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

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