Devon Wills Project

Contents & Search

This consolidated index brings together information obtained from various Sources - the particular Source involved being indicated in each entry. (In the case that the Source is indicated as MISC, the Reference field starts with a code word identifying the particular Miscellaneous Minor Source used.) There will be cases where there are several entries (from different Sources) relating to the same original will or administration, e.g. identifying where an official copy of a will is held, and the locations of transcripts and abstracts of this will. (The reference field contains reference information that is given by the particular Source.) Multiple index entries referring to the same will or administration may differ somewhat, due to inconsistencies among the various Sources, transcription errors, etc.

Explanatory information that will aid the interpretation of entries taken from any particular Source is to be found in the heading of each individual Source index. For example, in the case of some Sources the year stated is that in which a will was signed by the testator, rather than that in which probate was granted. Another difference is that in general information has been collected only about pre-1858 Devon-related wills and administrations, but in some cases, most notably the Devon Record Office's Wills Card Index (WCI), it has been thought appropriate to transcribe all the entries contained in a particular Source.

N.B. If you find an entry listing a will (or a transcript or abstract) that is of interest to you, note the code given in the Source column. Then go back to the main Devon Wills Project page. Find this code in the list of Sources, and open the corresponding Source. In the introductory notes for that particular Source you will find information about where you should go, or who you should contact, to see (or perhaps be able to obtain your own copy of) the particular will, transcript or abstract. The Devon Wills Project itself cannot help with such requests.

This interim version of the consolidated index contains nearly 200,000 entries from about 400 different Sources. However this consolidated index will be updated only at intervals, whereas the separate indexes for the various Sources wil be updated more frequently as the transcribing of each Source progresses.