Hi
The Ancestry probate index 1861-1941 has gaps (which is stated on the website)
'Our collection covers 80 years from 1861 to 1941. We currently do not have the books for the years 1858-1860 and there are some gaps for the years 1863, 1868, 1873, 1876, 1877, 1883, 1888, 1899-1903 and 1910-1911.'
Any wills found in online indexes either post 1858 or pre 1858 would be probated wills which would have required the person to have died and the will to have past through a legal process. Before death a will is the personal property of the person who made it.
From experience naval officers aren't great role models when it comes to probated wills, they just don't seem to be that keen on writing them.
'Modern surveys differ on what proportion of the current population has a will, but even the most optimistic put it at less than half. The National Consumer Council’s research in 2007 not unsurprisingly revealed that older people and those in higher socio-economic groups were more likely to make wills. Given the modern context it isn’t unexpected that most of our ancestors did not leave wills..'
Always worth checking though as lizdb says it can be quite surprising who does and who doesn't leave a will.
Regards
Valda
