Index to Irish Wills 1484-1858: Where to find the wills?

[Gilby]

I’ve got a result for a Nathaniel Wilson dated 1749/50 and the ref. numbers are:

Prerogative Grant Book/F/107b
Prerogative Grant Book/F/111b
Prerogative Grant Book/F/114b

I’m guessing this is referring to the surviving Grant Book for 1748-1751.

I’ve now got John Grenham’s book which says the Grant Books aren’t online – so the question is where can they be accessed?

Ta,
Gilby

[John Falvey]

Recently spotted a couple more links on line:
Connor Will & Grant Book 1818-20 - partial transcript   https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSJ8-H96L-8?i=440&cat=232751
Down Will Book 1850-8   https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSJ8-M356?i=5&cat=232751
Connor Will  Book 1853-8   https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSJ8-MQQ8?i=222&cat=232751

[Gilby]

Hi John, that’s great, thanks.  The Connor Will and Grant Book is exactly the same as T2501 at PRONI, which must in turn be a photocopy of a book held at the NAI.

I didn’t know the Down and Connor books for the 1850s were available online.  I must have a flick through to see what names I recognise.

[Gilby]

I've been trying to keep a list of the various sources and where/how to access them...

1664-1684, 1706-8 (A-W), 1726-6 (A-W), 1728-9 (A-W), 1777 (A-L), 1813 (K-Z), 1834 (A-E)
Index to Irish Wills 1484-1849 reference = Prerogative Will Book
Original source = Prerogative Will Book.
Where to find = The index is searchable on the NAI website, but few of the actual wills seem to have been digitised:
http://census.nationalarchives.ie/search/dw/index.jsp

1684-8, 1748-51, 1839 (Grants) and 1784-8 (Day Books)
Index to Irish Wills 1484-1849 reference = Prerogative Grant Book
Original source = Prerogative Administrations Grant and Day Books.
Where to find = The index is searchable on the NAI website, but none of the wills seem to be imaged:
http://census.nationalarchives.ie/search/dw/index.jsp

c1760s-1800s?
Index to Irish Wills 1484-1849 reference = T/9788a&b or T/8868 ??
Original Source = Alexander Bell & Son Presentations.
Where to find = Digitised online:
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSNP-Z96D-G?mode=g&cat=3590

1800-1859
Index to Irish Wills 1484-1849 reference = Char.
Original source = Commissioners of Charitable Donations and Bequests for Ireland.
Description = Abstracts from wills in which a charitable bequest was made.
Where to find = NAI / LDS Family History Centre.

1800-1872
Index to Irish Wills 1484-1849 reference = Salved
Description = Salvaged prerogative and diocesan wills for Newry, Mourne, Armagh, Belfast, Derry etc?
Where to find = Digitised online:
https://www.familysearch.org/search/film/008095950?i=4&cat=3590

1812-1821
Index to Irish Wills 1484-1849 reference = ??
Original source = Derry & Raphoe Grant Book.
Where to find = ??

1818-1820
Index to Irish Wills 1484-1849 reference = Connor Will & Grant Book/1818-20
Original Source = PRONI T2501 (copy of ____ at NAI?)
Description = Copy of the Down and Connor Will Book which partially survived the 1922 fire – on average the wills are missing about half of the text.
Where to find = PRONI, and digitised online:
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSJ8-H96L-8?i=440&cat=232751

1821-1857
Index to Irish Wills 1484-1849 reference = ??
Description = Copies of wills liable for Estate Duty were held in London until after 1922, when 1370 of them were transferred to PRONI (they’re indexed on the PRONI Name Search).
Where to find = PRONI … ref??  Microfilmed by LDS (see below link) but only available at Family History Centres.  Most of these wills were also registered in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury and can be found on the NA (UK) website, or on Ancestry.
https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/597301?availability=Family%20History%20Library

1828-1832
Index to Irish Wills 1484-1849 reference = IWR
Description = Irish Wills Register
https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/234657?availability=Family%20History%20Library
Extracts of wills with details of legacies and beneficiaries.

