Genealogy Chat

nudging up...

Nudge

Julie,

I would suggest ringing the probate registry helpline to see if they may be able to answer your question.

Probate Department, Principal Registry of the Family Division,
First Avenue House,
42-49 High Holborn,
London, WC1V 6NP
Telephone Helpline: 0845 3020900

Good luck.

I sent off for a copy of a will a few weeks ago after reading the name and details etc on Ancestry Probate registers. I sent the form and £5 to the York office as they requested only to receive a letter yesterday from the Norwich Probate Sub Registry saying

'I can confirm that a search of the records has been made on the following information given by yourself but no record can be found'.

Underneath this they have typed

MARY ANN CAROLINE POWELL
Issue date 1934
Issuing registry Middlesex london
Date of death 12 May 1934

These are the details from the Ancestry Probate calendars so are some wills 'lost'

n

You can also get copies of some wills from the National Archives, online. If you find one in their database, you pay £3 and you then have (I think) 28 days in which you can download it.

However, the one I got seemed to be a hand-written transcript, as it had part of 2 other unrelated wills on the pages above and below it in the same hand-writing. The transcription must, I think, have been done some time ago.

Wiltshire Archives will also send you a copy of an original will if it is in their archives. You can search online and the charge is £5. Probably other counties will too.

Thanks to the tips on here I have found several relatives details of their wills. I sent for 6 yesterday so fingers crossed not too long to wait. Mind you with the advertising on Ancestry of their availability I imagine the wait to be a little longer than usual.
Di

I have just sent of for the will of
my relative ... now just have to sit and wait ...lol
Hazelx

n

n

Thank you Jill ..
Hazelx

Hazel

You can just write to the Probate Registry. Give them the details of the deceased, date of death and date of probate - and where probate was granted.

Jill

I have found one of my relatives on Ancestry
Ernest Pope of (address)....died on 26 Jan 1906
probate London 23 Feb to Emily and Arthur Pope the sum of £38 .3shillings ..
i have been on the site that Jonesey put on here but i cant find where the form is to fill in can anyone help please ... ..thanks
Hazelx

You have to have the Premium subscription IGP.

Linda

What level of Ancestry subscription do you need to search the Wills Index?

Jonesey, thanks for your advise. I will buy the two wills this week.

Cheers, Steven.

Bookmarking this thread Thank you
Joan x

Many thanks Jonesey for the link...I have found quite a few which I would like to order.

Cheshire Records Office do have a facility where you can search and order online..

http://apps.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/RecordOfficeWillEpayments/search.aspx

Each will costs £3.50 plus postage. I have ordered 3 online in the past and received them within the week.

Linda

Fees: When returning the completed application to the Postal Searches and Copies Department in York, please also
enclose the fee of £5.00. Each extra copy of the same document ordered at the same time will attract an additional
fee of £1.00. Cheques or Postal Orders should be crossed and made payable to ‘HM Courts Service’. Fees from
abroad should be paid by International Money Order, cheque or draft, payable through a United Kingdom bank, and
must be made out in £ sterling. We are currently unable to accept payments by credit or debit card, nor are we able to
receive search requests by telephone. Please contact the Postal Searches and Copies Department for details of fees
for special copies (for instance if you are administering estate abroad), and mark your application accordingly.

Steven,

The £5 fee covers all pages of the will. In the UK it also covers postage but I am not sure whether it will include postage to an overseas address. It might however as when ordering a BMD certificate from the GRO the fee there covers postage to any address.