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Record Information
Although any person, regardless of class or wealth, may have left a will or might be mentioned in one, wills were made primarily by the middle and upper classes, mostly by males with property. Before 1882, a wife who died before her husband could not make a will except with her husband’s consent or under a marriage settlement created before her marriage. A widow, however, could make a will.

Before 1750, heirs often did not prove wills to avoid court costs. The will was often kept in case someone later objected to the distribution of the property. As a result, sometimes wills were probated decades after the testator’s death. Some archives have collections of unproved wills. Others may be among family papers.

Until 1833 real property could be entailed. This specified how property would be inherited in the future. An entail prevented subsequent inheritors from bequeathing the property to anyone except the heirs specified in the entail.

The National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth holds the original wills proved in Welsh ecclesiastical courts and has published images online.

Probate records are used to legally dispose of a person’s estate after his or her death. The probate process transfers the legal responsibility for payment of taxes, care and custody of dependent family members, liquidation of debts, and transfer of property title. The transfer is to an executor or executrix if the deceased had made a will, to an administrator or administratrix if the deceased had not made a will, or to a guardian or conservator if the deceased had heirs under the age of twenty-one or if heirs were incompetent due to disease or disability.

How Do I Search the Collection?
To learn more about how to use the Catalog, visit the Introduction to the FamilySearch Catalog page.

Formatting Examples
Abbotsbury Wyke Regis

Abbotsbury Wyke Regis


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