John, All the wills available for download from Documents Online (in series PROB 11) are register copies made by the court. The original will, if it survives, will be held at Kew in the series PROB 10. These original wills are stored in chronological bundles arranged by date of probate. If you visit Kew in person, or engage a researcher to do so, the relevant box of wills can be ordered up and you can search for the one you want. Copies of original wills cannot be ordered online. For more information, please read the relevant TNA research guide. http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/research-guides/wills-and-pro bate-records.htm HTH Judy London, UK -----Original Message----- From: london-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:london-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of John Stevens Does anyone have experience of obtaining a copy of a pre-1858 will from this source please? Following on from the recent posts about obtaining copy wills I did a search on the TNA website and was delighted to find an ancestor's will there dating from 1838. Having duly parted with my hard-earned cash and downloaded the image I am rather frustrated to find that what I have is a beautifully hand-written copy of the will in an identical hand to the quite unrelated wills before and after it. Any ideas please on how I might get to see the original document in my ancestor's own fair hand? Thanks John