The Wills of our Ancestors: A Guide for Family & Local Historians by Stuart A. Raymond

Description

What are wills, and how can they be used for family and local history research? How can you interpret them and get as much insight from them as possible? They are key documents for exploring the lives of our ancestors, their circumstances, and the world they knew. This practical handbook is the essential guide to understanding them.

Wills expert Stuart Raymond traces the history and purpose of probate records and guides readers through the many pitfalls and possibilities these fascinating documents present. He describes the process of probate, gives a detailed account of the content of the various different types of record, and advises readers on how they can be used to throw light into the past. They offer factual evidence that no genealogist or local historian can afford to ignore.

In a series of concise, fact-filled chapters he explains how wills came into being, who made them and how they were made, how the probate system operates, how wills and inventories can be found, and how much can be learned from them. In addition to covering probate records in England and Wales, he includes the Channel Islands, Ireland, the Isle of Man and Scotland.

*Comprehensive, detailed introduction to wills and other probate records
*Explains how wills give an insight into the life and times of individuals in the past
*Describes how wills came to be written and how they can be interpreted
*Covers England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man
*Aimed at family and local historians

Paperback published by Pen and Sword