Introduction
Family Wise Limited is committed to protecting your personal data and respecting your privacy.
This Privacy and Cookie Policy explains how we collect, use, share, and protect personal data when you contact us, when you use our services, or when you are just visiting our website. We have provided you with a short version, as well as the full version.
We process your data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (“UK GDPR”), the Data Protection Act 2018 (“DPA 2018”), the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 (“DUAA 2025”), which updates aspects of UK GDPR and DPA 2018 and the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003 (“PECR”), as amended.
You should read this policy together with any other privacy information we give you at the point we collect your data.
Short version
Family Wise is a probate and genealogy research company; therefore, we collect personal data to be able to provide our services in terms of tracing heirs in estates, locating and reuniting people, and researching your family history when you have asked us to.
We collect information about you, such as your contact details, certificates of life events, identity and verification data, customer data, transaction data, financial data, marketing data, and data about how you use our website.
We do not routinely collect special category (sensitive) data. If we ever need to process such data (for example, where a certificate includes sensitive details), we only do so where the law allows and, where required, with your explicit consent or another lawful condition.
We don’t proactively collect data about anyone under the age of 18.
We collect personal information that you provide to us, that is publicly available, automatically through our website, or from other organisations, when you have given them your consent to share your information.
Our website uses cookies. Cookies are small text files that are placed on your computer when you visit our website. They are used to make our website work, or work more efficiently, as well as to provide information to us. Non-essential cookies (for analytics, preferences, and marketing) are only used with your consent. You can manage these at any time via our cookie management tool.
Family Wise Ltd processes personal information to provide, improve, and administer our services, manage our business, accounts, and records, improve our websites and services, send you relevant information and updates, and comply with the law.
Our main lawful bases under UK GDPR are Contract (Article 6(1)(b)), Legitimate Interests (Article 6(1)(f)), Consent (Article 6(1)(a)), and Legal Obligation (Article 6(1)(c)).
Where we process special category data (if ever necessary), we will rely on the relevant condition in Article 9 UK GDPR and applicable DPA 2018 provisions.
Sometimes we need to share your information with third parties to allow us to deliver our service, for example, we may need to share your information with legal firms, executors of a Will, financial institutions, local councils, or our service providers. More information about how and why we share personal data can be found in our full privacy and cookie policy below.
We only process the personal information that is needed and only keep it for as long as is necessary to fulfil the purpose, as outlined in our full privacy and cookie policy.
We apply appropriate technical and organisational measures to keep your data secure, in line with UK GDPR, DPA 2018, and DUAA 2025 expectations on risk-based and proportionate security.
You have a range of data protection rights, including access, rectification, erasure, restriction, objection, and data portability, subject to legal limits. You can exercise these rights by getting in contact with us at info@family-wise.co.uk.
Privacy and Cookie Policy – In Full
- Our responsibilities
- Your responsibilities
- Contact details
- The information we collect
- Special category data
- Children’s data
- How we gather your information
- How we use your information
- Lawful bases explained
- Do we share your personal information?
- International transfers
- Links to other websites
- Social media
- Cookies
- How we store your data and keep it secure
- Your rights
- Data retention
- Changes to this Privacy and Cookie Policy
- Questions and complaints
Our responsibilities
When we process personal data, Family Wise Limited acts as a data controller for the purposes of UK GDPR and DPA 2018 (as amended by DUAA 2025). This means we decide how and why your personal data is used.
We are registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (“ICO”) as a data controller under registration number ZA069854.
We are responsible for ensuring we have an appropriate lawful basis for each type of processing, providing clear and accessible information about what we do, keeping personal data accurate and up to date where necessary, only retaining data for as long as needed, and keeping personal data secure and confidential.
Your responsibilities
There isn’t much that you have to do, we ask that you:;
- Read this Privacy and Cookie Policy carefully;
- Refer to any contracts or engagement letters you have with us for further detail on specific services; and
- Only provide us with personal information about other people where you are entitled to do so (for example, as executor, personal representative or next-of-kin).
If you provide us with personal information about other individuals, or if others give us your information, we will only use that information for the specific purpose for which it was provided. By submitting information about others, you confirm that you have authority to do so and that they have been informed about this policy where appropriate.
Contact details
There are many ways in which you can contact us, including by phone, email, and post. Our full contact details are:
Data Controller:
Family Wise Limited
Email: info@family-wise.co.uk
Telephone: 01249 476777
Postal address: Family Wise Limited, 19 High Street, Calne, Wiltshire, England, SN11 0BS
The information we collect
We may collect the following categories of information about you:
- Contact details – name, postal address, email address, telephone number and similar details.
- Publicly available certificates of life events – for example, civil registration records relating to births, marriages, civil partnerships and deaths, where relevant to our research.
- Identity and verification data – information used to confirm your identity and authority (for example, proof of identity or proof of relationship where needed).
