Living in Carmarthen, but Probate in Oxford

[Talacharn]

From the comments about Probate usually being local and the Executor could apply to any Probate Office, why Oxford? That is why I am asking, as Probate could have been carried out in Carmarthen. Because of the war, were they living in, or near Oxford and would that place show in Electoral Registers? The timing seems to be all of the 1940s, not just the war years. I know, from 1951, they were living in Carmarthenshire.

[rosie99]

Electoral registers were not published between 1940 & 1944
https://www.bl.uk/collection-guides/uk-electoral-registers

[Tickettyboo]

Using Family Search and the online library version of Ancestry, I am unable to see Electoral Registers. Could someone find their whereabouts in the 1940s?

According to the British Library
https://www.bl.uk/collection-guides/uk-electoral-registers#
Registers were not published during the latter years of World War 1 (1916–1917) or World War 2 (1940–1944).

Boo

[KGarrad]

From the comments about Probate usually being local and the Executor could apply to any Probate Office, why Oxford? That is why I am asking, as Probate could have been carried out in Carmarthen. Because of the war, were they living in, or near Oxford and would that place show in Electoral Registers? The timing seems to be all of the 1940s, not just the war years. I know, from 1951, they were living in Carmarthenshire.

Maybe it was a solicitor who applied for probate?

[Talacharn]

The War finished in 1945, did Electoral Registers start again? I have them unaccounted for until 1951.
It may well have been a solicitor who applied for Probate; but why Oxford? A solicitor drew up the Probate in Carmarthen. Were they living in Oxford, or was it administered in Oxford for another reason? I cannot find any link between my family and Oxford.

[Tickettyboo]

Electoral registers were not published between 1940 & 1944
https://www.bl.uk/collection-guides/uk-electoral-registers

apologies rosie99, I seem to have been little Miss Echo and repeated the info you'd already given!

Boo

[Tickettyboo]

I am failing (and I assume others are too) to find any electoral registers for Oxford online anywhere.
The  printed registers for the General Election in 1945 will be viewable at  the British Library and  at Oxfordshire Archives.

However, as you don't have an address its going to be almost impossible to find IF either of these people were registered to vote in the area. The registers are listed by polling district and then street/ house no - could take a very long time to look at every page to see if you can spot them.

So I am afraid that until/unless they come online, have been scanned and OCR'd to produce a  searchable database they are unlikely to be of much help to you.

If they married in 1941, do you have the marriage certificate? If there is some indication that the groom was in one of the forces then that could explain why you can't find him on the 1939 Register as forces were not included.

Boo

[Pheno]

I seem to remember that when I applied for my Mum's probate a couple of years ago I applied through the local office where we both lived and where her property was - but the indication was that the application could actually be dealt with by any Probate Office if the local one didn't have capacity at that time.  Assume they distributed around offices internally and then sent back to originating office for return to applicant.

Don't know if that was the case in the 1940's but could have been.

pheno

[Talacharn]

The marriage certificate of 24 Mar 1941 has James Kennedy Buchan as a Fish Merchant. My family were fish merchants and by the time of the marriage, he had moved into the family home. I believe his father was a butcher, so fish are not that different. Probate correctly names Florence as Buchan on 18 October 1941.
In 1941, he was 34 and could have enlisted. The males of my family all enlisted and Scottish clans tended to, but that leaves Florence.
There is no evidence, they lived in Oxford, or remained in Carmarthen; only the Probate was in Oxford.
When the library re-opens, I will look through local newspapers.
Thank you for looking.