Forest of Dean Wills

General Information

The information in this database has been extracted from the annual Will books held at Gloucestershire Archives. These Will books contain handwritten copies [typed from 1923] of wills granted probate at Gloucester between 1858 and 1941. There are approximately 40,000 entries for the whole county from which about 7,000 with Forest of Dean connections are listed here. It should be remembered that some of this information is now 4th hand from the original Will and so the potential for errors is greatly increased.

Searching the Index Database

Currently you can Search the Wills Index for entries between 1854-1936. When the remaining years have been transcribed they will be added to the database.

Surnames and Forenames

Some yearbooks have indexes from which the information is first recorded. Where there are alternative names or spellings separate entries have been made. Differences between the name indexes and the Will page entry have also been recorded.

Abode

Early Will books with an index also give a location for the deceased i.e. East Dean, on checking the Will entry this can sometimes be expanded to Harry Hill, East Dean. Where two or more locations are listed that may mean for example the person was from Flaxley but died in Mitcheldean. When there are no index entries and a location for the deceased is unclear from reading the Will, but they are believed to be from a certain place then an entry with a ? has been made.

Year Proved

This is the year that the Will was granted probate at Gloucester.

Page Numbers:

Until 1932 the books were numbered on the right hand side only, so an entry on page 1 could be nearly 4 pages long, before the next entry starts at the end of page 2. Some Wills are only 3 lines long [mainly WW1 soldiers], others run to over 20 pages.

Date of Death

Between 1858-1894 this information was usually recorded alongside where the person had died. It may not always be correct e.g. one entry gives a date of death as the 31st April.

Value Under

Usually recorded along with a date of death is the value of the estate, some entries give a specific amount i.e. £20 10sh 6d. For ease of recording this has been rounded up to the nearest whole pound = £21.

Admons

Between 1858-1864 Letters of Administration [Admons] were also recorded in the year books, where these have been found they have been listed.

Obtaining copies of Wills (proved from 1858 onwards)

Order by post from Postal Searches & Copies Dept, Probate Registry, Castle Chambers, Clifford Street, York, YO1 9RG (Tel: 01904-666777; Fax 01904-666776). You can download the order form from Her Majesty's Courts Service.

The form requires details of the deceased (name, date of death, address) which can be found in the National Probate Index

Alternatively you can order in person at the Principal Probate Registry or at other registries and sub-registries (key in probate in the court work type search to find local registry office).

The minimum information required when ordering is the deceased's full name and either the date of death or the search period. If the search period is limited to 4 years, it costs £5 for the search and a single copy of the grant of probate together with the will (if any). Extending the search period costs an additional £3 for each 4 year extension.

A Special thanks to David Drinkwater for transcribing these records.