Searching the Inland Revenue Testamentary Indexes
What are these resources?
Whilst organising the many links I had found for Irish testamentary indexes and records, I came across a curious collection on Ancestry that originated with some microfilms on FamilySearch. As the collections span the all important 1858 watershed when probate changed in Ireland, I've chosen to give this resource its own page. There are currently 3 places online where you can access these records - Ancestry, FindMyPast and FamilySearch.
Ancestry calls the collection Ireland, Registers of Wills and Administrations, 1828-1885 (Anc=£). The source description states that the original documents were created by the Inland Revenue service, no doubt in the pursuance of all taxes owed by the deceased. However, it is a very small collection of only about 15k records according to their card catalogue yet it would appear to cover nearly 60 years? The records are indexed for searching but you can also browse the volumes.
There are 3 types of documents in the collection and the actual date ranges are not exactly those indicated by the year ranges that come up when you try to select a volume type for browsing. I have paged through each volume and can share the following more accurate descriptions with you,
I said the collection was curious, because those 2 Will Books (or Registers) are copies of the volumes produced by the District Registries of the Probate service after 1858 and appear to be included here randomly? Lucky for me as it turned out as I was able to find a will in one of them that I couldn't access on the NAI website because of a broken link! See my page on Irish Will Probate Districts & Records, 1858+ for more information.
On FindMyPast the collection is entitled Ireland, Ireland, Inland Revenue Wills & Administrations, 1828-1879 (FMP=£). Access is via indexed names only - there is no facility to browse the volumes. The source description talks about surviving registers 1828-1839 but does not make it clear that these relate only to administrations not wills.
On FamilySearch, you can access the same documents to browse for free where they have correctly catalogued them as Irish Will Index, 1838-1879: Irish Administration Register, 1828-1839: Irish Administration Index, 1828-1879. Make sure you are logged in to your free account and you can choose your preferred volume and year span.
Whilst organising the many links I had found for Irish testamentary indexes and records, I came across a curious collection on Ancestry that originated with some microfilms on FamilySearch. As the collections span the all important 1858 watershed when probate changed in Ireland, I've chosen to give this resource its own page. There are currently 3 places online where you can access these records - Ancestry, FindMyPast and FamilySearch.
Ancestry calls the collection Ireland, Registers of Wills and Administrations, 1828-1885 (Anc=£). The source description states that the original documents were created by the Inland Revenue service, no doubt in the pursuance of all taxes owed by the deceased. However, it is a very small collection of only about 15k records according to their card catalogue yet it would appear to cover nearly 60 years? The records are indexed for searching but you can also browse the volumes.
There are 3 types of documents in the collection and the actual date ranges are not exactly those indicated by the year ranges that come up when you try to select a volume type for browsing. I have paged through each volume and can share the following more accurate descriptions with you,
- Administration Indexes, 1828-1879
- Administration Registers, 1828-1839
- Will Indexes, 1839-1879 (*1862-63 missing)
- Will Book (Cork District), Jul 1871-May 1873
- Will Book (Waterford District), 1879-1885
I said the collection was curious, because those 2 Will Books (or Registers) are copies of the volumes produced by the District Registries of the Probate service after 1858 and appear to be included here randomly? Lucky for me as it turned out as I was able to find a will in one of them that I couldn't access on the NAI website because of a broken link! See my page on Irish Will Probate Districts & Records, 1858+ for more information.
On FindMyPast the collection is entitled Ireland, Ireland, Inland Revenue Wills & Administrations, 1828-1879 (FMP=£). Access is via indexed names only - there is no facility to browse the volumes. The source description talks about surviving registers 1828-1839 but does not make it clear that these relate only to administrations not wills.
On FamilySearch, you can access the same documents to browse for free where they have correctly catalogued them as Irish Will Index, 1838-1879: Irish Administration Register, 1828-1839: Irish Administration Index, 1828-1879. Make sure you are logged in to your free account and you can choose your preferred volume and year span.
Start of Roll (click to enlarge)
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End of Roll (click to enlarge)
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How do you search these indexes and register?
Ancestry has indexed the records and you can browse by volume and year span, although as I say, the hyperlinks are not labelled wholly correctly. However, I did work out a neat little trick to start at the beginning of any series of volumes and read them right through in sequence.
You can adopt a similar approach with browsing the individual files on FamilySearch by using a combination of the thumbnail view and the image counter.
Whether you are viewing the images in the Ancestry filmstrip or using the thumbnail view on FamilySearch, you should be able to recognise the start of each new block of years by the formatted title pages that look like the image above left.
Ancestry has indexed the records and you can browse by volume and year span, although as I say, the hyperlinks are not labelled wholly correctly. However, I did work out a neat little trick to start at the beginning of any series of volumes and read them right through in sequence.
