How to order Wills

From: "Record Office ( Libraries & Heritage)" To: Subject: Date sent: Tue, 5 Feb 2002 11:41:46 -0000 Dear I am replying to your email of 4 February 2002. Derbyshire Record Office holds registers of wills proved at Derby Probate Registry (covering the whole county) from 1858 to 1928. As part of the paid search service offered by the Record Office, staff can provide printouts of wills which have been microfilmed and précis of those not microfilmed. The charge is £10.25 for half an hour (or part), payable in pounds sterling. Payment by credit card is accepted. You need to complete a search order form which I will send if you let me know your postal address. The wills have been indexed, so it will be helpful if you give names, dates and, if known, place for people you are interested in. As a rough guide I would anticipate that three or four wills could be copied in a half hour search. Derbyshire wills before 1858 are mainly held at Lichfield Record Office, Lichfield Library, The Friary, Lichfield WS13 6QG. Email: Lichfield.record.office@staffordshire.gov.uk I hope you find this information helpful. Yours sincerely Judith Phillips Senior Archivist

To: record.office@derbyshire.gov.uk From: John Palmer Subject: Request for Will printout Hello, I wish to get a printout of a Will that I understand is held on microfilm in Derbyshire Record Office. Details are: DOXEY William 1907 Matlock Bank Can you please send me a Search order Form to fill in. My postal address is: John Palmer, 29 Sutherland Avenue, Broadstone, Dorset BH18 9EB Best wishes, John Palmer, Dorset, England

They duly sent me the Search order Form, with the Will reference number written on, and the charge (£5 for 2 pages to be photocopied and 15 minutes to do the job). I filled the form in with my details and posted it. In a couple of days I got a photocopy of the Will back by post. The photocopy looked a bit faint, but I transcribed it in about an hour and managed to work out all the words. The result can be seen at Will of William DOXEY 1907 Matlock Bank

WILLS - SOMERSET HOUSE ----------------------- The records have been moved to First Avenue House, a former MOD office block, on Theobalds Road. If writing..... Correspondence section District Probate Registry Duncombe Place York YO1 They send copies for 5 Pounds a time, if you supply date to nearer year or two. Actually ordering the wills registers at First Ave House in London costs 5 Pounds also, but the faxed copies received are not always clear. In person First Avenue House 42-49 High Holborn London WC1V 6NP Tel: +44 (0) 207 936 7000 You should find all the information you need at http://www.courtservice.gov.uk/fandl/prob_guidance.htm Keith Wellington, NZ [In case this page disappears, it is reproduced below. Click here

