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Archive Collections at HHC: Wills

Guide to material held at Hull History Centre arranged by research theme, record creator and document type, with copies of published source guides.

On this page:

“Say not you know another entirely, till you have divided an inheritance with him”

Johann Kaspar Lavater 

Wills

Research Themes Supported

Hull History Centre holds various wills. Such records can aid research into:

  • Property ownership amongst the lower classes
  • Female property ownership
  • Deathbed philanthropy
  • Inheritance
  • Familial relationships
  • Estates of notable individuals
  • Land ownership and transmission

Typical Record Formats

Wills might consist of manuscript or typescript drafts, manuscript or typescript signed but unproved copies, probate copies, and extracted copies for use in legal cases.

The following are common categories of information which feature in this record type:

  • Date of will creation (and proving if probate copy)
  • Name of person leaving the will
  • Occupation of person leaving the will
  • Place of residence of person leaving the will
  • Names of executors
  • Names of witnesses
  • Names of beneficiaries under the will
  • Familial or other relationship between person leaving the will and the beneficiaries
  • Outline of how estate is to be divided

List of collections

The following PDF contains a list of key wills held at HHC.

Additional supporting material

The following secondary literature provides contextual background and useful further information when trying to understand and use this record type:

  • Stuart A. Raymond, Wills and Our Ancestors (2012)
  • Anthony John Camp, Wills and Their Whereabouts (1963)
  • Various texts on wills can be found using HeinOnline Legal Classics