Ireland Probate Records: Difference between revisions

*[http://www.origins.net/iowelcome.aspx Index of Irish Wills, 1484-1858; Dublin Wills and Grant Book, 1270-1858; Phillimore & Thrift Index to Irish Wills, 1536-1858; Sir Arthur Vicar's Index to the Prerogative Wills of Ireland, 1536-1810]. ($)

*[http://www.nationalarchives.ie/genealogy1/genealogy-records/wills-testamentary-records Will calendar, 1922-1982] and [http://www.nationalarchives.ie/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Will-calendar-search-guide.pdf Instructions] for searching the online will calendars

*'''Grant Books''', were the records of grants of probate and included administrations, marriage licenses, faculty of notary public, letters of tutelage and acquittance, commissions and some decrees. The grant books for Ireland dated from 1593 to 1858, but were mostly destroyed by the fire in the Public Record Office in 1922. The surviving Grant Books are for the years 1684-1688, 1748-1751 and 1839.  

*'''Wills''', a dated, signed and witnessed document setting out the deceased's bequests. These were the most informative of the probate documents since they were likely to name heirs, give relationships, occupations, places of residence, ownership of property and various details relating to the disposition of a personal estate. There were several types of wills, holograph, nuncupative etc., a good description of these is found in Wills and Their Whereabouts by Anthony J. Camp, 1974 (Family History Library British {{FHL|942 S2wa|disp=Ref. 942 S2wa 1974}}). The Prerogative wills were transcribed into bound Will Books after they were deposited in the Public Record Office.  

*'''Day Books''', were the daily registers of fees received for the documents issued, and allocated between offices of the judge, registrar, and marshal plus a record of the stamp duties collected. Approximate death dates and other important event dates may often be derived from the Day Books. Prior to their destruction, the Day Books dated from 1775-1858. The surviving Day Books are for the years 1784-1788.  

*'''Letters of administration (or admons)''', which indicate that a person died without leaving a will so the court appointed an administrator to oversee estate distribution. These often mention only the names of persons administering the estate and some reference to the approximate date of death may be derived. While these persons are often related, the relationship may not always be easy to recognize.  

*'''Grant or act book'''s, which provide a day by day account of all grants issued in a probate court including the records of grants of probate and included administrations, marriage licenses, faculty of notary public, letters of tutelage and acquittance, commissions and some decrees. The grant books for Ireland dated from 1593 1858, but were mostly destroyed by the fire in the Public Record Office in 1922. The surviving Grant Books are for the years 1684-1688, 1748-1751 and 1839.

| '''County'''

| Antrim  

| Armagh  

| Carlow  

| Cavan  

| Clare  

| Cork  

| Donegal  

| Down

| Dublin

| Fermanagh

| Galway

| Kerry

| Kildare

| Kilkenny

| Laois (Queen's/Leix)

| Ballina and Cavan

| Limerick

| Londonderry (Derry)

| Longford  

| Louth

| Mayo

| Meath

| Monaghan

| Offaly (King's)

| Mullingar & Principal Registry

| Roscommon

| Sligo

| Tipperary

| Waterford & Limerick

| Tyrone

| Armagh & Londonderry

| Waterford

| Westmeath

| Wexford

| Wicklow

== Post-1857 Probate Courts ==

In 1858, civil authorities, government departments, and courts, took on the work of proving wills and administrations. Eleven district will registries and a Principal Probate Registry in Dublin replaced the church probate courts.

Each registry made copies of wills and administrations that it proved in 'will and admon books' and after 20 years sent the originals to the Public Record Office in Dublin. The originals and copies, of almost all records of the Principal Probate Registry (which also had jurisdiction as a district court over the counties of Dublin and Kildare) were destroyed in the fire that consumed the Public Record Office in 1922.

Copies of wills and administrations kept by other district registries have been gathered into the National Archives and the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, where they remain grouped by district. To determine the district registry that served your county of interest, see the Irish Probates Register or Anthony Camp, Wills and Their Whereabouts.  

From 1858 there is a calendar or index of the grants of probate and letters of administration for the Principal Probate Registry and in the several district registries. Produced by the Principal Probate Registry, Dublin, this calendar is arranged alphabetically by the name of the testator. The Family History Library has a copy on {{FHL|217698|title-id|disp=46 rolls of film}}. For each entry the calendar tells the testator's name; the executor's name; the court where the will was registered; and the deceased person's name, occupation, date & place of death. The calendars held at the National Archives, Dublin, only include the district registries of Armagh, Belfast & Londonderry to 1918.

