Things to remember about English Probate records
1. Wills after 1858 were probated on a government basis.
The court was called the Principal Probate Registry. Before 1858, wills were
probated by ecclesiastical courts.
2. Some will indexes are in book form as well as being
on microfilm. The probate handlist keys on the register table give the book
numbers as well as the film numbers.
3. In the Prerogative Court of Canterbury (PCC) each
year is given the name of the person whose will was on top of the bundle as the
name of the bundle. Example: Greenly is the name of the year 1750. The names of
the years have no connection with other wills in the bundle. Sometimes the
indexes only give the name of the year instead of the year (e.g., Greenly
rather than 1750). The names and years are found in Gardner and Smith's Genealogical
Research in England and Wales, vol. 2, pages 91-92 (929.142 G172g) or in
the PCC will register on the register table.
4. The Prerogative Court of York (PCY) and the
Prerogative Court of Canterbury (PCC) are the two highest courts in England
before 1858. However, the PCY only covered the northern counties. The PCC
probated wills for the entire country.
5. Folio numbers are often given in the index instead of
page numbers. A folio was intended to include 8 wills, which may be many pages,
even twenty or more in some cases.
6. The indexes for each court differ. Sometimes all
surnames are indexed for each year, year after year; sometimes all surnames of
a certain letter are indexed for a long time span, other times the index is
alphabetical by first letter only (really a calendar). Because the indexes are
so different, you may have to look at the actual index to understand how it
works.
7. The number often given in the index by the person's
name is a folio number. Within each folio there are many pages. These pages are
generally not numbered. The entire folio must be searched for the will.
Sometimes the number might be as the number of the will. Sometimes folio
numbers are not written on the page, and appear irregularly. In these cases,
you must find what numbers do appear and search accordingly (e.g., if no folio
numbers between 24 and 30 were written down, you only know that folio 26 must
be somewhere between the two, and probably closer to the 24 than the 30).
8. In searching probate records not only the will of a
direct ancestor will help solve genealogical problems, but also the wills of
other members of the family, such as parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters,
cousins, aunts, and uncles.
9. When looking in the indexes it is important to note
whether the entry listed is for an original will, a registered will, an admon,
a bond, a tuition, curation, or something else. This information will affect
whether or not you can find the document.
10. A calendar of wills can be used as an index. A
probate act book can also serve as an index or indicator of a grant of probate.