Pre 1858 Powditch Will details

A cursory explanation regarding pre-1858 Probate Records

(Wills and Administrations etc)

In many ways, the pre-1858 Will differs little from its later (pst-1858) relative (which we

can read about in;-

"An explanation regarding post-1858 Probate Records

(Wills and Administrations etc)"

The main words we need to look at here, are "Will and Testament"; "Testator";

"Witnesses"; "Executor(s)"; "Executrix(es)"; "Administration" (also known as "Admon"),

and "Probate".

A person who writes, within the form of a document, what is to happen with his/her

body after s/he dies, and also what is to happen with his/her possessions and money

etc, is called a "Testator", whilst the document which sets out his/her wishes, is called

a "Will and Testament" (sometimes referred to just as a "Will")

Having written the "Will", the "Testator", having set out what is to happen with his/her

body, and his/her property, has to sign the document in the presence of at least two

"Witnesses", to state and confirm that it is his/her "Last" (or Final) "Will and Testament",

and in turn, the "Witnesses" have to sign the said "Will" confirming that;

a) the "Testator" has signed the "Will",

and that

b) they were present at the signing

Prior to 11 January 1858, proof that a Will and its contents had either been written by,

or signed by, the person whose name appeared at the bottom of the document, was

determined within certain Ecclesiastical Courts, dependant upon where the Deceased

person had lived.

These 'Ecclesiatical Courts' can be a minefield to determine not so much where the

deceased actually lived, but where the Will was "proved" (i.e. where "Probate" was

granted)

making when Probate of all English Wills fell under the jursidiction of the Probate Division of the High Court(i.e. "approval by a competent court that an instrument purporting to be the Testament of a deceased person was indeed his lawful act

For Wills and Administrations for the period c1493 to1858

(for members of the Powditch family),

please click on the following;

A Database of Probate Records

(Wills and Administrations)

for the c1493-1858 period

For Wills and Administrations after 1858

(for members of the Powditch family),

please click on one of the following;

Background Information to Wills and Administrations after 1858
	A Database of Probate Records (Wills and Administrations) for the 1858 to 1989 period
		Last Wills and Testaments of
Thomas Powditch (1861)			John Powditch (1863)
	Mary Powditch (1872)		William Powditch (1890)

For Wills and Administrations for the period c1493 to1858

(other other surnames have been included within the following link which

have appeared at times within Powditch documents, so therefore are included here

for 'interest' purposes only

please click on the following for;

Other pre-1858 Will Indexes