- Financial information – limited details such as bank account number and sort code to arrange payments to you (for example, beneficiary payments) or to pay our fees.
- Customer data – information about services you have purchased from us, your instructions, case references, and payment history.
- Marketing data – your preferences in receiving marketing or updates from us and your communication preferences.
- Technical and usage data relating to our website –
- URL clickstreams (the path you take through our site);
- pages viewed and products/services of interest;
- page response times and download errors;
- how long you visit pages and what you do on those pages;
- the number of visits to our site;
- IP address, browser type and version, time zone setting, approximate location and similar information collected through analytics tools.
You are not required by law to provide most of this information. However, if you choose not to provide certain data, we may be unable to respond to your enquiries, verify your identity or authority or provide or complete our services.
Special category data
We do not seek to routinely collect special category data about you. “Special category data” includes information about, racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership, genetic data, biometric data used for identification, health, sex life or sexual orientation and criminal convictions or offences (which are also subject to specific rules).
In practice, some documents we rely on (for example, historical certificates) may contain sensitive information as a matter of record. If and when we process such information, we only do so where it is necessary for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims (for example in relation to estate administration). It is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest, in line with DPA 2018 or you have given explicit consent (where consent is the appropriate condition).
We do not use special category data for marketing or profiling.
Children’s data
We do not provide services directly to children and we do not proactively collect personal data from anyone under 18.
In limited circumstances, a person with parental responsibility may ask us to add a child’s details to genealogical or family history work (for example in a family tree binder). Where this happens, we only record the minimum details necessary, process that information solely for the relevant genealogical purpose and rely on the consent or authority of the person with parental responsibility.
How do we gather your information?
We collect personal information in the following ways:
Directly from you
For example when you:
- Contact us by phone, email, post or via our website;
- Make an enquiry about our services;
- Enter into a contract or sign a letter of engagement with us;
- Subscribe to our newsletter or other communications; or
- Fill in any form on our website.
Indirectly:
For example:
- From executors, personal representatives, solicitors, trustees or other professionals involved in an estate;
- From organisations that are lawfully entitled to share data with us (for example, where you have given them consent to do so);
- From publicly accessible records and other legitimate sources, such as civil registration records, electoral registers, probate calendars and similar;
- From analytics and advertising providers (for example Google Analytics or Facebook) when you accept relevant cookies on our site; and
- Via your use of our website, through cookies and similar technologies. (See “Cookies” below.)
How we use your information
Data protection law requires us to have a clear, lawful basis for each purpose for which we use personal data. We use your data for the purposes below:
- To provide our services and perform our contract with you
-
- to take steps at your request before entering into a contract;
- to provide genealogy, probate research or related services;
- to communicate with you about your case or enquiry; and
- to arrange and make payments (for example, to beneficiaries).
Lawful basis: Contract (Article 6(1)(b) UK GDPR).
- To carry out probate and genealogical research in connection with estates
- to identify, trace and contact beneficiaries and next-of-kin;
- to verify familial relationships and entitlements; and
- to maintain accurate case records and audit trails.
Lawful basis: Legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f) UK GDPR) in operating our business and assisting with estate administration.
- To manage and improve our business and website
- to respond to enquiries and complaints;
- to maintain internal records, accounts and case management systems;
- to analyse website usage so we can improve content, navigation and services; and
- to protect our systems against misuse or unauthorised access.
Lawful basis: Legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f) UK GDPR) in running, developing and safeguarding our business.
- Marketing and updates
- to send you information about our services, events, updates, news or blog posts which we think may be of interest to you;
- to manage your communication preferences and any opt-outs.
Lawful bases: - Consent (Article 6(1)(a) UK GDPR) where you have opted in; and
- Legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f)) and PECR soft opt-in rules where you are an existing or recent customer and we contact you about similar services, unless you have opted out.
- To comply with legal and regulatory obligations
- to meet our obligations under tax, company and data protection law;
- to respond to lawful requests from regulators, law enforcement or courts; and
- to maintain appropriate records demonstrating our compliance (for example, DUAA 2025 requires proportionate but effective accountability records).
Lawful basis: Legal obligation (Article 6(1)(c) UK GDPR).
We may also rely on Legal claims or Substantial public interest grounds where we need to process special category data or information relating to criminal convictions in connection with estate administration or the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims.
We will not use your personal data for purposes that are materially different, unrelated or incompatible with those above without informing you and, where required, obtaining your consent.
Here is what each Lawful Basis means
- Contract – processing is necessary for a contract you have with us or to take steps at your request before entering into such a contract.
- Consent – you have clearly agreed to specific processing for a defined purpose. You can withdraw consent at any time by contacting us. This will not affect any processing carried out before you withdrew consent.
