TheGenealogist extends its English and Welsh National Probate Calendar coverage

From TheGenealogist (www.thegenealogist.co.uk):

Over 2.5 million names added to TheGenealogist’s National Probate Calendar

TheGenealogist today announced a major expansion of its fully searchable National Probate Calendar with the release of the years 1880 to 1899, extending this essential source for uncovering ancestors’ details, family relationships, and social history across late Victorian Britain.

As with earlier releases, TheGenealogist has transcribed every field within each entry, allowing researchers to search far beyond a name alone. Users can pinpoint the right person by filtering on spouse, occupation, place of death, residence, executor details and more, making it far easier to distinguish between people who share the same name, or where spellings vary between records.

This new addition comprises 1,097,915 searchable probate records and names 2,596,550 individuals. Alongside the deceased, the index captures executors and other named parties, which can reveal close relatives, married daughters under a new surname, in-laws, business partners, employers, employees and trusted friends who might otherwise be missed.

Probate Records frequently include an address, occupation or status, the date of death, the court where probate was granted and the value of the estate, to which TheGenealogist has added the value in today’s terms. For family historians, these details can unlock new leads, confirm identities and provide a clearer picture of an ancestor’s circumstances at the end of their life.

TheGenealogist’s Head of Content, Mark Bayley, commented: "Many researchers overlook probate records, but they can shed light on the details other records miss, often naming the people who mattered most in someone’s life. By transcribing every field, our keyword search helps you jump directly to the record you’re after, and often to a new branch of the family."

Among the individuals found within these newly released records is William Morris, one of the most notable designers of the Victorian era. Researchers can explore his entry in the probate records and learn more about his life and legacy in this accompanying article: https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/featuredarticles/2026/william-morris-8935/ 

To explore the new National Probate Records collection, visit TheGenealogist.co.uk/wills. 

Chris 

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

TheGenealogist releases Fully Searchable National Probate Calendar 1858-1879 for England and Wales

TheGenealogist (www.thegenealogist.co.uk) is releasing its own version of the English and Welsh National Probate Calendar, with the first fully searchable trance covering the period from 1858-1879. Although dealing with English and Welsh probate records, Scottish and Irish folk often appear in the records also, whether because they lived in England or Wales when they died, or if records were resealed between jurisdictions of the UK, if assets existed in more than one country. 

The following is the press release.

TheGenealogist launches National Probate Calendar, covering 1858 to 1879

TheGenealogist today announced the release of their new Fully Searchable National Probate Calendar for 1858 to 1879, giving access to one of the most useful sources for discovering family connections and personal stories from the Victorian era.

TheGenealogist has transcribed every field within these records. This unique feature allows researchers to search not just by name, but also by spouse, occupation, place of death or residence, and executor details, offering new ways to identify ancestors even when a name is common or the spelling is uncertain.

At launch, the collection comprises  849,412 searchable probate records and names 2,021,928 individuals. This includes not only the deceased but also the executors, often revealing close relatives, in-laws, business partners, or trusted friends that other sources miss.

Probate material from this period can reveal far more than a name and a date. Entries frequently include details such as the deceased’s address, occupation or status, the date of death, the court where probate was granted, the value of the estate (to which TheGenealogist has added the value in today's terms).

TheGenealogist’s Head of Content, Mark Bayley, commented: 

"Anyone who has tried to find an ancestor with a common surname knows the frustration of sifting through hundreds of identical names. That’s why we have transcribed the full entry for each person. Researchers can now instantly filter by trade or town and more, turning a 'needle in a haystack' search into an instant discovery."

The National Probate Calendar (1858–1879) records are available now to Diamond subscribers at TheGenealogist. The company plans to release subsequent years in the coming months. 

Featured Article: Read the story of Stephens Lyne-Stephens, ‘the richest commoner in England’, found in these records: https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/featuredarticles/2025/fortune-scandal-and-legacy-8822/

(With thanks to Paul Bayley via email)

Chris

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

TheGenealogist adds Scottish confirmation and English probate records

From TheGenealogist (www.thegenealogist.co.uk):

TheGenealogist has just added a substantial new release to its growing collection of historical records, making over 330,000 names available from a variety of wills and probate sources across England and Scotland. These valuable records are great for historians trying to push their tree back, with records spanning 500 years from the 14th century up to the 19th century. They provide a remarkable glimpse into the lives, legacies, and legal affairs of past generations.

Among the notable figures in this collection is George Buchanan (1506–1582), the Scottish historian, humanist scholar, and tutor to King James VI. His testament appears in the Commissariot Record of Edinburgh (1514–1600), offering researchers a direct connection to one of the great minds of the Scottish Renaissance.

Read more about George Buchanan’s fascinating life in our latest article, “The Scholar Who Tutored a King and Defied a Queen”: https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/featuredarticles/2025/george-buchanan-8698/

The new collections now available to search on TheGenealogist include:

• Archdeaconry of Cornwall Wills and Administrations 1569-1699
• A Calendar of Wills, Gloucestershire 1541-1650
• Calendars of Lincoln Wills 1320-1600 (covering Lincoln, Leicester, Rutland, Northampton, Huntingdon, Bedford, Buckingham, Hertford, and Oxford)
• Wills and Administrations Preserved in the District Probate Court of Lewes 1541-1652 (covering East Sussex)
• Dougal's Index Register to Next of Kin, Heirs at Law, and Cases of Unclaimed Money
• Commissariot Record of Edinburgh, Register of Testaments, 1514-1600
• Commissariot of Inverness, Hamilton & Campsie Testaments, 1630-1800

These records are fully searchable and form part of TheGenealogist’s ongoing effort to bring hard-to-access historical documents into the hands of family historians, academic researchers, and local history enthusiasts.

Mark Bayley, Head of Online Content at TheGenealogist, said:

"These records span centuries of history, from the 1300s through to the early modern era. Whether you're uncovering humble tradespeople or historical figures like George Buchanan, this collection can help you push your tree back before the time of parish records."

Available now to all Standard and Diamond subscribers, these wills and probate collections are part of TheGenealogist’s commitment to preserving and sharing the stories of the past through original records, expertly indexed and easily searchable online.

(With thanks to Paul Bayley at TheGenealogist)

Chris

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available - Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

Insane UK government plan to destroy post-1858 English and Welsh wills

It looks like the government for England and Wales is seeking to replicate the tragic experience felt by Ireland in 1922, with an utterly insane plan to deliberately destroy its post-1858 wills and admon documents generated after they have gone through the two countries' 'probate' process in the English courts (the equivalent of Scotland's confirmation process), after they have been digitised. The insanity of this is that instead of creating digital surrogates as a back-up, they will instead become the only form of the record to survive - and, you know, nothing digital ever gets lost... The plans are currently out for consultation (see https://www.gov.uk/government/news/easier-access-to-historic-wills-under-new-government-plans).

Whilst this is primarily an issue for those with English and Welsh ancestry, many Scots and Irish folk did end up in the two countries, so there is a potential interest in this for us here also. Scottish and Northern Irish records are administered separately, and are not part of this insanity - but God forbid the archives in Edinburgh and Belfast become 'inspired' by this nonsense.

As can well be imagined, there's been uproar to the suggestion, as documented in the Guardian today at https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/dec/18/ministry-of-justice-plan-to-destroy-historical-wills-is-insane-say-experts.

A consultation response from the Society of Genealogists is available at https://www.sog.org.uk/news/moj-will-consultation-response/

Chris

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.

Ancestry adds Ireland, Wills and Admons, 1515-1858

Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk) has added a new Irish probate collection, sourced from the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland:

Ireland, Wills and Admons, 1515-1858
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/62773/
Source: Pre-1858 Wills and Admons. Belfast, Northern Ireland: Public Record Office of Northern Ireland. https://apps.proni.gov.uk/ProniNames_IE/SearchPage.aspx Accessed: May 2023.

About Ireland, Wills and Admons, 1515-1858

The records in this collection are an index that pertain to wills in Ireland between the years 1515 and 1858. Most records are in English.

The term "probate" technically refers to the proving of a will—in other words, making sure it's valid. If the court finds that a will was valid, the estate is testate. In cases where someone dies without leaving a valid will, the estate is intestate. Depending on whether an estate was testate or intestate, there may be different types of records available. Some of the more common types of documents include wills, letters of administration, inventories, distributions and accounting, bonds, and guardianships.

Using this collection

Records in the collection may include the following information:

• Name
• Probate date
• Will date
• Death date
• Court name
• Event type

Wills and probate records can help you confirm important dates regarding your ancestor's death and their financial status at the time they died. Probate records also include names of other family members that you can add to your family tree. Probate inventories often provide a detailed record of your ancestor's possessions that may not be available in other records. 

For more detail, and to search, visit the link above.

Chris

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.

Wills of Royal Navy and Royal Marines Personnel, 1786-1882

Also from Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk):

UK, Wills of Royal Navy and Royal Marines Personnel, 1786-1882  https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/62613/

Source: ADM 48: Navy Board, Navy Pay Office, and Admiralty, Accountant General's Department: Seamen's Wills. Kew, Surrey, England: The National Archives.

About UK, Wills of Royal Navy and Royal Marines Personnel, 1786-1882

General collection information

This collection contains the wills of officers who served in the Royal Navy or Royal Marines between 1786 and 1882. All records are in English. Although many records were handwritten onto pre-printed forms, you may encounter handwritten wills that aren't standardised. Some records may also include correspondence relating to the will, such as notes, proof of marriage, or applications for the executor/executrix.

Using the collection

Records in the collection may include the following information:

• Name
• Rank
• Occupation
• Marriage date
• Will date
• Descriptions of personal effects
• Ship name
• Ship's master or captain name
• Executor's name
• Names and relationships of family members
• Family members' residency
• Family members' occupations

Wills are an excellent resource for genealogical research because they contain personal information about your ancestor, their life, and their family. They often list personal details about other relatives that can help you trace your family back for generations.

The records in this collection are likely to span multiple pages. Click the arrow to the right of the image to access the rest of the record.

Further details via the link.

Chris

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.

FindmyPast updates Northern Irish wills calendars and adds Inland Revenue Irish Wills & Administrations 1828-1879

Newly added to FindmyPast (www.findmypast.co.uk):

Ireland Calendars of Wills & Administrations 1858-1965 (Northern Ireland)
https://search.findmypast.co.uk/search-world-records/ireland-calendars-of-wills-and-administrations-1858-1965

For the first time, you can explore will calendar entries for the District Probate Registries of Armagh, Belfast and Londonderry.

Within this set, we've added 261,256 new record transcriptions, covering between 1921 and 1965.

(Comment: FindmyPast erroneously states on its blog that the update is for "ancestors who died in Belfast, Armagh and Londonderry between 1921 and 1965". For one thing, the district probate registry offices from 1921-1965 covered the whole of Northern Ireland, not just Belfast, Armagh and Derry, and for another, it was only Belfast and Londonderry at work in this period - the Armagh office was abolished in 1921! The records are also freely accessible at PRONI via https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/information-and-services/search-archives-online/will-calendars)


Ireland, Inland Revenue Wills & Administrations 1828-1879
https://search.findmypast.co.uk/search-world-records/ireland-calendars-of-wills-and-administrations-1858-1965

This all-new set contains 261,256 images and transcriptions, which offer rich insight into the legacies of your Irish ancestors.

Records include the name of the deceased, and the executor or administrator of their will. 

Further details at https://www.findmypast.co.uk/blog/new/irish-wills-administrations

For mote on Irish probate, north and south, check out my Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records book from Pen and Sword, available from https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Chris-Paton/a/1799 (UK) and https://www.penandswordbooks.com/9781526780218/tracing-your-irish-ancestors-through-land-records/ (USA).

Chris

Pre-order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

TheGenealogist adds Wexford Catholic parish records and Dublin probate books

From TheGenealogist (www.thegenealogist.co.uk):

TheGenealogist launches Irish records containing nearly a million individuals

TheGenealogist has just released records of baptisms, marriages and burials from Wexford Catholic Parish Records and new Dublin Will and Grant Books to provide a valuable resource for those researching Irish ancestry.

The Dublin wills are from the Deputy Keeper Of Ireland, Index To The Act or Grant Books, and To Original Wills, of The Diocese Of Dublin 1272 -1858 (26th, 30th, and 31st Report) and cover an area that is bigger than the current County of Dublin as the diocese included a sizeable part of County Wicklow, some substantial parts of southern and eastern County Kildare, as well as smaller portions of Counties Carlow, Laois (Queen’s County) and Wexford.

The Wexford Parish records, which are being released at the same time, have been newly transcribed by TheGenealogist and also benefit from their SmartSearch that enables subscribers to look for the parent’s potential marriage records from baptism records and also potential siblings. Each result also has a link to view the registers on the National Library of

Ireland’s website should the researcher wish to see an image of the actual page of the Catholic parish register.

This new release, now available to all Gold and Diamond subscribers of TheGenealogist will be a useful resource for those researchers who wish to find out more about their Irish ancestors.

Read TheGenealogist’s article: George Harrison’s Wexford ancestors found in the Irish Parish Records https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/featuredarticles/2021/george-harrisons-wexford-ancestors-found-in-the-irish-parish-records-1473/

(With thanks to Nick Thorne)

Chris

My new book Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records is now available to buy at https://bit.ly/IrishLandRecords. Also available - Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Ancestry adds six National Archives of Ireland collections

Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk) has added the following Irish collections, all sourced from the National Archives of Ireland in Dublin:

Ireland, Wills and Grants of Probate, 1858-1900
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/62078/
Source: Wills and administrations. Dublin, Ireland: Microfilm of original records at the National Archives.

Ireland, Indexes to Wills, Probate Administration, Marriage Bonds and Licences, 1591-1866
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/62077/
Source: Indexes of Wills, Administration and Marriage Licence Bonds. Dublin, Ireland: Microfilm of original records at the National Archives.

