Genealogy Chat

Did only wealthy people leave wills in the 19th century? I have an ancestor who had a farm of 80 acres in the Wirral who died in 1859 and another who, on 1881 census, was a retired colliery manager in Lancashire 'living on his own means'. I thought that they would have left a will but haven't found anything on the different sites dealing with wills (at least the ones I know). I've never searched for a will before so perhaps I'm doing something wrong. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Patricia

A summary of the arrangements for proving wills can be found on the national Archives website http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/wills.asp

Not all the wills are shown on the sites, Ive looked for ones which I feel must have been made with no luck on National Archives documents on line. You need to look through the index in a main library for those that have been proved or gone to probate (Ive never tried this I think Id go mad looking through them all!). I did try the index on findmypast but was virtually writing my own will after an hour of trawling through the names. One thing you could do if you know when he died is send a request to York Probate (the address is on the home page here under Wills link) and chance a fiver on them finding it for you? You may get more sensible advice!

Oh I just remembered this site which was put on the Family Tree Forum recently for Wills in Lancashire - change asterisks to full stops http://www*xmission*com/~nelsonb/lws*htm

It is very easy to look if a will went to probate after 1857. Most County Record Offices hold copies of the Probate Calendar which is made annually and is alphabetical. The only slight problem is it is recorded by the date the Probate was granted which could be (not usually) several years after the death. I have quite frequently visited my local county archives office (I have no family interest in the county!) and within 10 minutes found several entries I was looking for. The Probate Calendars are NOT on line! If you find an entry you then send to York for a copy of the will. Just put a search in the box above these threads and you'll find the address. Anne

I think it's very likely he left a will. I found mention of 2 wills recently - father and son - one owned just over 1 acre of land and the other owned 2 acres (and a few houses). So, if your man owned 80 acres then he surely would have made a Will. (If he owned land and if you're visiting your local record office they will have details of landholdings in 1873 - some sort of survey. It's also available online and charges you £1 to see the surnames listed. That's where I found mention of one of the wills - it said 'Executors of James Forder ...') Good luck Jill

Patricia If you let me have names,dates ofdeath and where they were living, I 'll look up the wills for you in the index, as I did for Jill Ann

Thank you all for replying. As I'm not in England I can only search online but I've bookmarked all your suggestions for when I go to England.. This is the first time I've thought about looking for a will so I hope I'm successful. Patricia