Wills
 

I would like advice about locating UK Wills.

I realize what a useful tool wills are in proving that you are tracing the right family, I am confused though (easily:o) about how to locate them, as there seems to be many different locations. I have seen some on TNA and some at ROs. I've found some Bucks ones on their Council site. Are there general locations or do you have to just keep trying? Is there a book that is worth buying in this regard? I know lots of people didn't leave wills, but I have been looking at my Pogsons in Yorkshire and the only way to know for sure which Henry Pogson is mine, is to buy wills, but where do I start!!:eek::o Thanks Julie

Julie, I find Yorkshire wills very hard to locate. I contacted the Borthwick Institute at York recently with a long list of deaths in the hope they had wills for at least some of them. They didn't have a single one.

But then, by Googling, I came across a reference to a will of a Thomas Jackson held by Hebden Bridge Local History Society, and it turned out to be for my 4x-great-grandfather. I still don't know where it was proved, so how I would have got hold of it otherwise I don't have a clue. This has led me on to wonderful information about my family.

Every county seems to be slightly different. For Lincolnshire there are some quite good finding aids, and you can also use the search facility on Lincs to the Past. Wiltshire has a good on-line search on the archives' website.

If you need help, the best thing you can do is to post up details of the person and death, and see if the members here can help.

Thanks Liza .. I was hoping that there were some simple guidelines, but I had a feeling that it was pretty complicated. I know that Exeter had quite a collection and they were lost in WWII bombing. Julie

The Hebden Bridge Local History Society seem to have a lot of details about the lives of past inhabitants, including books specifically dedicated to wills:

http://www.hebdenbridgehistory.org.uk/publications.html

Julie, it's such a hit-and-miss business. There are so many courts, both large and small. I'm better on some counties than others.

I was surprised when I found a few wills on Ancestry for my Surrey families.

Is there a record in the Death Duty Registers on FMP?

I still don't understand why some estates do not get a mention in the death duty registers even when it's known the value of the estate was quite high. I remember looking for Libby's OH's ancestor, James Eyre (I think!) who was supposed to have been worth a fortune, but he doesn't have an entry. Eventually found his will at the Borthwick Institute.

Many thanks, Merry, for the nudge. I looked yonks ago, but that was probably before I knew when he died. I have now located it.

It says "Ex York 2 251" (Register 2 Folio 251).

What does the "Ex" stand for? I know there is a variety of Yorkshire courts.

Looks likely to be Exchequer:
http://www.york.ac.uk/library/borthw...robate-courts/

Highest Court: PCC. Wills are online, adminstrations are not.

England is divided into 2 provinces: York and Canterbury. If you had property in both provinces, it would be proved in Canterbury.

The provinces are divided into Dioceses. These may roughly correspond to modern counties.... or they may not. If you had property in several dioceses, then it would be proved in the appropriate province: PCC or PCY.

The dioceses are divided into archdeaconries. If you had property in several archdeaconries, then the will would be proved in the consistory or commissary court of the diocese.

If your property was solely in an archdeaconry, then the will would be proved in the archdeacon's court.

Unless, of course, you decided to prove the will in a higher court or you lived in a peculiar - a place outside this general system.

Phillimore's Atlas has county maps, showing the boundaries of the various courts for each county. This should still be accessible in major libraries. Alternatively, write to the county record office where your ancestor lived and they should be able to tell you which courts might be involved.

I believe the Wiltshire Wills Project was started because they had wills from over twenty courts which geographically covered several counties.

Thanks, Kate.

I wonder why Borthwick didn't find it when I asked about it - I gave them all the details.

Emphasis on the "should"!! They also "should" be able to tell you who else to contact if they don't hold the will you are after, but in my experience they may not know that either!!