Link: Commissariot Records Register of Testaments

[kojak]

Hi Folks,

If anyone is interested in testament records and needs some gaps to fill, you may be interested in looking through this website from the Scottish Record Society:

http://www.electricscotland.com/history/records

Lots to search through.  Just imagine how long it would take to look through these volumes if you went to the national archive library !

Enjoy hours of research...

Kojak

[Forfarian]

Interesting .... I was under the impression that these old indexes were what was used to compile the index to wills and testaments on Scotland's People. Is this not the case, and if it isn't, what proportion of the records indexed here are not in the SP index?

[broach]

I seek the commissariot records for Dumfriesshire.  Does anyone know what the Commissary Courts were for Dumfriesshire, or, where I can find such information?

[Forfarian]

If you know the surnames you are interested in, the easiest way to get at the information you want is to search the index to wills and testaments on SP www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk

If you want a complete list of the commissary courts etc, there is a drop-down menu on the SP wills and testaments search screen.

The likely places for a testament to be proved are either Dumfries Commissary Court (1624 - 1823) and Dumfries Sheriff Court (1806 - 1901*) but depending on where the person lived and/or owned property it could have come before a neighbouring commissary.

*Shortly to be extended to 1926, I gather.

[1pds]

Hi Kojac,

Great link - thanks!  You might want to let the mods (MonicaL or ev) know and they could put it up on the  Scotland Resources Board for everyone to find.

[GR2]

Re Forfarian's post, any surviving testament or inventory is on ScotlandsPeople. The SRS volumes of indices do contain some entries where the actual testament/inventory no longer exists, but the fact of it appears in a minute book. These ones have the date in italics. I tried to find the testament of Robert Reid, Bishop of Orkney, a 16th century uncle of mine, but when I enquired in the Archives his was one which was in a lost volume, but mentioned in a minute book.

Graham

[broach]

I don't have access to www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk.  Are there other online sources that might have the Commissariot Records Register of Testaments for Dumfriesshire?

[Forfarian]

I don't have access to www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk.

Is the reason you can't access SP because of the pay-per-view system? If so, there is no problem accessing the index to wills and testaments on SP, because that is free of charge.

[broach]

Aha!  Thanks for the very important clarification.