- Legitimate Interests – we process your information where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests or those of a third party, and these are not overridden by your interests or fundamental rights. We keep a record of legitimate interest assessments where required and take into account ICO guidance and DUAA 2025’s emphasis on proportionate, risk-based approaches.
- Legal Obligation – processing is necessary for us to comply with a legal obligation (for example tax reporting, company law and data protection requirements).
Under PECR, we only send electronic marketing (such as email newsletters) where:
- you have given your consent; or
- you are an existing or recent customer and we rely on the “soft opt-in” for similar products or services, and you have not opted out.
Every marketing communication we send will include an easy way to unsubscribe.
Do we share your personal information?
We share personal data where it is necessary, proportionate and lawful to do so. This includes:
- Organisations involved in estates or genealogical matters
For the purposes set out in our engagement letters and casework, we may share information with:
- Government Legal Department or other government bodies connected with unclaimed estates;
- executors, personal representatives, trustees and administrators;
- solicitors, barristers and other professional advisers;
- banks, building societies and other financial institutions;
- asset holders, custodians and registrars;
- local authorities and councils; and
- other organisations directly involved in the administration of an estate.
- Our professional advisers and service providers
To run our business efficiently, we may share limited personal data with:
- Accountants and auditors – for preparing accounts, tax returns and audit work (for example copies of invoices and payment records);
- IT, hosting and cloud service providers – who store or process data for us (for example email, document storage, CRM and case management systems);
- Email marketing platforms – where you have consented to receive marketing; and
- Other specialist providers – such as secure document disposal companies or cyber-security advisers.
In all cases:
- we only share what is necessary for the specific purpose;
- we have written contracts in place with data processors that reflect UK GDPR, DPA 2018 and DUAA 2025 requirements; and
- we require them to keep your data secure and to act only on our documented instructions.
We will not sell your personal information to third parties.
Other than as set out in this policy, we will only share your data with your informed consent or where we are required or permitted to do so by law.
International transfers
Our main systems are hosted within the UK or European Economic Area (EEA). Where we use service providers that store or process personal data outside the UK (for example, providers with data centres in other countries):
- we check whether there is an adequacy decision in place; and/or
- we put in place appropriate safeguards, such as the UK International Data Transfer Agreement (IDTA) or EU Standard Contractual Clauses with the UK Addendum, where required; and
- we carry out transfer risk assessments in line with ICO guidance and DUAA 2025’s updated framework for international transfers.
Where we use tools such as Google Analytics, information (including IP addresses, truncated where possible) may be processed outside the UK. We configure such tools to limit the personal data collected and rely on contractual safeguards and technical measures implemented by those providers.
Links from other websites
Our website may contain links to other websites. If you follow a link to any external site, please note that their privacy information will apply, not this policy. We cannot accept responsibility for how those organisations handle your personal data, so we encourage you to read their privacy notices
Social media
We currently operate on the following platforms:
- Facebook (Meta Platforms Ireland Ltd)
- Twitter / X (Twitter, Inc / X Corp.)
- Instagram (Meta Platforms Ireland Ltd)
- TikTok
- BlueSky
If you visit our pages or interact with us on these platforms, your data will also be processed by the platform provider in accordance with their own privacy notices. We recommend you review those notices and your privacy settings on each platform.
Cookies
What are ‘Cookies’?
Cookies are small text files placed on your device when you visit a website. They are widely used to make websites work, to improve efficiency and to provide information to site owners.
Under PECR (as updated and supported by DUAA 2025), we must:
- obtain your consent for most non-essential cookies; and
- clearly explain what they do.
How and why do we use Cookies?
We use cookies to:
- enable core functions of our website;
- remember choices you make (such as preferences);
- understand how visitors use our site so we can improve it; and
- support marketing and social media integrations, where you consent to this.
What type of Cookies do we use?
- Necessary cookies – essential for the website to function (for example, page navigation and access to secure areas). You cannot switch these off using our cookie tool, but you can block them in your browser (which may affect how the site works).
- Preferences cookies – remember choices you have made (for example language or cookie settings).
- Performance cookies – help us understand how the site is used, so we can improve performance and the user experience.
- Analytics cookies – used by tools such as Google Analytics to collect aggregated statistics on site usage. We configure these so they do not directly identify you where possible.
- Advertising/marketing cookies – help us show relevant content (for example, where social media pixels are used so that you can see our content on those platforms).
We use both:
- session cookies – which are deleted when you close your browser; and
- persistent cookies – which remain for a set period or until you delete them.
We may also use social media plugins or buttons which set cookies controlled by those platforms.
We use the following categories of cookies:
- Necessary: these cookies are essential for you to be able to use the website effectively.
- Preferences: these cookies allow the website to remember choices you have made in the past, like what language you prefer, and provide enhanced features.
- Performance: these cookies allow for the services to be optimised, to give you the best possible experience.
- Advertising/Marketing: these cookies help us provide our visitors with relevant advertisements and marketing campaigns.
