WILLS AND ADMINISTRATIONS PRE 1858 (OF HEREFORD DIOCESE)
The Wills and Administrations (Admons. for short) before 1858 for the Hereford Diocese are at Hereford Record Office, unless a Will was proved by the Prerogative Court of Canterbury (PCC). In the latter case, a copy can be seen 'on-line' via the National Archives Web Site.
For the Shropshire, Worcestershire and Montgomeryshire part of the Diocese, therefore, apart from PCC Wills, the Wills are at Hereford. For Shropshire, this means virtually the whole of south Shropshire, broadly speaking south and west of the river Severn, except for Shrewsbury and an area south and southwest of the town. This area and most of the rest of Shropshire was in the Diocese of Lichfield (see below).
The Montgomeryshire parishes which have Wills or Admons proved in the Diocese are Buttington, Church Stoke, Forden, Hyssington, Montgomery, & Snead.
The Worcestershire parishes are Abberley, Bayton, Bockleton, Clifton on Teme, Eastham with Orleton, Hanley Child, Hanley William, Knighton on Teme, Kyre Wyard, Lindridge, Lower Sapey, Mamble, Pensax, Ribbesford with Bewdley, Rochford, Rock, Stanford on Teme, Stockton on Teme, & Tenbury Wells.
MY INDEX OF PROBATE GRANTS FOR THE HEREFORD DIOCESE
It is difficult to locate Wills and Admons. at Hereford, as only contemporary indexes are available; these are often difficult to read and perhaps not entirely accurate. Furthermore, each index covers only a period of about 20 years.
I have therefore compiled my own index of Shropshire, Montgomeryshire and Worcestershire grants. The index is complete for 1647-1858, nearly 29,000 Wills and Administrations. Please contact me if you want a search for a particular family or person.
WILLS AND ADMINISTRATIONS PRE 1858 (OF LICHFIELD DIOCESE)
Much of north Shropshire, broadly speaking most of the area north of the river Severn, was in the Diocese of Lichfield, Archdeaconry of Salop. There was a small group of parishes in the north west, in the Oswestry area, which were in the Diocese of St Asaph.
MY INDEX OF PROBATE GRANTS FOR THE LICHFIELD DIOCESE
There are difficulties too in accessing the Shropshire Wills at Lichfield. Indexes in manuscript volumes covering 20 or 25 years, are listed year by year, alphabetically. So, for instance, from 1701-1725, all the Wills and Admons for the whole Diocese for the letter A are listed alphabetically for each individual year within that time. it is therefore something of a long and tedious task extracting the Shropshire Wills.
I have now, however, indexed about 29,000 Probate grants dating between 1516 and 1858, mostly for Shropshire parishes. The Index is virtually complete between 1637 and 1858.
Please let me know of you wish me to search for a particular surname, or to search my data-base for all Grants relating to a place in Shropshire.
WILLS AND ADMINISTRATIONS (BRIDGNORTH PECULIAR)
A 'Peculiar' was outside the jurisdiction of the Archdeacon, and could make its own Probate grants. The Bridgnorth Peculiar included the two Bridgnorth parishes of St Leonard's and St Mary Magdalene, as well as Claverley, Alveley, Quatford and Bobbington.
The records are to be found at Lichfield.
I have so far indexed nearly 300 grants by this Court.
ADMINISTRATIONS
Grants for Administration of goods can often provide most helpful information. In the Hereford Grant books, the relationship of the Administrator to the deceased is usually given. The Administrator is often the Widow (Relict), but frequently a son or married daughter. Sometimes a Creditor is granted the Administration, after what the Court called an Intimation was duly published, so that any objection could be received.
Sometimes Administrations have Wills 'annexed'. Often this is because a previous grant of Probate has not been fulfilled by the grantee, who has then died, leaving the estate 'unadministered'. Very often the deceased Administrator is the widow of the deceased.
Sometimes a Will was disputed in the Church Courts and a judgment or 'definitive sentence' was made as to the validity of the Will. This fact is indicated in the grant of Administration.
NUNCUPATIVE WILLS
A significant proportion of Wills were Nuncupative, that is to say, the deceased uttered his testimentary wishes on his or her deathbed, in front of witnesses, but his wishes were never written down. In the Hereford Diocese, it seems to have been normal for such Wills to have been tested in the Church Courts before an Administration was granted.
FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS
Family relationships mentioned in Wills and Administrations have often enabled me to add to or confirm entries in my main Marriage Index, especially for parishes where the Parish Register has not survived for particular years. [Sample Will Extracts]
MINORS
Not infrequently an Executor named in a Will, or the next of kin in an Administration grant is a 'minor', almost invariably a child of the deceased, occasionally a nephew or niece. The Grant in these cases is most interesting, as a Guardian of the minor(s) was legally appointed, and the relationship of the Guardian and Minor(s) noted. The Guardian was often a family member, a grandparent, an uncle or an aunt. Such cases help to establish a family tree.
INVENTORIES
Grants of Probate often note the value of the Inventory. After about 1750, it was not necessary for a detailed Inventory of goods to be produced to the Court, but at Hereford, the detailed value was often listed. This would indicate that an Inventory might be found with the Will or Administration papers. From 1763 at Hereford where the value of goods was noted, it was listed as 'Under £...'. Before 1779, the value was rarely over £40. After 1779 values leapt up, often to £300 or £600. From 1783, virtually every Grant had an 'Under £..' value listed.
The smallest value of goods that I have found was for 10 shillings: Thomas Wigley of Church Pulverbatch in 1752; Evan Edwards of Hopesay in 1737; William Vaughan of Orleton in 1744.
The highest value listed was for James George of Stanton Lacy in 1817 (Under £12,000).
John Home of Bishop's Castle in 1798 was 'under £10,000'. So too were James George of Bitterley in 1816; John Baxter of Ditton Priors in 1810; Edward Burlton Esquire of Ludlow in 1804; Catherine Salway of Richard's Castle in 1804.
The following were 'under £9000':
William Easthope of Munslow in 1820; John Harding of Ludlow in 1831 & William Corser of Morville in 1856.
Philip Whitcombe of Eastham, Worcesershire (1822) and Francis Eyton of Clunbury (1824) were both 'under £8000'.
There were 3 grants of 'under £7500', 5 of 'under £7000', 6 of 'under £6000', 38 of 'under £5000', 37 of 'under £4000', 14 of 'under £3500', and 83 of 'under 3000'.
At the other end of the scale 167 people's goods were valued at 'under £5'.
TRANSCRIPTIONS
I have transcribed in full a significant number of Shropshire Wills (especially from Cleobury Mortimer, Stottesdon and Kinlet). For example please see my Stottesdon Will Index
I can provide transcriptions of any Shropshire Will. I charge according to its length and normally send it as an email attachment. At present, I am grouping transcripts in the following categories: very short £3, short £5, medium £10, medium plus £15, long £20, very long £25; ultra long £30+.
BENEFICIARIES INDEX
Wills usually contain references to people with different surnames from the testator; also place names are frequent. Wills can also establish the relationships between family members. It is therefore helpful to extract all information, in summary form, from a Will. This I have done for many thousand Wills of south Shropshire pre-1700. All place names, and all people listed in each Will are listed.