Kent Will 1697

[~buttons~]

Looking for a copy of a will dated 1697 for NicholasWraight of Woodnesborough Probate 1697
ref: PRC/17/79/123b   PRC/16/333 W/5   OW&C   1697

There's also an Inventory but thought I'd postpone looking at it as this may not be my guy.

Is there any chance the original will could be on a film via Family Search?

I realise that the local archives might be the only option but thought I'd try elsewhere for starters.

Thanks for any suggestions

[David Boulding]

The wills on Familysearch are, alas. only available from one of their family history centres (as I understand it). This is due to copyright problems.

Ncholas is not here but some nearby people might be family?

https://freepages.rootsweb.com/~mrawson/genealogy/will_wy.html

[~buttons~]

Thanks for your info David.

I was hoping someone may have already looked at these records and could confirm that they were actual Wills rather than an index.

I've looked thru Rootsweb Kent Wills previously - a great help & bonus for anyone with those specific ancestors.

Thanks again, your help is much appreciated

[David Boulding]

Just as an aside I have a John Wraith of Wootton in my family tree. He married the widow Mary Ford in 1582. Mary nee Woolke who married William Ford in 1566 Sellindge is my direct line

[Zacktyr]

Hi, buttons,

The Archdeaconry and Consistory Courts Wills are, as David Boulding mentioned, available on the familysearch.org website.  Although you need to be signed in to Family Search at a local Family Search Centre, there are also now hundreds of public libraries around the world that are "affiliates" of the Salt Lake Library.  The Wills can be viewed at those affiliate public libraries by signing into Family Search at the library.  You will need to have a free Family Search account, which you can sign up for at home.

Here is a link to locate either a FamilySearch Centre or affiliate public library where you are:
https://locations.familysearch.org/en/search

[~buttons~]

Just as an aside I have a John Wraith of Wootton in my family tree. He married the widow Mary Ford in 1582. Mary nee Woolke who married William Ford in 1566 Sellindge is my direct line

Sorry David, I don't know enough about Wraight family members to know if there was a connection with a John Wraith of Wootton.


Thanks Zacktyr for the info re FamilySearch.
I was hoping someone might have looked at the actual film and was able to verify if it contained original Wills or was simply an index.

Appreciate your help.

[David Boulding]

I suspect they are the actual wills and not just a calendar (from what I've read). But this is not a definitive answer.

[Zacktyr]

Hi, buttons,

Yes, I can confirm for you that the films contain the microfilms of the original Wills.  I am a non-member (non-LDS) librarian and European Research Specialist at our local FamilySearch Centre and have used the Will films since 1983.  The quality is very good but, of course, there are Wills that were damaged in the Canterbury Cathedral archive and those are not so great.  But, I've never had a problem with them.

[~buttons~]

  Excellent!

Thanks for the great news. I'll follow up at my LDS centre