to the unregulated probate research industry. APR is recognised by the Professional Paralegal Register and offers independent complaints procedure and compensation scheme. Peter Turvey serves as director.
• Association of Genealogists and Researchers in Archives (AGRA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional membership organization. Peter Turvey is a member and former chairman; team members bound by AGRA's strict code of ethics. The company declines participation in BBC's Heir Hunters TV series citing concerns about client confidentiality.
• Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)coreOthersAuthorised and regulated by the FCA for indemnity insurance business. Enables the company to offer Missing Beneficiary Indemnity Insurance products to Personal Representatives.
• Good Business CharterminorOthersAccredited by the Good Business Charter for meeting 10 elements of responsible business including Real Living Wage, fair hours, employee wellbeing, EDI, environmental responsibility, and prompt payment.
• Commonwealth War Graves CommissionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on locating next of kin for war graves. Assisted in tracing descendants of WWI hero Private Edward Price for CWGC grave restoration ceremony.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP): STEP is the global professional body for trust and estate practitioners, setting standards for the advisers and firms that frequently engage probate genealogists like Anglia Research. It is comparable as an ecosystem participant shaping the regulatory and professional environment in which Anglia operates.

Broad incumbents

• MyHeritage: MyHeritage is a global consumer genealogy and DNA-testing platform with extensive international records. It competes indirectly with Anglia Research for consumer genealogy interest and could expand into probate research services, making it a broad incumbent in adjacent family-history territory.
• Ancestry: Ancestry operates the largest consumer genealogy platform globally with deep historical records and family-tree datasets. While its primary business is consumer-facing rather than probate-specific, its records infrastructure and emerging probate-adjacent services make it a broad incumbent that could pressure traditional research firms over time.

Direct peers

• Finders International: Finders International is one of the largest UK probate genealogy firms, offering missing-beneficiary tracing, family tree verification, and related services to solicitors, executors, and public-sector clients. It directly competes with Anglia Research across the same three core client segments and uses a similar contingency fee model.
• Sterling Research (probate): Sterling Research is a UK probate genealogy firm specialising in locating missing beneficiaries and verifying family trees for the legal profession. It serves the same solicitor and council client base as Anglia Research with comparable contingency-based research services.
• Kinman & Co Probate Genealogists: Kinman & Co is a UK probate genealogy firm tracing missing heirs and verifying family trees for legal and public-sector clients. It is comparable to Anglia Research in service scope, target clients (solicitors, councils, beneficiaries), and contingency-based fee structure.
• Aequitas Legal Solutions: Aequitas Legal Solutions (incorporating legacy George Lester & Co.) is a UK probate genealogy and heir-tracing firm serving solicitors, local authorities, and beneficiaries. It competes head-to-head with Anglia Research in the same buyer base and offers overlapping services including beneficiary location and family tree verification.
• Premier Probate Research: Premier Probate Research is a UK heir-tracing and genealogy firm providing beneficiary location, family tree research, and probate support to solicitors. It overlaps directly with Anglia Research in target customers and core services, though at a smaller scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/anglia-research-services-limited
• Xx.com/angliaresearch

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles19 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Anglia Research