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Topic: Wills - where do you start? (Read 627 times)
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SharonK
RootsChat Senior
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Posts: 250
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Hello 
By that question I mean - how do you even know if its worth looking to see if your ancestors HAD a Will and where do you look to find out? Was making a Will common or did you only do it if had loads of cash?! Many of mine were in the cotton industry so doubt they had a bobbin to rub together 
And if you are lucky enough to find a Will what info will it give you?
Oh and while I'm on the subject of records....what other non-typical records (ie not baptisms, BMDs, censuses) are good things to hunt down?
Thanks 
Sharon
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TASKER Oxfordshire, EATON Oxfordshire, WIGGANS Lancs, GIFFORD Lancs, PARK Lancs, COTTAM Lancs, BECK Lancs, WINSTANLEY Lancs/Cheshire, VARLEY Garstang/Lancs, NEWTON Preston/Lancs, WOODHOUSE Halton, ECCLES Preston, SCRAGG Oxford/Preston, LAKE/LEAKE/LEAK/LEEK! Preston, WILDING Longton, Lancs, GREEN Bilston/Wolverhampton, JACKSON Bilston/Albrighton, FISH Blackburn/Lancs, WHARTON Lancs
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lizdb
RootsChat Marquessate
 Online
Posts: 5828
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Hi
Like most things with Family History, Wills can vary in their usefullness. Sometimes they tell you nothing new (eg he left everything to his wife), but sometimes they can be an absolute mine of brilliant information - mentioning all sorts of relations and confirming relationships. Also often giving addresses of people mentioned. Often they are interesting to read, sometimes the detail of personal belongings are fascinating.
So, like everything in Family History, they are worth looking for. You can never afford to leave a stone unturned, it may be just the one with the vital info.
There are indexes of wills at the PRO in High Holborn London, where you can go and browse. If you are local it is worth going with a list of date of death, either exact or approx, of EVERYONE on your tree and going through. You have to pay to get teh actual will, though.
Sometimes you can glean a few bits from the index entry.
I am not well acquainted with any wills on line - but other rootschatters may be able to fill you in on that.
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Little Nell
Global Moderator
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Posts: 6056
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Sharon,
As far as I am concerned, wills are one of the VERY BEST sources that you can study. It is true that sometimes, they don't seem to tell you very much, but others can make up for it in a huge way.
Before 1858, all wills were proved in church courts. This could be quite local if the deceased only had property in that particular ecclesiastical court's domain. If they owned property in another court's jurisdiction as well but in the same diocese, then the will would be proved in the bishop's court, rather than the archdeacon's. Other higher courts also proved wills - Prerogative Court of York (PCY) and Prerogative Court of Canterbury (PCC). This last was the highest church court in the land.
You can search the wills index for PCC wills online at
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/
If you find an entry that you know is one of your family, you can download the image for £3.50. This could be as many as 8 or 9 pages or as little as 2. The price is still the same. The writing takes a bit of getting used to though! And there is always a lot of repetition in them!
Wills proved in more local courts can usually be found in the local county record offices. I know that there are indexes for many. The wills can be viewed on film or fiche at the record offices and you can order a photocopy if you wish. Prices vary at different record offices.
It is not necessarily the case that you had to have a lot of money or property to leave a will. While I have a number from spinster aunts and bachelor uncles (priceless for the nieces and nephews names as well as a fascinating insight into family rivalries!), I also have one from my 4x great grandfather who left a will. He was a very minor husbandman, who left the one and half acres of land that he owned as a result of enclosure, to his younger son. I found this 1818 will in the PCC index. I never expected to find anything, but was idly putting every name I could think of into the search box, just to see what I could find!
So I recommend searching wills if you can. Names can suddenly make sense and relationships you didn't know existed take you off in another direction. Definitely good fun.
Nell
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lizdb
RootsChat Marquessate
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Posts: 5828
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see Valda's link above for wills after 1858.
They are indexed at the probate Office in Holborn, which can be searched free in person. Then you can order the will for £5 (?).
Or you can order direct from the York address and they will search for a year or two for you within the cost.
It should all be on the Probate Services website
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Leofric
RootsChat Veteran
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Posts: 506
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Little Nell & Valda
Thanks for those websites! I put my wife's ancestors in the search box and have come up with two possibles!
What I was wondering though, is the date of the will shown on the results page the date it was written, or the date it was finalised? If anyone knows, I'd be grateful for the answer.
Thanks Leofric
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littlefishlock
RootsChat Member
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Posts: 193
Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
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I'm currently waiting on 13 documents from Gloucester Archives. So excited 6 wills, 1 inventory, and 6 gaol records. lol. They were Mill workers and carpenters so I'm not expecting to see great wealth, but apperently if you had a good pair of sheets in the 1700's it was worth leaving them in a will.!!! The inventory should be good though, as I believe it lists the possesions of the deaceased, in this instance Josiah Robins 1716.
regards Chrissi
ps, think date is when its finalised, as Josiah had both will and inventory at same time. I understand that someone is responsible for giving inventory to court, so probably after death... but i'm only a newbie, so dont listen to me. lol ...
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Fishlock - Chiswick - Isleworth - (lightermen), Whitchurch Hampshire
Robins - Uley, Gloucester and Richmond London
Hamilton - Rogers - Kent
Robinson - Monmouthshire - Worcestershire
Chivers - Monmouthshire.
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Valda
RootsChat Moderator
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Posts: 7446
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The date is the date of probate, usually within a year after the death but I have a couple of examples that are as much as 50 years after the death and several examples that are several years after the death.
Regards
Valda
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