Will

[Archivist_47]

William James Smith 1852-1897. Probate in London 1898 gives details of beneficiaries and the amount. How do I find out if there is a will.

[BumbleB]

WJS - died 3 February or 8 November 1879?

Both left wills - can be obtained for £1.50 by using www.gov.uk/searc-will-probate

You will have to register, free. 

[Archivist_47]

He died aboard RMS 'Medway' five days out from Southampton en route to Barbados. He died on 8th November 1897.

[arthurk]

William James Smith 1852-1897. Probate in London 1898 gives details of beneficiaries and the amount. How do I find out if there is a will.

If the index says Probate then by definition there was a will. However, the other names shown in the index are the Executors, who may or may not have been beneficiaries. The only way to discover who the beneficiaries were is to order a copy of the will, following BumbleB's guidance.

[Archivist_47]

This has to be done by post? There's no online method?

[Jebber]

I assume you have registered, so have you not read the instructions?

Scroll down the the bottom of the page, fill in the details and order online.

[Bookbox]

This is the link to the page ...

https://probatesearch.service.gov.uk/Calendar?surname=smith&yearOfDeath=1898&page=34#calendar

Register with the site, and you can order online by filling in the boxes on the right-hand side.

[Archivist_47]

Register? I have a Government Gateway account, is that it?

[Bookbox]

Register? I have a Government Gateway account, is that it?

No. If you go to the page as advised in my post above (reply #6), you will see a link to 'Register', top right of the page.

You will need to enter an email address and create a password.

Then you can order the will.