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Kent Probate Records: Difference between revisions
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Probate is the legal court process by which the estate of a deceased person is distributed to his/her heirs. | Probate is the legal court process by which the estate of a deceased person is distributed to his/her heirs. | ||
*If the person left a will, they died 'testate' and a named executor presented the will in court and was granted the authority to carry out the wishes of the deceased as stated in the will. | *If the person left a will, they died 'testate' and a named executor presented the will in court and was granted the authority to carry out the wishes of the deceased as stated in the will. | ||
*If the person did not leave a will, they died 'intestate' and the court appointed an administrator (through 'letters of administration') to pay the deceased's debts and distribute his/her remaining estate to heirs. | *If the person did not leave a will, they died 'intestate' and the court appointed an administrator (through 'letters of administration') to pay the deceased's debts and distribute his/her remaining estate to heirs. | ||
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Before searching probate records, search indexes. | Before searching probate records, search indexes. | ||
=== | === Indexes on the Internet === | ||
Here is a list of [http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mrawson/probate.html indexes] on the Internet for the county of Kent. None of the indexes are comprehensive, but they will be added to over time. | Here is a list of [http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mrawson/probate.html indexes] on the Internet for the county of Kent. None of the indexes are comprehensive, but they will be added to over time. | ||
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*To access an English county archive, go to [http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/a2a/advanced-search.aspx?tab=1 Access to Archives] or to [http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/#common GENUKI] and search for the archives for Kent or another county of interest. | *To access an English county archive, go to [http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/a2a/advanced-search.aspx?tab=1 Access to Archives] or to [http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/#common GENUKI] and search for the archives for Kent or another county of interest. | ||
*For printed indexes that are available through the Family History Library, click on the name of a court above. <br><br> | *For printed indexes that are available through the Family History Library, click on the name of a court above. <br> | ||
== Estate or Death Duty Wills and Administrations == | |||
Beginning in 1796 a tax was levied on probates of estates valued over £10. Copies of the probate documents were filed with the Estate Duty Office in London when the tax was paid. Various exceptions made over the years on who should pay the duty could have exempted the tax from being paid and a will from being filed. These records are especially helpful for research in the counties of Cornwall, Devon, and Somerset, where local probate records have been destroyed. | |||
For more information, see the Wiki article on Estate Duty Wills.<br><br> | |||
== Post-1857 Probate Records == | == Post-1857 Probate Records == | ||