For the years 1858-1877 there is a consolidated index to the calendars. Arranged by surname, the index gives the name of the deceased, the district registry where the probate was proved, and whether the probate involved a will or an admon. To find the film numbers for the Irish calendar and master index, select the calendar by Ireland, Principal Probate Registry (Dublin) in the Place Search of the catalog under IRELAND - PROBATE RECORDS - INDEXES. There existed afurther consolidated index to the calendars for the period 1878 to 1900, but this was destroyed in 1922.

| Killaloe & Kilfenora, Limerick

| Cork & Ross, Cloyne, Ardfert & Aghadoe

| Down, Dromore, Connor, Newry & Mourne

| Tuam, Clonfert, Kilmacduagh, Elphin, Killaloe & Kilfenora

| Ardfert & Aghadoe

| Limerick, Cashel & Emly, Killaloe & Kilfenora

| Killala & Achonry, Tuam

| Kildare, Meath, Killaloe & Kilfenora, Ossory, Clonfert

| Killala & Achonry, Elphin, Ardagh

| Cashel & Emly, Killaloe & Kilfenora, Waterford & Lismore

| Waterford & Lismore

Most pre-1858 probate records were destroyed when the Public Record Office in Dublin burned in 1922. Fortunately, prior to the fire, the original wills and admons had been indexed. Most of the indexes survived the disaster. Microfilm copies of the indexes are available at the Family History Library. They are listed in the Place Search of the catalog under:  

*Darwin, Kenneth. Administrations From The Peculiar of Newry and Mourne. The Irish Ancestor Vol.1, No. 1, 1969 941.5 B2i Page 41 and 42, Family History Library Salt Lake City. Small alphabetical list of Administrations found for Newry and Mourne, Years 1811-1857.

*A selection of Wills of Irish interest from the first five Will books - in alphabetical order of testators. Article in The Irish Ancestor Vo. 1 No. 2, 1969 Family History Library Ref 941.5 B2i

also available at [http://sources.nli.ie/Search/Results?lookfor=wills&type=AllFields&submit=FIND National Library of Ireland], and [http://www.worldcat.org/title/the-irish-ancestor www.worldcat.org/title/the-irish-ancestor]  

*Abstract of Wills. Heirs of Wills of the following people, Lydia Carroll 1779. Margaret Dobbs 1754. John Kellett 1806. Andrew Ram 1697. Sarah Wills 1792, all of Dublin. Article in The Irish Ancestor, vol.V no. 1. 1973. pages 53-61, Family History Ref. 941.5 B2i v.5-6, also Wills of persons with surnames of Chambers, Cook, Croker, Going, Minitt, Muneere, Purecell, Purcel, Toter and Vickers covering years 1642-1818. The Irish Ancestor. vol. XIV. no. 2. 1982 pages 121-125, FHL Ref. 941.5 B2i vol. 14.<br>

*Vicars, Sir Arthur, ed. ''Index to the Prerogative Wills of Ireland, 1536-1810''. 1897. Reprint. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1967. (Family History Library {{FHL|417479|title-id|disp=book 941.5 P22v 1967; fiche 6026394.)}} His book is also available [http://books.google.com/books?q=Irish+wills online].

*'''Public Record Office of Northern Ireland'''. ''Card Index to Wills in the Several Collections Held at the Public Record Office, Belfast 1536-1920.'' (Family History Library {{FHL|377738|title-id|disp=film 1565572-75 and 1565578}}.) This index was filmed by the Family History Library in 1990. The index lists many copy wills and other probate records found at the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland. The index is listed in the Place Search of the catalog under IRELAND - PROBATE RECORDS - INDEXES. Copies of the wills listed in the index can be obtained from the Public Record Office or can be viewed on microfilm at the Family History Library. The library's copies of the wills are listed in the Place Search of the catalog under:

*'''Ireland, Public Record Office'''. ''Testamentary Documents Card Index, Seventeenth to Twentieth Centuries.'' This card index lists surviving original wills and copy wills that were collected after the destruction of the Public Record Office in 1922. These wills and copies of wills are now on file at the National Archives. The 1928 version of the index is published in Public Record Office, Dublin, The Fifty-Sixth Report of the Deputy Keeper of the Public Records and Keeper of the State Papers in Ireland (Dublin, ireland: Stationery Office, 1931; Family History Library {{FHL|0990493|film|disp=book 941.5 A5r; film 0990493 item 8 and 0100239 item 4; fiche 6023597-602}}). In 1990, the Family History Library filmed the index. The index is listed in the Place Search of the catalog under IRELAND - PROBATE RECORDS - INDEXES. Some copies of wills referenced in the index are also on film at the library. These are listed in the Place Search of the catalog under IRELAND - PROBATE RECORDS.

*'''Indexes and registers held by the Inland Revenue office''', London of Irish wills and administrations proved between 1828 and 1879. ''Commissioners of Inland Revenue, Irish Will Indexes, 1838-79'' (Family History Library {{FHL|232755|title-id|disp=film 597268-72;}} indexes for 1862-63 are missing) and in any case the indexes from 1858 onwards add nothing to what can already be found in the printed calendars which were published from that year on, see further. These indexes record the name of the testator, the name and residence of the executor, the court in which the will was proved, and the folio number of the original will. ''Commissioners of Inland Revenue, Irish Administration Indexes, 1828-79'' (Family History Library {{FHL|232755|title-id|disp=film 597278-81}}; indexes for 1830-31 and 1851 are missing) gives the name and sometimes residence of the deceased, the name and residence of the administrator, the name of the court where the administration was granted, and the folio number of the original administration. The will and admon registers - on which the indexes are based - survive for the years 1828 to 1839 and are summaries of the originals wills and admons. The registers from 1840 to 1879 are missing, now presumed lost. The existing registers contain names and relationships of heirs and often the death date of the deceased. The registers and indexes are on film at the Family History Library. They are listed in the Place Search of the catalog under IRELAND - PROBATE RECORDS.

