Wales Probate Records: Difference between revisions

On 11 January 1858, a network of courts called the Principal Probate Registry replaced all ecclesiastical probate courts. All wills and administrations were then probated at district courts or at a central court in London called the Principal Registry. Online indexes available 1861-1941 for both wills and administrations at ancestry.com under search Tax, Criminal, Land & Wills records [http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=1904 Will and Administration Searching]  

   

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. Over the years various exceptions to the laws could have exempted the tax from being paid and a will from being filed.  

   

There are four steps to locating probate records:  

   

After 1857 it is not necessary to determine the court before searching for a probate record. To determine the court for pre-1858 probates, use one of the following publications:  

   

Many Welsh probate records have indexes. Some indexes are calendars, which are lists of wills organized by date with a separate section for each letter of the alphabet. Surnames with the same first letter are listed together but are not in alphabetical order. The following are of particular importance.<br>

   

   

The index lists the name of the person who left the will (testator), the parish and abode, the occupation, and the references needed to go directly to the correct page in the wills.  

   

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The index is listed in the Place Search of the Family History Library Catalog under:  

   

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'''WALES - PROBATE RECORDS DIGITAL, ONLINE AND INDEXED PRE-1858''' <u>'''FOR FREE'''</u>  

   

   

<br>[http://cat.llgc.org.uk/cgi-bin/gw/chameleon?skin=profeb&lng=en National Library of Wales]  

   

   

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;'''WALES - PROBATE RECORDS - INDEXES'''

'''Abstracts of Welsh Wills Pre-1858.''' An important collection of Welsh probates are the abstracts (summaries) and indexes to the abstracts of the wills that are on microfiche at the Family History Library. The abstracts and indexes are by diocese; however, there is a separate set for the Arch deaconry of Brecon and the peculiar of Hawarden. The abstracts are arranged by year and contain the name of every person mentioned in the will, including the witnesses. There are separate indexes for each year for the:<br>

   

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=== Probate Records at the Family History Library  ===

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  To find call numbers for the probate records, look in the Place Search of the Family History Library Catalog under:  

   

Some probate records, including those of the Principle Probate Registry, the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, and the Estate Duty, are listed in the Place Search of the Family History Library Catalog under:  

   

The following helpful books are available at the Family History Library:  

   

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  For copies of wills or administrations after 1857 you can write to:  

   

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  If you choose to visit, the office location is:  

   

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  Sometimes solicitors (attorneys) kept will books, copies of wills they had prepared for clients. These books have often found their way into record offices. The books may include wills that were later revoked or never probated.  

   

You may have difficulty locating a probate record because:  

   

Some wills and many disputes over real property were handled by the Chancery Court of England. Some of the wills in this and other national courts are listed in: