Wills and probate

Not everyone left wills, but where they do exist, they can be a gold mine for family historians

Awill that carried the wishes of your ancestor when they died might be the best document for learning about their life. Men and unmarried and widowed women could leave wills – no matter what their social status, with their final wishes alluding to their possessions, property and relationships with friends, family and the community they lived in.

The London Metropolitan Archives’ ( LMA) collection of wills on Ancestry.co.uk includes information on both the legal document left by the person (will) and the process that followed a death to execute the will’s instructions ( probate).

While you will be able to find the names of immediate family written in the document, the personal wishes and intricacies of the will may tell you a lot about the person who left it.

In the London, England, Wills and Probate 1507-1858 collection, there are also records of those who died intestate (without leaving a will) but with property that was still liable for death duty and therefore created paperwork.

As with many records from the 16th and 17th centuries, a lot of the information on these copies can be difficult to decipher. However documents from later years are easier to read, and even printed on standardised forms. Because these wills were proved in London it means they relate to property in assets in the capital, rather than to people who lived there, so you may find people in these records who were not actually resident in the capital. If you are looking for probate records after 1858, don’t forget to check the National Probate Calendar on Ancestry.