National Probate Calendar 1858-1966 online

[Kerrywood]

The National Probate Calendar is now searchable and browsable on Ancestry (index and images).

Search > Tax, Criminal, Land & Wills > England & Wales, National Probate Calendar

You can also access it from View All New Records, or from the Card Catalogue.

This is effectively the national index of wills and administrations proved in the Probate Registry from 1858 onwards. At present the database covers the years 1861 to 1941, with some gaps (details are on the search page).

This is a key resource for probate records after 1858, and an extremely useful online tool. If you have access, enjoy!

[Pam Downes]

|jumphappy |woohoo| :clap:
and all the other happy smilies.:smile5:
Thank you for the info, Kerrywood. Having that info online is going to be a real bonus for me as to date I've not had the time to go will-searching.
Pam

[Colin Moretti]

Very good news indeed but I was puzzled that some wills I knew to be there weren't listed until I found:
Our collection covers 80 years from 1861 to 1941. We currently do not have the books for the years 1858-1860 and there are some gaps for the years 1863, 1868, 1873, 1876, 1877, 1883, 1888, 1899-1903 and 1910-1911. However, we hope to add records for these years as soon as possible.Colin

[Mitch in Notts]

Many thanks for that Kerrywood. I can see that costing me some money in wills... rather than inheriting it....

[rogtut]

Well, that's wonderful. In 5 mins I've found all sorts of info that I've been looking for for my Tutton line. "an extremely useful online tool" is something of an understatement.

Now all I've got to do is to work out how to get the wills/admons - something I've been putting off for a while!

Thanks

[Kerrywood]

Quite apart from the probate aspect, the Calendar handily provides dates and places of death which may be missing from our FH records because we never quite got around to ordering that death certificate, did we? :wink5:


I can imagine hordes of Brit-Gen members descending on the probate offices over the next few weeks Kerrywood

Not only Brit-Gen members, Graham! We can't even get onto the Probate Registry's website (http://www.hmcourts-service.gov.uk/cms/1183.htm) at the moment. I wonder why that should be? :smile5:

[Sue Mackay]

Thanks Kerrywood |woohoo|

This has now been added to my Quick Links

[junedye64]

Ohhhhh Noooo My subscription has run out. :cryin:

June

[Peter Goodey]

We can't even get onto the Probate Registry's website at the moment. I wonder why that should be?

I take it you're not thinking of this evening's news bulletins? :biggrin:

[Kerrywood]

I take it you're not thinking of this evening's news bulletins? :biggrin:
Looks to me like bad planning. They’ll surely be needing more staff now, to handle all the probate orders. :smile5:

[margarita]

I take it you're not thinking of this evening's news bulletins? :biggrin:

Do tell. :confused5:

Not all of us get UK news bulletins.:smile5:

Regards,

maggie

[v.wells]

|jumphappy |woohoo| :clap:
and all the other happy smilies.:smile5:
Thank you for the info, Kerrywood. Having that info online is going to be a real bonus for me as to date I've not had the time to go will-searching.
Pam


Terrif stuff Kerrywood! I haven't had a chance to check anything lately but it's almost time for me to get back on track. Thank you :)

[AdeleE]

Quite apart from the probate aspect, the Calendar handily provides dates and places of death which may be missing from our FH records because we never quite got around to ordering that death certificate, did we? :wink5:


Very useful for those pesky ancestors who died overseas. Thanks for telling us about this new resource. I've found 2 overseas deaths already, saving me the expense of an FMP subscription (second full genealogy subscription is definitely not in my hobby budget) + the cost of the certificate.

[Treehugger]

Thanks Kerrywood - this is so useful to those of us abroad and as others as mentioned cost-effective too!

[Waitabit]

Thanks Kerrywood, somewhere I haven't been yet.

[lesleys]

I found it by accident last night and had 10 in less than half an hour - I was able to correct a death date where I had confused two chaps with the same name - so now I can get the correct certificate, and the extra details of addresses is really useful. Even turned up a little puzzle - why did gt-gt-gran leave her only £18 to an unknown teacher - now I just have to investigate who he was

[Sue Mackay]

why did gt-gt-gran leave her only £18 to an unknown teacher - now I just have to investigate who he was

As this is just the Probate Index, wouldn't the "unknown teacher" be the executor? You'd surely need the will itself to know if he was a beneficiary.

[Peter Goodey]

I'm currently subscriptionless so haven't looked at them but are they new scans or just scans from the microfilm/fiche?

[Peter Goodey]

are they new scans or just scans from the microfilm/fiche?

Lucky Ancestry put in the winning bid for my valued custom so I can see for myself now! They are obviously not scans of the calendars at High Holborn because the London folio numbers are missing.