1828-1839
Index to Irish Wills 1484-1849 reference = IAR
Original Source = Irish Administration Register
Where to find = Digitised online:
https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/232755?availability=Family%20History%20Library

1833-1839
Index to Irish Wills 1484-1849 reference = IWR
Original Source = Irish Wills Register. 
Description = Extracts of wills with details of legacies and beneficiaries.
Where to find = Digitised online:
https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/234514?availability=Family%20History%20Library

1840-1845
Index to Irish Wills 1484-1849 reference = Not indexed??
Original source = Cashel Probate & Administrations & Marriage Licences.
Where to find = Digitised online:
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSM7-D3QW-T?i=502&cat=3590

1848-1858
Index to Irish Wills 1484-1849 reference = ??
Original source = Ossory Grant Book.
Where to find = ??

1850-1858
Index to Irish Wills 1484-1849 reference = Down and Connor Will & Grant Book
Original Source = Down Will Book.
Where to find = Digitised online:
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSJ8-M356?mode=g&i=5&cat=232751

1853-1858
Index to Irish Wills 1484-1849 reference = Down and Connor Will & Grant Book
Original Source = Connor registry of probates and administrations.
Where to find = Digitised online:
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSJ8-MQQ8?i=222&cat=232751

[John Falvey]

Prerogative Will Books: 1664—1684, 1706—1708 (A—W), 1726—1728 (A—W),  1728—1729 (A—W), 1777 (A—L), 1813 (K—Z), 1834 (A—E) are at https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/466810?availability=Family%20History%20Library

I've attached a list of pre-1858 wills from the post-fire submissions to the NAI, easily imported into Excel. The later ones are too numerous for me to have time to record.

Thrift's "Indexes to Irish wills" are available via https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/records/?navigation=&perpage=&page=1&sort=_score&search=Indexes+to+Irish+wills&fulltext=1&bookmarks=0#title Volumes 4 & 5 have the northern dioceses.

The IGRS has quite a few Swanzy and Welply abstracts at https://www.irishancestors.ie/members-area/irish-wills-the-igrs-card-index/

[Gilby]

John, thanks very much for that list.  I’m trying to get my head around exactly what you’ve put together.  Is it basically a list of all the wills here:

https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/225052?availability=Family%20History%20Library

I struggle a bit with the various NAI catalogues.  Should those reference numbers (e.g. T13836) bring back a result when I search here:

https://www.nationalarchives.ie/search-the-online-catalogue/simple/#!/

[Gilby]

Prerogative Will Books: 1664—1684, 1706—1708 (A—W), 1726—1728 (A—W),  1728—1729 (A—W), 1777 (A—L), 1813 (K—Z), 1834 (A—E) are at https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/466810?availability=Family%20History%20Library

This seems to be the same images as on the NAI site, but it is useful to have them broken down and browsable.  I’m still struggling to find all the wills I feel I should be able to find, e.g.

Robert Brice of Castle Chichester, probate (?) 1676 listed here:
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-994X-RGL6?cc=3460908

Since he’s right in the middle of the 1664-1684 surviving Will Book, shouldn’t I be able to find a copy of his will?  Or does the L or I beside his entry refer to an Administration Licence or Intestate … in which case he’d be listed in the Grant Book, which doesn’t survive for that year?

On the other hand, Robert’s daughter-in-law Penelope Brice (1707) is listed here:
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G94X-RLLS?cc=3460908

She has a W next to her name, and a copy of her will is in the surviving 1706-1708 Will Book:
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G94F-MHRW?cc=3460908&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AWGHD-2Y2M

[John Falvey]

Hi there,

I have only indexed pre-1858 wills from https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/225052?availability=Family%20History%20Library

That catalogue overlaps with https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/3590?availability=Family%20History%20Library Some of the salvaged wills and early post-1922 submissions appear in three different catalogues!

They are all indexed at https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/1047420?availability=Family%20History%20Library Eight volumes of 6000+ card index pages These point to:
*"T" references in catalogue 225052 eg https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSH8-T3YG?i=4062&cat=1047420
*abstracts by Gertrude Thrift, these are at https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/234649?availability=Family%20History%20Library, try cross-referencing https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSH8-R3Y3-Y?i=4065&cat=1047420
*the Will Books and Grant Books - including the ones not on-line

PS I've updated the list of pre-1858 wills, I missed a batch of 45 Armagh wills.

[John Falvey]

The will book that covered 1664-1684 was Book 13, one of five that have 1676 wills in them. See https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-994X-T227?i=10&cat=466810

I think the "I" next to Robert's name indicates that he died Intestate. That's borne out by Betham see https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89LW-24YF?i=167&cat=224404