from COURT SERVICE website

The text below was found at http://www.courtservice.gov.uk/fandl/prob_guidance.htm Probate Records A Guide to obtaining copies of Probate Records What Records are available? Almost all Wills proved and Grants of Representation issued in England and Wales since 1858. Grants of Representation and proved Wills are public records; anyone is entitled to obtain copies of them. However, not all estates need a Grant to be taken or a Will to be proved: copies are only available if a Grant has issued. What is a Grant of Representation? A grant of representation is a document issued by the Court which enables the person(s) named in it to deal with the assets and belongings ['estate'] of the deceased. It allows the money in banks, building societies etc. to be collected, property to be sold or transferred and debts to be paid. There are three types of grant of representation: Probate: granted to the executors named in the Will Letter of Administration [with Will]: granted to someone other than an executor when the deceased left a valid Will and Letters of Administration: granted when the deceased did not leave a Will. All these documents give the same authority to administer the estate. Throughout this pamphlet, the word 'grant' will be used to describe all three. How do I find out whether a Grant has been taken? There is no time limit by which a grant must be obtained. A search of the Probate Calendar [National Index] will reveal whether a grant has issued. There is a calendar for every year from 1858 up to date. Prior to 1973, the calendars were in book form but after that they were recorded on microfiche. Since 1998, the calendar from 1996 onwards is kept on computer. Entries are made in the calendar in the year in which the grant issued [which is not necessarily the year in which the deceased died] and are arranged in alphabetical order by the surname of the deceased. The amount of information given in the calendars has changed slightly over the years, but every entry will include the following details: full name and last address the date of death the type of grant issued the Registry at which the grant issued and the date of issue the gross value of the estate The calendars include all grants issued throughout England and Wales. There is no charge for you to search the calendars yourself. If you need any help, staff will explain how you can do this. Where are the Calendars kept? The only place where there is a complete set of calendars [from 1858] available for public inspection is First Avenue House in London. Most District Probate Registries have calendars covering at least the last fifty years. If you ntend to visit a Registry specifically to look at the records, you are recommended to contact the Registry beforehand [a list of addresses and telephone numbers appears overleaf] to check what is available. What if I cannot get to First Avenue House or a Registry? Registry officials will make a search on your behalf. There is a charge for this but if a grant is traced, the search fee includes the provision of a copy of the grant and [if any], the Will. You must write to the Postal Searches and Copies Department at York (addresses overleaf) giving the full name, address and date of death of the deceased, stating what you require and enclosing the appropriate fee. Requests cannot be accepted by telephone. What if I do not have the full information? If you are prepared to spend the time, you might be able to find what you are looking for with very little information other than the surname of the deceased. If you ask the Registry to make the search for you, we will do our best with whatever information you can supply, but without at least the correct full name, and the year from which you want the search to begin it will not be possible to identify the correct record. What if I cannot find an entry in the Calendar? If the death occurred a long time ago [years], it probably means that a grant was not needed, in which case we will be unable to help you further. If the death was more recent, it may mean either that no grant was needed, or that a grant has not yet been obtained. If you think that a grant is likely to issue, you may wait for a while before making another search, or ask for a 'standing search' in the estate. What is a Standing Search? A standing search is valid for six months, and if a grant issues within that time, you will automatically receive a copy of the grant and a copy of the Will. You may extend a standing search for further six month periods until you either receive a copy or conclude that a grant is unlikely to be taken. I know the details of the Grant - how do I get the copies I want? Once you know when and where a grant issued, you can have copies of the Grant and the Will [if any]. You may order copies at First Avenue House or any District Probate Registry. You should state the full name of the deceased, the date of the grant, the Registry where it issued, what copies you want and pay the appropriate fee. You may order copies by post or by attending any Registry. Telephone orders cannot be accepted. How long does it take to obtain copies? The length of time taken to supply copies varies, depending upon where the original documents are kept. In some cases we may be able to give you a copy 'on the spot' but generally we have to order them from the place where the original documents are held. The Probate Service aims to supply copies within 21 working days of your application. What does it cost? If you make your own search and order copies at the counter: £5 (this includes a copy of the will, if any) additional copies of the same document costs £1 per copy If you make your own search and order copies by post: £5 for each estate: this fee includes a copy of the Will [if any], regardless of the number of pages, and a copy of the grant. If you write to York and ask for a search: £5 (This covers the four year period from the date of death). There is a further search fee of £3 for each subsequent 4 year period searched. If a grant is traced, the fee includes a copy of the Will [if any], regardless of the number of pages, and copy of the grant. If you wish to write for a search and/or copy, you should write to The Postal Searches & Copies Dept, York Probate Sub-Registry, Duncombe Place, York, YO1 7EA where a special unit deals with such requests. A 'standing search' [and extension of a 'standing search']. £5 this includes a copy of the grant and a copy of the Will. Payment should be made by cheque or postal order, payable to H M Paymaster General. If you are applying from outside the UK, payment should be made by international money order expressed in pounds sterling]. If you attend an office in person, you may of course pay cash. What about Probate Records before 1858? The Probate Service does not hold any records or documents prior to 1858. If you require information about these, you are recommended to contact The Family Records Centre, 1 Myddelton Street, London EC1R 1UW Tel. 020 8392 5300 or your local authority archivist for guidance. Addresses Calendars may be inspected and copies ordered at any of the offices shown below. Birmingham: The Priory Courts, 33 Bull Street, B4 6DU Tel 0121 681 3400 Brighton: William Street, BN2 2LG Tel 0127 368 4071 Bristol: The Crescent Centre, Temple Back,BS1 6EP Tel 0117 927 3915 Cardiff: 2 Park Street, CF10 1TB Tel 029 2037 6467 Ipswich: Level 3, Haven House, 17 Lower Brook St, IP4 1DN Tel 01473 253724 Leeds: 3rd Floor, Coronet House, Queen Street, LS1 2B4 Tel 0113 243 1505 Liverpool: Queen Elizabeth II Law Courts, Derby Square, L2 1XA Tel 0151 236 8264 London: The Record Keeper, Principal Registry of the Family Division, First Avenue House, 42 - 49 High Holborn, London WC1V 6NP Tel 020 7947 7000 Manchester: 9th Floor, Astley House, Quay Street, M3 4AT Tel 0161 834 4319 Newcastle Upon Tyne : 2nd Floor, Plummer House, Croft St, NE1 6NP Tel 0191 261 8383 Oxford: Oxford Combined Court Building, St. Aldates, Oxford. OX1 1LY Tel 01865 793 055 Winchester: 4th Floor, Cromwell House, Andover Road, SO23 7EW Tel 01962 853046 Further Information This leaflet explains the procedure for obtaining copies where grants issued in England and Wales, for information regarding grants issued elsewhere in the UK and in the Irish Republic you should contact: Scotland: H M General Register Office, Up to 1985: H M Register Office, H M Register House Princes Street, Edinburgh EH1 3YY Tel 0131 535 1352 After 1985: H M Commissary Office, 27 Chambers St, Edinburgh EH1 1LB Tel 0131 247 2850 N Ireland: Probate & Matrimonial Office, Royal Courts of Justice [Ulster], Chichester Street, Belfast BT1 3JF Tel 028 9023 5111 Rep Ireland: Probate Office, Four Courts, Dublin Tel Dublin 725555 If you require further information you may contact any Probate Registry.

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