Wills and Other Probate Records: A Practical Guide to Researching Your Ancestors' Last Documents (Readers Guides)

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Our ancestors' wills and related records can be a valuable source of genealogical information; an opportunity to find out more about their lives, families, livelihoods - sometimes even their personalities. However, the records can seem complex. From 1858 wills were centrally registered and researching them is straightforward but before 1858 wills were administrated in a network of church courts and the records are scattered. This comprehensive guide makes will research available to all, from the novice family historian to the seasoned researcher seeking clarification on complexities. It makes sense of the records and the institutions to approach as well as the indexes and digital resources increasingly available. Legal terminology and Latin phrases are translated and the text is illustrated throughout with examples of the records including wills. Contents: xB7; Introduction xB7; Church courts and records before 1858 xB7; Finding a will before 1858 xB7; Administrations before 1858 xB7; Wills and administrations from 1858 onwards xB7; Understanding the will xB7; Inventories and accounts xB7; Death duty registers xB7; Litigation xB7; Other probate records xB7; Appendices, Further Reading and Index

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Karen Grannum has worked at The National Archives for 13 years and has extensive experience of advising the public on the archives and in particular wills and other probate records. Karen recently prepared the second edition of Using Wills in the PRO.