Wills

Wills up to 1885

Until 1858 wills were the province of Ecclesiastical Courts and made under the auspices of  Bishops or Archdeacons.

Important people would register their wills with important Bishops such as Canterbury or London to emphasise their importance whilst poorer people may use a less well known Archdeacon.

Wills were the preserve of the wealthy with few normal people making wills.

There is no central records of these wills although most records of ecclesiastical courts have been transcribed and are available online or on CD.

Wills made after 1885

In 1885 a national court of probate was introduced which brought about the basic system that we enjoy today.

Although there was a slow take up in making wills by poorer people there has been a steady increase in the percentage of people who make wills.

The Court of Probate maintain indexes of all wills made since 1885.

Indexes of wills that were made over 75 years ago are available from a number of sources.