Ireland, Registers of Wills and Administrations, 1828-1885
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/62076/
Source: Inland Revenue registers of wills and administrations. Dublin, Ireland: Microfilm of original records at the National Archives.

Ireland, Crew Lists and Shipping Agreements, 1863-1920
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/62047/
Source: Records of the Registrar General of Shipping and Seamen, 1860 - 1921. Dublin, Ireland: Microfilm of original records at the National Archives.

Ireland, Census Fragments, 1821-1851
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/62025/
Source: Pre-1901 Census fragments. Dublin, Ireland: Microfilm of original records at the National Archives.

Ireland, National School Registers, 1847-1959
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/62023/
Source: National School registers and roll books. Dublin, Ireland: Microfilm of original records at the National Archives.

Descriptions of all of the collections are available via the links. Note that the first five collections are also freely available on www.genealogy.nationalarchives.ie, whilst the school registers are equally hosted on FindmyPast (https://search.findmypast.co.uk/search-world-records/ireland-national-school-registers). Nevertheless, with the records now also hosted on Ancestry, your online hosted family tree (if you have one), will be able to flag up potential matches.

For more on how to make your trees work with sites such as Ancestry and FindmyPast to locate record matches, my book Sharing Your Family History Online may be able to help. It is available to purchase from Pen and Sword via www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Sharing-Your-Family-History-Online-Paperback/p/18718 in both print and e-editions.

Chris

Just out, Sharing Your Family History Online is on sale at https://bit.ly/SharingFamHist. Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scottish2 is also out, as are Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Irish1 and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scotland1. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

TheGenealogist adds Index of Irish Wills 1484-1858

From TheGenealogist (www.thegenealogist.co.uk):

TheGenealogist adds over 100,000 names to its Irish Will Indexes

TheGenealogist’s Index of Irish Wills 1484-1858 is an index to surviving records of Wills, Grants and Administrations, held by The National Archives of Ireland (NAI). Records include the original NAI reference, which can be used to order a copy of the existing document.

This new release adds an easily searched and useful resource to the ever growing suite of records available to Diamond subscribers of TheGenealogist. The Index of Irish Wills 1484-1858 features:

●    More than 100,000 names
●    Easily Searchable by Name, County, Address and Keyword
●    Can provide dates, occupation, status and place of abode
●    Can provide reference and link to order the document from the National Archives of Ireland.

Prior to 1858, Irish wills were administered by the ecclesiastical courts of the Established church, (the Church of Ireland), a part of the Anglican communion. In 1857, however, the Church of Ireland lost its responsibility for Irish Wills when the Probate Act of that year transferred the supervision to the state.

Read TheGenealogist’s article: Using Irish Wills to discover your ancestors
https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/featuredarticles/2021/using-the-index-of-irish-wills-1484-1858-to-discover-more-about-ancestors-important-details-1406/

(With thanks to Nick Thorne) 

Chris

Just out, Sharing Your Family History Online is on sale at https://bit.ly/SharingFamHist. Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scottish2 is also out, as are Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Irish1 and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scotland1. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

FindmyPast adds further military records

The latest releases on FindmyPast (www.findmypast.co.uk) include:

British Armed Forces Soldiers' Wills 1850-1986
Covering over 130 years of British military history, discover your family heroes' last wishes in these important records. Each indexed record can reveal your relative's name, regimental number and when they died. You can then use this information to order a copy of the original will from the official government website.

Ireland, Londonderry (Derry) War Memorial 1914-1918
The Diamond War Memorial in Londonderry (Derry) lists hundreds of locals who lost their lives in the Great War. These records can help you unlock their remarkable stories.

British Red Cross & Order of St John Enquiry List, Wounded & Missing, 1914-1919
The collection consists of lists published by The British Red Cross & Order of St John between 1915 and 1918.

Newspapers
Three new papers:

    Widnes Examiner from 1892-1896, 1898, 1900-1902, 1904, 1906 and 1908-1909
    Runcorn Examiner from 1873 and 1891
    St. Helens Examiner from 1891

Updated:

    Drogheda Conservative covering 1852-1888 and 1890-1896
    Halifax Evening Courier covering 1940-1943 and 1959-1960
    Kinematograph Weekly covering 1931-1944, 1946-1947 and 1953-1960
    Civil & Military Gazette (Pakistan) covering 1876-1883 and 1885
    Daily Record covering 1897
    Somerset Guardian and Radstock Observer covering 1904-1910, 1912-1962


Further details and relevant links area available at https://www.findmypast.co.uk/blog/new/british-irish-military-records

Chris

Pre-order my next book, Sharing Your Family History Online, at https://bit.ly/SharingFamHist. My book Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scottish2 is also out, as are Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Irish1 and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scotland1. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.