[Peter Goodey]

Amazing! The first online record I checked explains why I couldn't find any reference in the calendars when I checked manually.

The man died in 1896 and administration was granted in 1924! Some people just don't believe in rushing into things!

[N@alie]

Like Peter, I found one of mine purely by chance looking on line earlier as my man died in 1898 but administration was not granted until 1909 - it does also state "Former grant February 1899".

When he died he left a widow (who died in 1906) and three children. His son was the executor who was 13 when his father died and 26 when administration was granted.

I would be interested to know why it could have taken so long.

[lesleys]

As this is just the Probate Index, wouldn't the "unknown teacher" be the executor? You'd surely need the will itself to know if he was a beneficiary.

Indeed! I now realise he was her son-in-law. I had forgotten that the daughter had married.

[rogtut]

LDS have films for wills up to 1925.

[pottoka]

Thank you, Kerrywood. I can't keep up with all the new collections on A*y and was actually considering "letting them go" when they came begging for more money, but it looks as though I might be shelling out again ...

[pottoka]

I've just taken time off to look and see if any of my ancestors were intelligent enough about their own mortality to leave wills, but it would seem not; either that, or they hadn't got anything to leave, which I know is true about a good part of the family. But it's annoying to find the siblings of an ancestor leaving wills and not him/her!

And now I have two questions which may be daft, but I have to ask them as I don't know the answers!

If it says "Administration" instead of "Probate", does that mean that the person died intestate?

Am I confusing things by thinking that women were "freed" from being the chattels of men when they got the vote, or was there a previous act about property and woman? I just find it difficult to believe that a female ancestor who didn't work could have saved nearly £2000 between emancipation and early 1922 when she died, but how else could it be hers when her husband was still alive?

[Kerrywood]

If it says "Administration" instead of "Probate", does that mean that the person died intestate?
Not necessarily. There may have been a will which didn't go to probate for some reason, perhaps because of an irregularity in the wording or signatures, or the executor(s) may have declined to act, or been unable to do so, or he/she may have died between the writing of the will and the testator's death. In these cases you may find a grant of administration "with the will annexed".


Am I confusing things by thinking that women were "freed" from being the chattels of men when they got the vote, or was there a previous act about property and woman?
A key date was 1882, when the Married Women's Property Act was passed (England and Wales). Before that date a married woman could make a will -- but only with her husband's permission. After 1882 she had the right to buy and sell property and dispose of her own assets without reference to her husband.

The downside was that along with legal recognition came liability for her own debts.

[Waitabit]

Amazing! The first online record I checked explains why I couldn't find any reference in the calendars when I checked manually.
The man died in 1896 and administration was granted in 1924! Some people just don't believe in rushing into things!

Also with Natalies post, does this occur because other people contest the will, or things have to be proven to belong to the deceased.? I love questions but answers are really good :)

[pottoka]

Not necessarily. There may have been a will which didn't go to probate for some reason, perhaps because of an irregularity in the wording or signatures, or the executor(s) may have declined to act, or been unable to do so, or he/she may have died between the writing of the will and the testator's death. In these cases you may find a grant of administration "with the will annexed".

A key date was 1882, when the Married Women's Property Act was passed (England and Wales). Before that date a married woman could make a will -- but only with her husband's permission. After 1882 she had the right to buy and sell property and dispose of her own assets without reference to her husband.

The downside was that along with legal recognition came liability for her own debts.

Thank you for clearing up those points, Kerrywood (and please excuse the delay in replying). I think I'm going to be joining the queues ordering wills.

[freddy]

Hi folks

Has anyone had any problems with ordering copies of wills by post from York. I ordered copies for 5 of my relatives on 12th August with the cheque clearing on 19th and have heard nothing. I sent a chasing letter last Thursday but still await a reply.

Your comments please.

[Kerrywood]

Hi Freddy, and welcome to the forums,

People's experience may differ, but I was told by staff at the Probate Registry in High Holborn last week that over-the-counter orders for postal delivery are currently taking about two weeks, while orders from York are taking about 4 weeks.

[Colin Moretti]

No doubt there has been a great surge in demand now that Ancestry has a large part of the NBI on line, I would also imagine that many people are finding wills that they never expected to have been written.

Colin

[Mitch in Notts]

This has now been extended to 1966 on the Ancestry website.

[rogtut]

Not only have Ancestry extended the records but they also appear to have added the missing years: "Our collection covers 80 years from 1861 to 1941. We currently do not have the books for the years 1858-1860 and there are some gaps for the years 1863, 1868, 1873, 1876, 1877, 1883, 1888, 1899-1903 and 1910-1911. However, we hope to add records for these years as soon as possible."

Incidentally LDS have copies on microfilm of wills (but not admons) from 1858 to 1925. The films are on site in London (currently based at TNA Kew).