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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Topic started by: Tickettyboo on Wednesday 22 August 18 12:57 BST (UK)
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I've only ever been to two, Liverpool and Newcastle. Last visit was in about 2014.
In both of these , there were pcs in the main area that you could use to find details in the Probate Calendars. I know the govt Find a Will site lets you search but doesn't give a lot of detail. The Probate office systems seemed to cover all of England & Wales (at least up to 2014) and gave the same sort of detail we got in the printed calendars - address of deceased, name and address of who ever carried out their probate/admin. I am sure of this as I searched the pcs in the Newcastle one and took photos of the results on the screen for a probate entry dated 2012:-)
Does anyone know if the same facilities still exist (and are being updated) in any of the Probate Registry offices? or is the only option now to search the website and fork out £10 to get that detail?
Thanks
Boo
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Have you rung any of the Probate Registry Offices to ask them?
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Have you rung any of the Probate Registry Offices to ask them?
No. Having recently gone through doing probate in England from a few hundred miles away (we are in Scotland) and having to ring the Probate Office, I know its often difficult to get through as they are so busy. Given how stressful doing probate can be, I don't feel I should tie up the phone line when people who really need to talk to them may not be able to get through.
On the rare occasion I have consulted the calendars on site its been a very quick exchange with the staff, ring the bell say I want to consult the calendar, they let me in and I say I know what to do, so they just let me get on with it.
Boo
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I can’t be certain about the interpretation - but there was a press release dated 27.12.2014 announcing the release of 41 million wills (launch of the website) and it mentions people no longer having to visit the probate registry to search the archives in person. It doesn’t say they can’t
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I do know that the one in Holborn actually closed down and you had to use their website to do look ups and order from.
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I do know that the one in Holborn actually closed down and you had to use their website to do look ups and order from.
Was that one a main registry? I thought they may withdraw the search, but to close the office is weird! Where would people go to swear the oath? Or do they have to go to a solicitor to get the oath notarised and sealed to then mail to the English registry? Which is what we did, as it was cheaper than travelling from Scotland which would also have involved an overnight stay.
Boo
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The Holborn one still appears on the list
http://www.probateforms.info/probate-registries/
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Now the index is online I can't see that there would be any point in them manning offices just for index look ups when it is so readily available from home.
As for the detail given on the website I would imagine that names and addresses of those carrying out the probate would not be given due to data protection.
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The Holborn one still appears on the list
http://www.probateforms.info/probate-registries/
It may still be used as an actual probate office,but you can no longer peruse through the probate books and get a copy in minutes for 50p!
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I do know that the one in Holborn actually closed down and you had to use their website to do look ups and order from.
Was that one a main registry? I thought they may withdraw the search, but to close the office is weird! Where would people go to swear the oath? Or do they have to go to a solicitor to get the oath notarised and sealed to then mail to the English registry? Which is what we did, as it was cheaper than travelling from Scotland which would also have involved an overnight stay.
Boo
There local offices all over the country, you go to the one nearest to you to swear the oath. I went to one attached to the local Crown Court.
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The Holborn one still appears on the list
http://www.probateforms.info/probate-registries/
It may still be used as an actual probate office,but you can no longer peruse through the probate books and get a copy in minutes for 50p!
It was more than 50p when I last got one there ;D Those probate books were nearly as bulky as the gro index books, at least you did not have to lift them from the shelves ;D
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I used to just take a camera and photograph the entry in the book. :-)
I'll email the Newcastle office which is probably my nearest from here in Scotland and enquire. At least with an email, unlike a phone call, there is no pressure for them to answer immediately.
Boo
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When applying for probate you have a choice of swearing the oath at a Probate Registry or at a local solicitors who is a Commissioner for Oaths. A charge of between £5 and £15 is made by the solicitor.
Given the closure of so many offices - it’s far more convenient. I recently applied for probate and as the nearest Registry is some 60 miles away you can guess my option.
My probate application was posted to them but the docs for swearing the oath were emailed to me. The solicitor didn’t charge me as he had messed up the appt time/date and I received the grant of probate a week after posting everything back. In all, the process took just under 4 weeks
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Does anyone know if the same facilities still exist (and are being updated) in any of the Probate Registry offices? or is the only option now to search the website and fork out £10 to get that detail?
You were never able to see the actual Will at the Probate Office, you always had to order that and pay. What you see on the website now is the page from the index book, the same as you saw at the Holborn Register Office referred to in this thread. From that you can order a copy of the Will, and pay appropriately!
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Does anyone know if the same facilities still exist (and are being updated) in any of the Probate Registry offices? or is the only option now to search the website and fork out £10 to get that detail?
You were never able to see the actual Will at the Probate Office, you always had to order that and pay. What you see on the website now is the page from the index book, the same as you saw at the Holborn Register Office referred to in this thread. From that you can order a copy of the Will, and pay appropriately!
I know I can't see the will at the Probate Office, but as recent as 2014 I 'was' able to use the pcs in the reception area of Newcastle Probate Registry, (which were there for exactly that purpose for use by the public).
I have also used (in about 2012) the same facility in the Probate Office in Liverpool. That is the extent of my experience, no idea if other Probate Offices supplied the same facility.
I searched for the name and year of 2012 and the screen showed me the following detail:
Probate Number
Surname of Deceased
Forename of Deceased
Date of Death
Probate Office Name
Date of Issue of Grant
Address of Deceased
Groos Estate Value
Net Estate Value
Type (Probate or Admin)
Extracted by
Grantees: Full name and address of Executor who applied for Probate
Which is the sort of detail we get in the old printed volumes. I took (with permission) a photo of the screen. Cost to me was about 5 mins of my time, though I should add in travelling time to get there
:-)
Its 'that' facility I was asking about. The current online index for the same entry only shows Name, date of Probate, Probate Number, date of death, Document Type and Registry. Which prompted my original query.
The extra info is extremely helpful if I don't know exactly where and when someone with a fairly common name died, and the Registry used for Probate could have been hundreds of miles away from where the deceased person had been living and died. The name of the executor can also help to confirm its the right record.
To see the info detail that used to be available on site at the Probate Office would cost £10 and if I am going to spend out a tenner I would like to be as sure as I can be that I am going to get the right record.
Boo
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I now have a reply to my email from the Probate Registry in Newcastle - which would be my first choice to visit as I can also go to the archives if /when I do go.
They 'do' still have this facility in the reception area.
Both the old printed calendar books and the pc screens where you can search for more recent probate entries are still available and can be used by the public during opening hours and will give the detailed info such as name and address of both the deceased and the grantee.
Boo
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You can ask HMCTS to confirm the names of the executors before making an online application, to confirm you have the crrect entry in the scenario of common names.
You can also swear the oath online
https://insidehmcts.blog.gov.uk/2017/07/04/new-digital-probate-service/