Many thanks for your help Caroline. There are a number of different families I have with this problem and yes, I should have said, I have tried TNA Docs online. However, I have not yet looked at the death Duty Registers so I think that must be my next step for pre 1858 deaths. Thank you for the link and suggestion about fmp's article - I rarely use them but think it is time I did! For my post 1858 deaths I went up to Principal Probate Office in Holborn a couple of times and scoured the books - great fun :) and very rewarding in many instances but not all. I also have a sub to Ancestry and with their Index have been able to find quite a few more. I think the Probate office must be inundated as the ones I have ordered are taking a very long time to come!! I do appreciate that many families did not write Wills (and that those that did seemed to run in families). However, I think your final sentence explains it to me. If everything was passed on to their families with no need for legal formalities then presumably no one knew about it and no death duties were paid? I really appreciate your help Caroline, and your input too Charani. Off to search again... Carolyn -----Original Message----- From: middlesex_county_uk-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:middlesex_county_uk-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Caroline Bradford Sent: 11 September 2010 17:54 To: middlesex_county_uk@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [MDX] Missing Admins/Wills Hi Carol As you are, I think, aware, the situation before 1858 is very different to that after it. Prior to that key date, wills could have been proved in (or administrations granted by) a variety of church courts. You don't say where you have looked so far, though I assume that you have thoroughly searched the PCC wills index at DocumentsOnline. A thorough guide to the other possibilities is published by the London Metropolitan Archives at http://tinyurl.com/2d5bqyk. If that all looks a bit daunting, one good shortcut is (as you have already guessed) the Death Duty Registers which are available online at www.findmypast.co.uk (subscription or pay per view). These are not indexed, but if you have dates of death then your search will be easier. It is well worth reading their knowledge base article on the subject before you start. After 1858, if a will or administration exists then it should figure in the National Probate Calendars. Ancestry now have most of these online, but there are some quite significant gaps, which they hope to have filled soon(!). Is it possible that you are just unlucky and your ancestors died in the missing years? If so, the full calendars are available on film through your local LDS centre, or in lovely old-fashioned ledger form at the Principal Probate Registry in Chancery Lane. You also have to be prepared for the fact that will making was by no means universal even in the second half of the 19th century. Nor would it always have been necessary for a family to apply for an administration of a deceased person's estate. If a person's estate was entirely in cash, personal effects and stock-in-trade, and if there was no dispute within the family about who should inherit, then they may not have bothered with legal formalities. Hope this helps Caroline > > I have a number of people in my tree who died pre and post 1858 that I > believe had some wealth or owned their own business but do not appear > to > have left a Will. I cannot find any letter of administration for them > so > would someone be able to tell me what would have happened to their > assets in > this instance? I presume Death Duties only occurred following Probate? > > > > I am sorry if this questions appear silly but this is a new area for me > to > delve into! > > > > Many thanks > > > > Carolyn > > ************************************** > Send your List messages using **PLAIN TEXT** and always **TRIM AWAY** > superfluous old messages in replies. > > List Admin can be contacted at: Middlesex_County_UK-admin@rootsweb.com > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > MIDDLESEX_COUNTY_UK-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' > without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message ************************************** Send your List messages using **PLAIN TEXT** and always **TRIM AWAY** superfluous old messages in replies. List Admin can be contacted at: Middlesex_County_UK-admin@rootsweb.com ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to MIDDLESEX_COUNTY_UK-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

You may also find more answers when your documents arrive. As happened in a couple of my family's businesses, they may be left to a family member " for the term of their life" and then revert to someone else. This happened to a married daughter whom, I can only guess, had already been well provided for and to a son who was deemed incompetent where a farm was actually left to three grandsons but could be run by their father whilst he lived. I have been amazed at the complexity of some of the Wills I have seen from earlier days. All so fascinating! Jan ----- Original Message ----- From: "Carolyn McCartney" <carolyn.mccartney@btinternet.com> To: <middlesex_county_uk@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, September 12, 2010 9:09 AM Subject: Re: [MDX] Missing Admins/Wills > Many thanks for your help Caroline. There are a number of different families > I have with this problem and yes, I should have said, I have tried TNA Docs > online. However, I have not yet looked at the death Duty Registers so I > think that must be my next step for pre 1858 deaths. Thank you for the link > and suggestion about fmp's article - I rarely use them but think it is time > I did! > For my post 1858 deaths I went up to Principal Probate Office in Holborn a > couple of times and scoured the books - great fun :) and very rewarding in > many instances but not all. I also have a sub to Ancestry and with their > Index have been able to find quite a few more. I think the Probate office > must be inundated as the ones I have ordered