Advice tracing wills

[garstonite]

good morning...just been reading uncle johns thread and it contains peoples wills....I have one ancestor ,who in the 1861 census has 100 acres of land,and 3 servants ....how would I research to see if he left/made a will in Ocle Pychard Herefordshire on his death ??.....thanks...allan

[Elizabeth Herts]

Allan, first you need to establish when he died. If you have his death certificate this is a good start!

Then, armed with his year of death, as he was alive in 1861, you need to look up the Probate Calendar for that year and possible a few years after it if you don't find it immediately.

Wills and Probate - Family Tree Forum

I hope that helps - yell if you need more help!

[KiteRunner]

Allan, you can go to a record office or probate office that holds the National Probate Calendar and search to see if there is an entry for him in there (it will be quicker to search if you find out what year he died before you go but if not, you could just trawl through year by year). There is info in our wiki about how to search and also how to order a copy of a will:
Wills and Probate - Family Tree Forum

And this is the link to the probate service's website with info:
Publications - Guidance - Probate - Guide to obtaining copies of probate records

(Because he died after 1858, the will would have been proved in the national probate system rather than a local ecclesiastical court, so the county isn't very important in finding his will.)

[Elizabeth Herts]

Oh, synchronised posting, Kite Runner! :D

[garstonite]

thank you both...I`ve just been on Wiki willis and probate...sorry for delay...I`m checking on his death to see if there`s a will...cheers...allan;)

[Kit]

Allan there is one further challenge to finding the wills. Reading them once you have them. lol

You have inspired me to order 4 or 5 I knew were at the TNA. However it is now going to take me weeks to decipher them. And one of them is about 5 pages long.