Genealogy Chat

Has anybody any idea how long these take to come once thy have been ordered?

if you mean from York, anything from 3-6 weeks I believe

If you're talking about post-1858 ones from York, a few weeks, maybe about 3 weeks. If you mean one from a county record office, it could be quite quick. Kate.

Thanks its 1931 and im impatient!

I'm being thick. I know that you can write off to York and send £5. If I wanted some for Kensington, Hampstead and Croydon, is it best to use york or a local office, in which case, which one? The dates are 1877, 1909, and 1923. I am a will novice.

Yorks the place for postal enquiries. They usually tell you 6 weeks wait but in practice they normally arrive after about 3 weeks. Kate may be able to enlighten you re county offices.

sorry for sounding thick, but how do you find out if your relative left a will?

Well, you can have a bit of fun looking at the National Archives documents on line which cover SOME wills up to 1858 and they are down loadable immediately for £3.50 each. Ive found about 5 on there so far and it is fun searching. Otherwise you check the probate index in a big library I believe. Ihave to say Ive been choked that some of those I felt sure would have left wills - all business men - dont appear to have done so, which is really annoying.

Sorry for confusing you Gillian, what I meant was that for wills before 1858 you can sometimes get a copy from the county record office, like for example I got a Lancashire one. But not all counties have an online search facility for these wills. Post-1858, you send your £5 to York. Kate.