are taking a very long time to > come!! I do appreciate that many families did not write Wills (and that > those that did seemed to run in families). However, I think your final > sentence explains it to me. If everything was passed on to their families > with no need for legal formalities then presumably no one knew about it and > no death duties were paid? > I really appreciate your help Caroline, and your input too Charani. Off to > search again... > Carolyn > > > -----Original Message----- > From: middlesex_county_uk-bounces@rootsweb.com > [mailto:middlesex_county_uk-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Caroline > Bradford > Sent: 11 September 2010 17:54 > To: middlesex_county_uk@rootsweb.com > Subject: Re: [MDX] Missing Admins/Wills > > Hi Carol > > As you are, I think, aware, the situation before 1858 is very different to > that after it. Prior to that key date, wills could have been proved in (or > administrations granted by) a variety of church courts. You don't say where > you have looked so far, though I assume that you have thoroughly searched > the PCC wills index at DocumentsOnline. A thorough guide to the other > possibilities is published by the London Metropolitan Archives at > http://tinyurl.com/2d5bqyk. If that all looks a bit daunting, one good > shortcut is (as you have already guessed) the Death Duty Registers which are > available online at www.findmypast.co.uk (subscription or pay per view). > These are not indexed, but if you have dates of death then your search will > be easier. It is well worth reading their knowledge base article on the > subject before you start. > > After 1858, if a will or administration exists then it should figure in the > National Probate Calendars. Ancestry now have most of these online, but > there are some quite significant gaps, which they hope to have filled > soon(!). Is it possible that you are just unlucky and your ancestors died > in the missing years? If so, the full calendars are available on film > through your local LDS centre, or in lovely old-fashioned ledger form at the > Principal Probate Registry in Chancery Lane. > > You also have to be prepared for the fact that will making was by no means > universal even in the second half of the 19th century. Nor would it always > have been necessary for a family to apply for an administration of a > deceased person's estate. If a person's estate was entirely in cash, > personal effects and stock-in-trade, and if there was no dispute within the > family about who should inherit, then they may not have bothered with legal > formalities. > > Hope this helps > > Caroline >> >> I have a number of people in my tree who died pre and post 1858 that I >> believe had some wealth or owned their own business but do not appear >> to >> have left a Will. I cannot find any letter of administration for them >> so >> would someone be able to tell me what would have happened to their >> assets in >> this instance? I presume Death Duties only occurred following Probate? >> >> >> >> I am sorry if this questions appear silly but this is a new area for me >> to >> delve into! >> >> >> >> Many thanks >> >> >> >> Carolyn >> >> ************************************** >> Send your List messages using **PLAIN TEXT** and always **TRIM AWAY** >> superfluous old messages in replies. >> >> List Admin can be contacted at: Middlesex_County_UK-admin@rootsweb.com >> ------------------------------- >> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >> MIDDLESEX_COUNTY_UK-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' >> without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > ************************************** > Send your List messages using **PLAIN TEXT** and always **TRIM AWAY** > superfluous old messages in replies. > > List Admin can be contacted at: Middlesex_County_UK-admin@rootsweb.com > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > MIDDLESEX_COUNTY_UK-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without > the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > ************************************** > Send your List messages using **PLAIN TEXT** and always **TRIM AWAY** superfluous old messages in replies. > > List Admin can be contacted at: Middlesex_County_UK-admin@rootsweb.com > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to MIDDLESEX_COUNTY_UK-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message >

Do hope so Jan - maybe I am jumping the gun and as you say, the ones I have ordered will shed more light. You never know what you are going to find. Just wish they'd hurry up and arrive! :-) Carolyn -----Original Message----- From: middlesex_county_uk-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:middlesex_county_uk-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Neil & Jan Hearn Sent: 12 September 2010 00:49 To: middlesex_county_uk@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [MDX] Missing Admins/Wills You may also find more answers when your documents arrive. As happened in a couple of my family's businesses, they may be left to a family member " for the term of their life" and then revert to someone else. This happened to a married daughter whom, I can only guess, had already been well provided for and to a son who was deemed incompetent where a farm was actually left to three grandsons but could be run by their father whilst he lived. I have been amazed at the complexity of some of the Wills I have seen from earlier days. All so fascinating! Jan ----- Original Message ----- From: "Carolyn McCartney" <carolyn.mccartney@btinternet.com> To: <middlesex_county_uk@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, September 12, 2010 9:09 AM Subject: Re: [MDX] Missing Admins/Wills >> For my post 1858 deaths I went up to Principal Probate Office in Holborn a > couple of times and scoured the books - great fun :) and very rewarding in > many instances but not all. I also have a sub to Ancestry and with their > Index have been able to find quite a few more. I think the Probate office > must be inundated as the ones I have ordered are taking a very long time to > come!! <<