Many thanks to Nivard and Anne for your help. I did not know what the term in Scotland would be regarding details left in a Will. So thanks Anne for the explanation. In Australia as well as NZ it is called Probate. Not everyone has Probate on their Will either, as it depends on the value of the estate left behind, hence you may or may not find anything regarding a person and what they have left or written in a Will. I have just finished emailing NRS to enquire about the index they say they have in the search room for Wills from the Annual Calendars of Confirmation, and my time period is well covered. I have immediately received back two automated replies. One says current response time is within 20 working days and the other says 40 working days. Boy, that is a long time for a response, so I hope it works out quicker than that. They must get lots of enquiries. I found it strange that they had very few online indexes, but they stated they had quite a lot but only available to search and use in the search rooms. Does anyone know if they plan in the future to extend those indexes onto the online site. I am sure it would help reduce some of the enquiries, as if I could do the search myself (even for a small fee), then I would know what is available and then be able to order it via online. I think I must be spoilt with NZ and Australian Archives in that there is quite a bit I can order online via the indexes they have made available, and even emails are answered within about 24/48 hours regarding enquiries. Time to send you the documents can take up to 15 days, but it does come via email in pdf format. Again many thanks for the replies, Anne and Nivard Ailsa Ailsa Corlett [email protected] www.st.net.au/~ailsa alternative email if having trouble sending to my normal email is: [email protected] >-----Original Message----- >From: Anne Burgess [mailto:[email protected]] > >There would have been an analagous legal process called confirmation, >and there are annual Calendars of Confirmation at least as late as 1950- >ish - I have forgotten the last available date offhand. You do not need >a professional genealogist - just e-mail the National Records of >Scotland giving them the full name and date of death, and ask them how >much it would cost to get a photocopy. > >Anne

Hi Ailsa The last time I ordered copies of a will was a while back, it was for a 1917 will and it cost me quite a bit That was the reason I suggested a researcher, they would likely give you a quicker service As you have the year of death you could ask for an estimate for the service Nivard Ovington in Cornwall (UK) On 13/03/2014 00:01, Ailsa Corlett wrote: > Many thanks to Nivard and Anne for your help. I did not know what the term > in Scotland would be regarding details left in a Will. So thanks Anne for > the explanation. In Australia as well as NZ it is called Probate. Not > everyone has Probate on their Will either, as it depends on the value of the > estate left behind, hence you may or may not find anything regarding a > person and what they have left or written in a Will. >

> One says current response time is within 20 working days and > the other > says 40 working days. I was surprised by that, so I rang them up. I know that there have been problems recently as their entire system was down for over a week, and they consequently have a large backlog to work through. The statutory time limit within which they have to respond is 20 working days, but I was assured that you should get your response sooner than that. > I found it strange that they had very few online indexes, but > they stated > they had quite a lot but only available to search and use in > the search > rooms. The complete indexes are online from the earliest ones right through to 1925, and you can download digital images of the wills which cost GBP 2.33 each. > Does anyone know if they plan in the future to extend those > indexes onto the > online site. My understanding after today's telephone conversation is that further digitisation of wills is in the pipeline and will eventually be undertaken, but at the moment resources are being concentrated on digitising the valuation rolls. > I am sure it would help reduce some of the enquiries, as if I > could do the search myself (even for a small fee), then I > would know what is > available and then be able to order it via online. I think I > must be spoilt > with NZ and Australian Archives in that there is quite a bit I > can order > online via the indexes they have made available, and even > emails are > answered within about 24/48 hours regarding enquiries. Aye, well, it may be easier to get Australian wills than Scottish ones after 1925, but it's a lot harder and very much more expensive to get Australian birth, marriage and death certificates. What you lose on the swings you gain on the roundabouts, and vice versa. And at least all the Scottish ones are in one place. According to http://genealogy.about.com/od/australia/a/Australian-Wills-And-Estates.htm it could be pretty difficult finding one. If this is up to date and correct, most states seem not to have online indexes at all. Anne