Sussex Will Index

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Transcription and conventions used

This index by the Sussex Family History Group records 12,300 individuals found in Sussex Wills as Testator, Executor, Beneficiary or Witness. The following information is recorded.

  • Name – Forenames and surname of individual mentioned in the will
  • Title – of the person, including senior, junior, elder, younger, widow, wife in brackets
  • Year – the year the person could last be considered as being alive, for example, executor's year of probate, testator year of making the will or year of death
  • Relationship – the relationship to the testator if given, a family relationship supersedes that of executor, etc. The deceased is described as the testator or testatrix even if it is an Administration or Inventory. Mention means not checked to see in what way they appear, most will be legatees. Mentioned means most likely not a legatee but a mortgage holder, landlord, and others without definite identification. The relationship is generally as described in the Will but modern custom as been used if the intent is fairly clear e.g. to my cousin the son of my sister = nephew.
  • Occupation – of the individual. The individual may have other occupations
  • Place – One place connected to the individual – there may be others.
  • County code – of the place, if known (some of these are blank as unchecked or doubtful)
  • Nation – mostly England (Eng); if USA appears this would mean that area even if before independence in 1776
  • Entry Id – this is the identification number to group the names mentioned in one will together
  • Place of Probate – as far as can be judged
  • Date of Probate – occasionally estimated

The Sussex Family History Group Wills Depository holds the transcripts of the Wills. The names in each will are indexed in the Sussex People Index database that provided the database for this service.

Note: Many of the wills are incomplete as some have been transcribed from the start and ends of wills that appear on the same page as the wanted will.

Coverage

A coverage table cannot usefully be prepared for this database.

Checking

The information extracted from the wills is best treated as unchecked.

Grouping

Selection "records for this Entry Id" will show the names of the other people mentioned in the will.

Abbreviations and Codes

The British Standard County Codes have been used to indicate the County and 'Nation'. 'Ssx' is the code for Sussex and 'Eng' the code for England.

Contact details

For more information about the Sussex Family History Group please see the web site www.sfhg.org.uk

How to buy

Purchasing a transcript of the will is an alternative way of obtaining a list of other names in the relevant Will or Administration. Please use the Entry Id as well as the details of the testator/testatrix if you wish to make a request to the Sussex Family History Group Wills Depository (willstore@sfhg.org.uk) for the transcript. This information is free for the time being.

Several Sussex parish records are available from the Sussex Family History Group and are listed on their web site.

Copyright and disclaimer

© Trustees of the Sussex Family History Group.

When using this index to assist with your research, consult the original will to check the details given here, and to see the additional information that cannot be transcribed into the index. The Sussex Family History Group accepts no liability for any errors or omissions that remain (although they would welcome notification of alternative interpretations of the wills and administration along with further transcripts.)

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