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Back to [[Portal:Sweden|Sweden Portal Page]]► | Back to [[Portal:Sweden|Sweden Portal Page]]► | ||
In Sweden, | In Sweden, the Act of 1734 made it mandatory to conduct an inventory of the estate of the deceased. This legal proceeding is called in Swedish “''bouppteckning''”. | ||
''' | Soon after a death, the heirs assembled at the home of the deceased along with the court-appointed appraisers called “''värderingsmän''” who were experienced in the required procedures and legalities. All household items, as well as personal effects of the deceased were recorded and assigned a monetary value so that they could be properly divided between the heirs. At the conclusion of the inventory, the appraisers turned the probate (inventory) over to the court for probate, which took place at the next court session. | ||
Between two and four court sessions were held each year. Each session took its name from the season of the year in which the court was held: | |||
*''Vintertinget'' – winter court (December, January, & February) | |||
*''Vårtinget'' – spring court (March, April, & May) | |||
*''Sommartinget'' – summer court (June, July, & August) | |||
*''Hösttinge''t – autumn court (September, October, & November) | |||
All probating was done by the district court (''häradstinge''t) for rural parishes or by the city court (''rådhusrätten'') for those living in a city. Nobility had the privilege of having their probate processed by the court of appeals (''hovrätten'') between the years 1737 and 1916. | |||
The "''bouppteckning"'' was to be performed within a year of death but it was not uncommon that it would drag out for a year or two. However, most were within 3 months. | |||
Although a probate was obligated with death, often it was made only for the wife or husband which ever died first. Other factors could also decrease the odds of finding a probate such as being unmarried, poverty, youth, or a lax court system. Some probates have been lost due to poor storage or the destruction of the records for many reasons. Odds of finding a probate are increased for married persons, especially if leaving minor children. Also if the person had significant assets and/or a high social status they are more likely to have had a probate. In any event it is always worth checking to see if a probate exists. | |||
The probate is usually made up of two main parts, the preamble and the list of inventory . To that may be added a closing statement with the signatures of the heirs or just their initials. Sometimes the probate record is followed by a record of the division and distribution of the property among the heirs called “''arvskifte''” in Swedish. | |||
Some '''important insights''' to remember about probates: | <br>Some '''important insights''' to remember about probates: | ||
*Male heirs became of age at marriage or if not married, at age 25 years | *Male heirs became of age at marriage or if not married, at age 25 years |
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