Wills & Probate Sealed in London 1915

[Valda]

Hi

Have you checked for a Scottish will as he lived and died in Scotland? If property was owned in England or Wales then the information given in the previous post would apply

'The sealed wills/grants in the probate index are when property or money in a bank, a trust fund etc are outside the jurisdiction of the country where the will is being proved. In this case the 'outside' country is England or Wales and the country the will is being proved in is Scotland.'

http://www.nas.gov.uk/guides/wills.asp

You wouldn't find anything in the probate registry for England and Wales other than the indexed reference to the fact it was sealed.


Regards

Valda

[J Gom W]

I understand the reasons for a Will being sealed (I found a Belfast Will - 1958 - sealed in London).  GOV.UK said something about a 50 yr period but they haven't explained what that is.  Can anyone help please?  I tried contacting them again, but to no avail!

[KGarrad]

"Sealed" means that probate was applied for in another jurisdiction from England/Wales.
Probate has to be applied for in each jurisdiction (e.g. property or shares in England?) so that the legal niceties can be observed.

My friend died a few years ago in the Isle of Man; but because she had inherited shares from her father, probate was applied in both IOM and England.
Granted in IOM; Sealed in England.

Other (legal) jurisdictions include Scotland, Northern Ireland, Isle of Man, Jersey, Guernsey  and Republic of Ireland.

[Bookbox]

I understand the reasons for a Will being sealed (I found a Belfast Will - 1958 - sealed in London).  GOV.UK said something about a 50 yr period but they haven't explained what that is.

If I remember correctly, for a will proved elsewhere before 1963 and sealed in England, the probate registry keeps a copy of the sealed will for only 50 years. So they probably no longer have a copy of your sealed will from 1958.

[BumbleB]

Stupid question perhaps!  I have the same problem with two wills from 1948, both sealed London.  Response from GRO saying that they are not able to provide copies of the wills - OK!  BUT as both my wills were for a couple from Glasgow - might I be able to obtain copies from Scotland? 

[Bookbox]

Yes, assuming that probate was originally granted in Scotland.

[BumbleB]

Oohh that might be interesting!  Thank you.

[J Gom W]

Thank you so much, BookBox.  Why coudl GOV.UK not be bothered to tell me that?!