Author Topic: Archdeaconry of Ely Probate Records 1513-1857 - is this online anywhere?  (Read 597 times)

Offline Galium

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Archdeaconry of Ely Probate Records 1513-1857 - is this online anywhere?
« on: Sunday 14 November 21 12:02 GMT (UK) »
Does anyone know if there is an online source for Cambridgeshire wills?  I know that there are no actual images, but are there indexes?
Findmypast offers this page:  http://www.rootschat.com/links/01r21/

which, despite suggesting otherwise, only searches the whole of FindMyPast for what is entered in the searchbox, and doesn't lead to the index described.

Cambridgeshire Archives have wills for the Archdeaconry of Huntingdonshire listed, but not Cambridgeshire it seems.
I am looking for a will which is listed in the Death Duty Register index - so it definitely existed - but is it going to be possible to request a copy?
UK Census info. Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Offline arthurk

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Re: Archdeaconry of Ely Probate Records 1513-1857 - is this online anywhere?
« Reply #1 on: Sunday 14 November 21 13:31 GMT (UK) »
The volume you're looking for is one of the published indexes that FindMyPast have in pdf form. I've never found them particularly easy to search, but once you've located the volume you want, it is browsable.

You need to search all records for the collection called "England & Wales Published Wills & Probate Indexes, 1300-1858", then by means of the search boxes find the volume you want. This will give you a list of pages in the book, each one a separate pdf file, and by clicking the Page Number heading you can put them in numerical order.

You'll need to pick the page you think most likely and browse from there. The navigation buttons only let you move one page at a time, so an alternative is to keep the listing page open, and open the pdf pages in new tabs. Another is by entering the URL directly, once you have a page open, as follows.

The Archdeaconry of Ely volume is published by the British Record Society (BRS), and the link to any page in their volumes ends in /BRS/xxx/yyyy, where xxx refers to the volume and yyyy is the image number. (In a browser address bar it might appear as %2fBRS%2fxxx%2fyyyy.) So to navigate quickly from one page to a distant one, you simply change the page number shown (yyyy) to the one you want to go to, and press Go or hit Enter.

I hope this helps you find what you want.
Researching among others:
Bartle, Bilton, Bingley, Campbell, Craven, Emmott, Harcourt, Hirst, Kellet(t), Kennedy,
Meaburn, Mennile/Meynell, Metcalf(e), Palliser, Robinson, Rutter, Shipley, Stow, Wilkinson

Census information is Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Offline jonw65

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Re: Archdeaconry of Ely Probate Records 1513-1857 - is this online anywhere?
« Reply #2 on: Sunday 14 November 21 13:46 GMT (UK) »
And there is a wills index index here on the CFHS website
https://www.cfhs.org.uk/searchsd.cfm

Some original wills can be seen on FamilySearch
Wills and administrations of the Diocese of Ely, 1449-1858
https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/41418

Offline jonw65

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Re: Archdeaconry of Ely Probate Records 1513-1857 - is this online anywhere?
« Reply #3 on: Sunday 14 November 21 13:51 GMT (UK) »
Diocese of Ely. Consistory Court, Bonds and inventories, 1587-1858
https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/1129448


Offline jonw65

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Re: Archdeaconry of Ely Probate Records 1513-1857 - is this online anywhere?
« Reply #4 on: Sunday 14 November 21 13:52 GMT (UK) »
Wills, 1489-1857, Archdeaconry of Ely
https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/274657

Again, you can see the original wills at home, not the register copy wills.

Offline jonw65

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Re: Archdeaconry of Ely Probate Records 1513-1857 - is this online anywhere?
« Reply #5 on: Sunday 14 November 21 13:59 GMT (UK) »
And there is a wills index index here on the CFHS website
https://www.cfhs.org.uk/searchsd.cfm

Doesn't seem to include the Archdeaconry of Ely wills!
But there are images online.

Offline Galium

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Re: Archdeaconry of Ely Probate Records 1513-1857 - is this online anywhere?
« Reply #6 on: Sunday 14 November 21 14:41 GMT (UK) »
thank you, both of you, for taking the time to reply.  I rather get the feeling that FindMyPast don't really want anybody to use that index - but now I know how to!

It looks like it might take a while to track down the one I want on familysearch - I didn't know that they had those - but I can have fun doing it, and maybe I'll find others that are useful.

Many thanks.  :)
UK Census info. Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk