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About Oxfordshire Wills Index 1516-1857
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What are the Oxfordshire Wills? This dataset indexes all the surviving probate records of the bishop and archdeacon of Oxford, covering the period 1516 to 1857, and of the Oxfordshire Peculiars, covering the period 1547-1856. All the records indexed here are now housed in Oxfordshire Record Office - www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/oxfordshirehistory. Digitisation of these documents has almost been completed, and these digitised images will be available within the National Wills Index in mid 2012. A brief history of the Oxfordshire Wills The dataset was previously published in printed format in British Record Society (BRS) Volumes 109, 93, & 94. The bishop of Oxford’s probate jurisdiction was extended to Berkshire in 1836 when that archdeaconry was transferred from Salisbury to Oxford diocese, and similarly to Buckinghamshire in 1845 when that archdeaconry was transferred from Lincoln diocese. Most residents in those areas continued to prove their wills in their respective archdeaconry courts, but this index includes among the Oxford consistory records listed here just a few Berkshire wills and grants of administration from 1836 onwards and a very few for Buckinghamshire from 1845. This dataset includes all the surviving Oxfordshire wills proved and administrations granted in local courts up to 1857 except those for most resident members of Oxford University and other 'privileged persons' employed by or otherwise connected with the University. These persons were, like the residents of the peculiars, exempt from the bishop's jurisdiction and proved their wills in the court of the Chancellor of the University. An index of most of these University probate records was published by John Griffiths in 1862, and will be added to the present online index later. Now, therefore, online or printed means of reference are now available for all the surviving probate records of all the Oxfordshire local ecclesiastical courts. Introduction to BRS Volumes 93 & 94 Introduction to BRS Volume 109 The consistory and archdeaconry probate records The probate records of the peculiar jurisdictions The compilation of the index Acknowledgements Where are the original documents located? The original records were transferred to Oxfordshire Record Office (www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/oxfordshirehistory) from the Bodleian Library in March 1984, with all the other non-probate records of Oxford diocese and archdeaconry and of Oxfordshire peculiars which had been accumulating in the Bodleian ever since 1878. Almost all of these probate records had originally been housed in the diocesan and archidiaconal registries in Oxford, until they were moved to the Principal Probate Registry at Somerset House in 1858 in accordance with the Courts of Probate Act of 1857. They were transferred to the Bodleian from the Principal Probate Registry to be re-united with the other local ecclesiastical records, the Oxford consistory and archdeaconry series in 1955 and those of the peculiars in 1957. The latest filed wills and administration bonds of all these courts, that is those of the period 1801 to 1857, were held in the Oxford District Probate Registry, not at Somerset House, and they had similarly been transferred to the Bodleian in 1955 and 1957 from that District Registry. What can the original wills tell me? Prior to census returns, meaning before 1841, wills can be the best source of family relationship information. The list of what you may find is impressive.
Bits of information, both the expected and unexpected, turn up in wills. Usually they initiate further research. For example, the will of a direct line ancestor alluded to the only son receiving a legacy from his “Aunt Harding”. Another index search revealed a Harding will which named the aunt’s first husband, current husband, brother (he of the initial will), sisters, nieces, nephews, and business associates. The will of the direct ancestor was less than half of the resulting picture. Wills offer such wonderful possibilities and modern sources are so handy that doubts about whether your ancestors made wills are no longer sufficient reason to postpone or omit a search. Chances are very good that you will find an online finding aid. Oxfordshire Wills Index here at Origins is one example. It is easy to search and you should not hesitate to check the index for anyone who lived in or adjacent to the county. Where do I go from here? When you find an entry in the index the first step is to obtain the document (see www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/oxfordshirehistory). The next step is to write a summary, often called an abstract, of the pertinent facts. The list above of what you may find in wills is one sort of list of what to write down, but you need to make sure you also include these points:
Questions such as these can help you make practical use of what a will reveals.
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