*'''Irish estate duty wills'''. Irish wills proved in English courts between 1812 and 1857 were subject to an estate duty tax. Abstracts of these wills were kept at the Estate Duty Office in London but have since been transferred to the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland. Abstracts for the years 1812-1820 and part of the list for 1821 no longer exist. Surviving copies begin in 1821 and are alphabetized beginning with the letter k. Filmed copies of the surviving abstracts are available at the Family History Library. They are listed in the Place Search of the catalog under:

*Leeson, Francis. "Irish Nominees in the State Tontines of 1773, 1775 & 1777." Article contains alphabetical listing of Irish Nominees in The State Tontines including descendants in various counties. Article found in ''The Irish Ancestor'' vol.2 no. 1, 1970 page 47-62, Family History Library Ref. 941.5 B2i.

The wills in the Crossle Collection deposited in the Genealogical Office, Dublin (G.O. Mss. 416 418) are indexed in Analecta Hibernica Vol. 17 published by the Stationery Office, Dublin. This collection is on two reels of microfilm at the Family History Library {{FHL|100176|film|disp=film 100176 item 1}} (G.O. Mss. 417 418) for the "Drought" family and Family History Library {{FHL|100175|film|disp=microfilm 100175 item 2}} (G.O. Mss. 416) for families of various other surnames.  

The Crossle Collection deposited in the Public Record Office, Dublin is often referred to as the "Smith Books" since many of the extracts relate to the Smith family. These wills and extracts from the Prerogative Grant Books are not indexed in the volume 17 of Analecta Hibernica previously mentioned. This collection was microfilmed by the Family History Library in 1969 Family History Library {{FHL|234637|title-id|disp=film 597127 – 597131}}.  

A third collection is deposited in the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (Ref. T748 and T283). This collection is mostly will extracts for the time period 1671 1857. This material is indexed in the Report of the Deputy Keeper of Northern Ireland, 1925 Appendix F; 1933 Appendix B; and 1938 45 page 15. (See Wills and Their Whereabouts by Anthony J. Camp, London 1974). This collection was also microfilmed by the Family History Library in 1960, Family History Library {{FHL|218854|title-id|disp=film 258581}} and Family History Library {{FHL|218854|title-id|disp=film 247318}}).  

...Original Certified Copies issued from the Public Record Office: A volume entitled 'Wills & Admons 1632 1825' and another 'Wills & Admons 1819 1894.' These volumes mainly contain original certified copies of wills and Grants of Probate and Administration and a few Probate Office copies of Wills with some extracts of Wills and Letters of Administration.  

The Alfred Molony collection mainly relates to wills for the surname "Molony" and the abstracts were taken from the Prerogative Court and the diocesan courts of Limerick and Killaloe. Entries from this collection are indexed in Analecta Hibernica Vol. 17 (Family History Library {{FHL|941.5 B2ah|disp=book # 941.5 B2ah}}). This collection is in the Genealogical Office (G.O. Mss. 456 466) and is on Family History Library {{FHL|462472|title-id|disp=microfilm 100149}} (G.O. Mss. 456 457) and Family History Library {{FHL|462472|title-id|disp=microfilm 100150}} (G.O. Mss. 460 466). <br>

An index to the Irish Wills in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury for the time period 1832 1901 was made by the staff of W.P.W. Phillimore and were later edited and typed by Cecil Humphery Smith, Duncan Harrington and the staff of the Institute of Heraldic & Genealogical Studies. The indexes were made from abstracts made by Culleton's Heraldic Office. The collection contains abstracts of 559 wills. A surname index to the collection is printed in the Federation of Family History Societies publication The Journal of the Institute of Heraldic & Genealogical Studies Vol. 11 Nos. 73/74, new series 49/50 (Jan 1980). <br>

A sizeable collection of will abstracts amounting to approximately 4,000 was compiled by Miss Gertrude Thrift. This collection is deposited at the Public Record Office of Ireland, Dublin and was microfilmed by the Family History Library {{FHL|592949|film|disp=microfilm 592949 956}} and{{FHL|234649|title-id|disp=microfilm 596408 419}}. This material is indexed in the Report of the Deputy Keeper of the Public Records and Keeper of State Records in Ireland, 55th Report pp. 69 90 and 57th Report pp. 325 420. Not all of the will abstracts are for the Prerogative Court.<br>