I always check how many pages there are. If it's 10 or more, then it's cheaper to pay the £5 to get it from SP. Fewer pages than that, and it's cheaper to get print-outs at 50p per A3 sheet at the National Archives. I came back from my most recent visit to the NAS, just last week, with 49 sheets of A3 print-outs, including a dozen or so wills and sasines, and I paid £24.50 for the lot. Most of them printed out as 2 pages per A3 sheet. SP, of course, doesn't work for post-1901 wills, so print-outs or photocopies at 50p per A3 sheet is really the only option.. > My example was a few years ago (at a guess about five or more) > it cost me in excess of £20 for one > 1917 will You probably had to pay staff time as well. How many pages was it? > Three more had via a researcher were over £60 they were before > the one above (and now are available > online for a fiver each) You were definitely paying for the searcher's time. The National Archives of Scotland has never charged anything like that for access or photocopying. At least not in the last 3 decades or so. I can't speak for earlier times. > Since then things have improved greatly by the sounds of it It has certainly become much easier to locate and access wills since they have started to digitise them, but the copying/printing charges have not got any cheaper. Anne

It was a mere two pages and yes most was staff time but there was no option then unless I went myself I have also reminded myself I had a newspaper article at the same time The three wills were huge and to be honest the researcher put a lot of time into it and came up with information I would not found otherwise This is all pre census online Although I was taken aback at the cost them, I did realise what the situation was I would of course like to make a pilgrimage up North at some point but that is not looking very likely for the foreseeable future :-( English wills are all £5 from 1858 to date Nivard Ovington in Cornwall (UK) You probably had to pay staff time as well. How many pages was it? > Three more had via a researcher were over £60 they were before > the one above (and now are available > online for a fiver each) You were definitely paying for the searcher's time. The National Archives of Scotland has never charged anything like that for access or photocopying. At least not in the last 3 decades or so. I can't speak for earlier times. > Since then things have improved greatly by the sounds of it It has certainly become much easier to locate and access wills since they have started to digitise them, but the copying/printing charges have not got any cheaper. Anne