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last name and/or first name
- The last name in this index is modernised when the original spelling is archaic.
- Names include testator and other persons referred to in records (NB Not all names in wills (including beneficiaries) have been indexed).
year range
- Relating to the documents. The dates may refer to the date of a will or of probate.
court
- The peculiar court where probate was granted. There are 54 such courts included in the index, most of which were in Yorkshire, but some in Northumberland (Hexhamshire) and Nottinghamshire.
Click here for a list of courts appearing in the index.
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| Contents of the datasbase |
- Name: surname & forename
You can search on surname and on forename. There are often multiple variant spellings of surnames shown, eg PATTRICK(E)/PATTERICKE/PARTERICKE. You will be able to retrieve records regardless of which spelling you may be familiar with, particularly is you use the NameX option when searching.
This field (or the occupation field) often contains additional information, particularly names of children.
- Occupation
Not always present, this is usually the occupation, eg "Butcher", "Merchant"; sometimes a relationship is shown, eg "widow of John Turner, bookseller" - where other names are mentioned these have also been indexed. The occupation sometimes appears in the name field.
- Place
This field usually contain the place where the testator lived, but often where they died, sometimes both.
- Date
Usually, but not always present. Usually the date of probate or of the will. The full date is sometimes given, otherwise just the year. The year is given as Old Style and New Style for dates before 25 March.
- Document type
Although the majority of the documents are wills, there are often other document types available. Glossary and abbreviations in the index.
- Reference
This field - which is not always used - gives the number of the folio (sheet) within the volume containing the original. Note that if you are ordering hard copies from the Borthwick Institute via the British Origins database, the reference data is forwarded automatically to the Institute.
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| Places |
While the overwhelming majority of the documents relate to persons with property in Yorkshire, though testators were associated with other places in Britain also, and some died overseas (eg East Indies, Gibraltar), or at sea. The references to place primarily relate to property held there, but also to the place where the person died, or where they may have lived.
Click here to find which court dealt with a particular place.
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| Language of the documents |
The first will in English at the Borthwick Institute is dated 1443. By the early 1500s most wills were in English, and by 1558 it is almost certain that a will will be in English. Until 1732 the Act Books entries (which contain a brief outline of the grant of probate) were written in Latin, and Latin continued until then to be used for legal parts of documents even if the bulk of the document were written in English.
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| NameX |
NameX is a proprietary name-matching tool which allows you to find family records for names which have common variations in spelling or which may have been spelled incorrectly on some records.
Click here for more help.
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| Ordering Originals |
Order hard copies by clicking the Add to cart button at the side of the index record. The item will be added to your Shopping Cart.
Click View Cart to view or delete items.
Click the Checkout button to pay for items in your Cart. You will be asked for a credit/debit card number and delivery details.
The cost of each hard document, including first class or airmail postage, is £10.
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