- Analytics: these cookies collect information about how you use the website, like which pages you visited, and which links you clicked on. They allow us to monitor and improve the performance of the website.
How can I change my cookie settings?
You can change your cookie preferences at any time by clicking the “Privacy and Cookie Policy” tab at the bottom of the web page and selecting “Manage Cookies”. You can then adjust the available options and click “Save and Accept”. You may need to refresh the page for your changes to take effect.
You can also manage cookies through your browser settings. For further guidance, you can visit:
To opt out of Google Analytics across all websites, you can use Google’s browser add-on at:
http://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout
Specific Cookies
Details of the individual cookies we use, their providers, purposes and expiry periods are available via the “Manage Cookies” option in our cookie consent mechanism. This information is reviewed and updated periodically.
How do we store your data and keep it secure?
We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised or unlawful processing, accidental loss, destruction or damage, as required by UK GDPR, DPA 2018 and DUAA 2025.
These measures include:
- storing electronic information on secure systems with appropriate access controls and, where appropriate, encryption;
- using secure connections (HTTPS) for our website;
- implementing role-based access so that only authorised staff or contractors can see relevant information;
- maintaining policies and risk assessments for information security and data protection;
- regularly updating and patching systems and security software; and
- ensuring physical documents are stored securely at our office in Calne and disposed of securely when no longer required.
Despite our efforts, no method of transmission or storage is completely secure. You provide personal data at your own risk, but we will act promptly if we become aware of any suspected data breach and, where required, we will notify you and the ICO in line with legal requirements.
Your rights
You have the following rights under UK data protection law:
- Right to be informed – to be told how we use your personal data. This policy and any supplementary notices are intended to provide that information (Articles 13–14 UK GDPR).
- Right of access – to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you, together with certain information about how and why it is processed (Article 15). DUAA 2025 confirms that we are required to carry out reasonable and proportionate searches when responding to such requests.
- Right to rectification – to ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete personal data (Article 16).
- Right to erasure (“right to be forgotten”) – to ask us to delete your personal data in certain circumstances (Article 17).
- Right to restrict processing – to ask us to restrict the use of your data in certain circumstances (Article 18).
- Right to data portability – to receive certain personal data in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format and/or request that we transmit it to another controller where technically feasible (Article 20).
- Right to object –
- to object at any time to processing for direct marketing; and
- to object, on grounds relating to your particular situation, to other processing based on legitimate interests (Article 21).
Where we rely on your consent, you can withdraw that consent at any time. This includes unsubscribing from marketing emails using the links provided or by contacting us.
To exercise any of these rights:
- email info@family-wise.co.uk; or
- write to us at the address in the “Contact details” section.
We may need to request additional information from you to confirm your identity before acting on your request. We will normally respond within one calendar month of receiving a valid request, although DUAA 2025 allows for extended time limits for particularly complex or multiple requests, in which case we will let you know and explain the reasons.
Some rights are subject to legal exemptions or conditions (for example where data is needed for legal claims or where disclosure would adversely affect the rights of others). If we cannot fully comply with your request, we will explain why.
Data retention
Personal data is held for only as long as is required for the purpose we collected it or for our legitimate interest purposes.
Genealogical research is of lasting historical value to our business and to the beneficiaries, so we retain our records of research cases, such as family trees and copies of certificates as a permanent archival record. We will always ‘weed out’ out non necessary information and securely delete or destroy this.
With regards to client files, following conclusion of the work we are retained to do, we will electronically scan paper documents, and retain electronic copies of documents relating to the file for up to 7 years, unless otherwise required by law. However, if before that date:
- your personal information is no longer required in connection with such purpose(s);
- we are no longer lawfully entitled to process it; or
- you validly exercise your right of erasure
then we will remove it from our records as soon as is practicable.
Should you ask us to stop sending your direct marketing or other electronic communications, we will keep your name on our internal suppression list to ensure that you are not contacted again.
Changes to this Privacy and Cookie Policy
This policy was last updated in November 2025.
We may update it from time to time, for example to reflect:
- changes in our services or internal processes; or
- changes in applicable laws or ICO guidance, including updates arising from DUAA 2025.
The latest version will always be available on our website. If we make any substantial or material changes, we will, where appropriate, notify you by email or a prominent notice on our website.
Questions and complaints
If you have any questions about this policy or how we handle personal data, or if you wish to exercise your rights, please contact our Data Protection Manager:
Email: info@family-wise.co.uk
Postal address:
Data Protection Manager
Family Wise Limited
19 High Street
Calne
Wiltshire
England
SN11 0BS
If you are unhappy with how we have used your data, we would encourage you to contact us first so we can try to resolve the issue.
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK data protection regulator:
Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Telephone: 0303 123 1113
Online: https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/
Email (general enquiries): casework@ico.org.uk
