_The Heralds’ College._--The fees payable at the Heralds’ College are not exorbitant, and, of course, stores of armorial and other genealogical information are preserved there. The London pedigree-hunter has the advantage here also; for though he cannot, as in the Record Office, search himself through all the requisite documents, yet if he applies in person at the Heralds’ College (this is called a personal search), the fee for information on a required point will be five shillings; if the inquiry is made by correspondence, ten shillings and sixpence. The treasures of the Heralds’ Office are divided broadly into Records and Collections. A general Record search costs two guineas, and a search through Records and Collections five guineas. _Somerset House._--In this vast storehouse of documents the two classes which will most appeal to the genealogist are the collection of Wills and the general Registers. Wills earlier than 1858 are found in the local Diocesan Registries, and are in a variety of places scattered over England. Formerly, if a person owned property in more than one diocese, his will would be proved in the Archbishop’s Court. So wills were proved in Canterbury Prerogative Court for all parts of England, and not merely locally. _All these Canterbury Prerogative wills are at Somerset House._ Some northern wills are at York for the same reason. But all wills since 1858 are deposited at Somerset House. In the Registrar-General’s office there, registers have been kept regularly since 1837. The fees are not high. If, for instance, the pedigree-hunter wants to ascertain the date of a certain birth, the search through five years for one name costs five shillings. To look up wills costs one shilling each, unless the searcher has a free literary docket; particulars as to these literary permits will be found in a later chapter. _The Middlesex Registry._--This Registry, situated in St. James’s Street, contains all documents (since 1708) which affect land in Middlesex. LIBRARIES.--_The British Museum._--The London genealogist is also especially fortunate with regard to libraries. Foremost of all comes, of course, that at the British Museum. There not only is access to the Great Reading Room free by ticket (on the recommendation of a London householder), but the Newspaper Room and MSS. Department are also free, and both are very valuable to the genealogist. The latter is especially so, as it contains a store of manuscripts and Pedigrees, Herald’s Visitations, and numberless miscellaneous documents. _Lambeth Library._--This is situated in Lambeth Palace, and deserves to be more frequently visited by the genealogical student than it is at present, for it contains many ancient pedigrees and important manuscripts. Its contents are all old, and are divided into records and printed books. There are seven distinct series of manuscripts, bound in volumes--also very good indexes.