Probate calendar online - please read!

[Phoenix]

Thought I would pass this on, as I'm sure one or two of you might like the calendar online!


John Briden HMCS (Her Majesty's Courts Service) is hoping to get the probate calendars on line.

He has put together a short questionnaire and would like to receive as many responses as possible by Friday 27th March. I realise that this is very short notice but if you are able to help and can pass this on to your members it would be appreciated. Responses are to be sent direct to John Briden.

• If the probate calendar was available on the Internet, would you use it?
• If you would use it - how often would you use it?
• What probate information would you be interested in seeing online, and why that particular information?
• Would you like to order copies online, and be prepared to pay for them online?
• Would you prefer to access the calendar online, but order and pay for copies by post, or by telephone?
• Would you be prepared to pay a premium to the fee in addition to the normal cost for a more immediate service?

Please send replies to: john.briden@justice.gsi.gov.uk

[KiteRunner]

Thanks for that, Phoenix. I've sent my responses in, including my hope that it will be searchable by name of executor / administrator as well as name of deceased.

[Phoenix]

That's what I said, too! Some of the Edwards who have left wills (I have 3 separate families) can only really be identified by executors.

[Anne in Carlisle]

I've sent an email too. Hope this succeeds!

Anne

[Mary from Italy]

Me too, that'd be great.

[Joy Dean]

It would be useful to be searchable by names of witnesses, too.

[Anne in Carlisle]

I don't think witnesses are listed in the Probate calendars, Joy? (I could be wrong - often am!)

Anne

I've just found my list of Probate calendar records I have so far. Here is an example of what can be in the idex, although it has varied over time. Todays indexes are not so detailed.

COLEMAN Joseph of Ampthill Bedfordshire died 25 March 1910. Probate London 31 May 1910 to Mary Susanna Coleman, widow, Edward Clement Coleman, provision merchant, and Alfred Tresawna Trethewy, solicitor. Effects £17,681 1s 5d, resworn at £17,500 1s 5d.

[Mary from Italy]

I don't think the probate calendar contains witnesses' names. You'd need the will for that.

[KiteRunner]

That's right, Mary, and it would be a much bigger job to add the witnesses' names from the wills than it would be just to computerise the calendar (index), I would think.

[Little Nell]

Just sent my responses off.

[Bo the Bodger]

Just sent my answers off as well.

[Merry Monty Montgomery]

Have sent my reply.

[Christine in Herts]

Thanks, Phoenix

I've just added my two-penn'orth.

Christine

[Phoenix]

Unashamed nudge, as I would like good online indexes, and I'm sure lots of others would too!

[Heather Positive Thinker]

Sent mine off. Im a bit thick about this area - on the bit that asked what info wed want, I also added address? Is that OK?

[KiteRunner]

Yes, I should think so, Heather, because the info in the calendar, at least in the earlier years, is year, amount of estate, name, occupation and address of deceased, date and place of death, type of grant (probate or administration), date granted and court where granted, names of executors or administrators, and in the earlier ones it will give relationship of executors / administrators to the deceased plus their occupations or marital status, so I would think any of those would be relatively easy to put into the computerised version.

[Heather Positive Thinker]

Phoenix, Ive put it on GR too.

Thanks Kite. Its just I dont want to end up paying out for common names that turn out not to be the right ones.

[Anne in Carlisle]

Yes, Heather, sometimes you get an actual address, others just the village - see my example of a Probate Calendar entry above.

Anne

[claretaylor22]

Just sent off my replies

[GallowayLass]

Have sent off my replies. This would be very useful to have online.