Wills can be a very useful source for family historians, helping to identify status/ occupation, family relationships, property ownership, valued possessions, etc. The key date in a search for wills is 1858 when responsibility for the validation of wills and administrations nationwide transferred to the Principal Probate Registry (now the Principal Registry of the Family Division).
After 1858
The probate records for England and Wales are indexed by surname, year by year. You can search the calendars online, by surname and year, on the government website, where you can order a copy. The current fee is £1.50. Remember when searching that applications for probate were not always made immediately after a death, so you may need to search for a few years to find the entry you want.
The entries in the indexes from 1858 to 1891 contain a significant level of detail about the deceased and the executors, including for example, the date and place of death, and the relationship of the executor to the deceased. From 1892, less information about the executors is provided and from 1968 the information is pared to a minimum.
If your ancestor died intestate someone may have applied for a grant of administration in order to deal with their estate, especially if a property was involved. These grants are included in the calendars, but grants of administration do not contain the kind of detail you might find in a will.
Before 1858
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