- Pick a type of volume, say Administration Indexes
- Pick the earliest volumes, in this case labelled 1828-1829 (but actually 1828-1831.)
- Make sure the filmstrip appears at the bottom of the viewing screen - this will show the microfilm the collection is based on, frame by frame.
- The first frame is the film number label from FamilySearch, in this case "587278".
- Click on the next image, either within the filmstrip or by using the small right arrow in the main image. This will place you on the start of the roll as illustrated above left.
- Just above the filmstrip there is a very small counter - for this film it says that it is image 2 of 562.
- You can then use the right hand arrow on the filmstrip to advance through the film - click on an image to get your bearings alphabetically. For the Administration Indexes and Will Indexes the names are listed alphabetically in blocks of about 3 or 4 years for each letter (look out for the year label starting each new annual index.)
- Once you get to the end of the roll, either by using the right arrow, or more quickly, by putting the last image number into the counter box, you will get to a screen that looks like the one above right.
- However, the filmstrip rolls on into the next film, in this case "597279", which is the next the next block of years, 1847-1851 (yes, the title says up to 1850, but check the images yourself - 1851 entries are there. Use the right hand arrow on the filmstrip to position yourself at the beginning of this next microfilm and the counter will update to tell you how many images are in this roll.
- And so on! You can page your way or alter the image counter to navigate your way through the whole series of volumes without having to step back to the browse window on the Ancestry search screen.
You can adopt a similar approach with browsing the individual files on FamilySearch by using a combination of the thumbnail view and the image counter.
Whether you are viewing the images in the Ancestry filmstrip or using the thumbnail view on FamilySearch, you should be able to recognise the start of each new block of years by the formatted title pages that look like the image above left.
What can you expect to find in this resource?
I'm just going to deal with the Administration Indexes and Registers and the Will Indexes (see my page on Irish Will Probate Districts & Records, 1858+
for dealing with those rogue Will Registers on Ancestry!)
Whilst you can rely on the indexed records on Ancestry if you have access to a subscription, if you don't, you can still plunder these resources for free on FamilySearch. Here is my how-to guide based on my experiences.
Administration Indexes, 1828-1879
These have some fairly simple page layouts with annual blocks of names in alphabetical order e.g. all the surnames beginning with A for 1848 & 1849 as illustrated below. Page through the images noting the year roughly in the centre of the page below the column headers (ringed below.) Each new year starts on a new page and the clerks usually helpfully, and expansively, noted when a year ended without filling up a page, as you can also see below.
I'm just going to deal with the Administration Indexes and Registers and the Will Indexes (see my page on Irish Will Probate Districts & Records, 1858+
for dealing with those rogue Will Registers on Ancestry!)
Whilst you can rely on the indexed records on Ancestry if you have access to a subscription, if you don't, you can still plunder these resources for free on FamilySearch. Here is my how-to guide based on my experiences.
Administration Indexes, 1828-1879
These have some fairly simple page layouts with annual blocks of names in alphabetical order e.g. all the surnames beginning with A for 1848 & 1849 as illustrated below. Page through the images noting the year roughly in the centre of the page below the column headers (ringed below.) Each new year starts on a new page and the clerks usually helpfully, and expansively, noted when a year ended without filling up a page, as you can also see below.
(Click to enlarge)
Some of the pages are a bit faint and the handwriting can be challenging, but you will learn the following information,
Administration Registers, 1828-1839
Although the indexes go up to 1879, I'm afraid the Administration Registers they refer to only go up to 1839. However, you can cross reference from the indexes to the surviving registers. Picking an early entry at random I found out that administration of the estate of Martin Arthur was granted in 1831 in the diocesan court of Limerick. The folio number referenced was 75. I retrieved the correct file (FamilySearch #597273) and, by paging through the thumbnails, found that the years 1830-1831 started on image #181. Each image shows the 2-page double spread, or folio, which is numbered in the top left corner (circled in red.) Folio 75 contained the entry for Martin Arthur and is illustrated below (see the red arrow.)
- Name of the deceased (Intestate) and where they lived (remember this may not be where they actually died.)
- Name of the administrator and where they lived
- Either the diocesan court at which the grant was registered (up to 1857) or the registry, 1858+.
- "PC" is the Prerogative Court
- "PR" is the Principal Registry
- Some of the names may be abbreviated but are generally recognisable e.g. "Down & c" is "Down and Connor".
- Remember that key date change though as some of the registries created in 1858 had the same name as the courts that preceded them. You will want to make that distinction clear in whatever way you record the information.
- The folio and year constitutes the record reference that is the purpose of this index.
- The estimated maximum value of the estate (this may not be in the earlier indexes though.)
Administration Registers, 1828-1839
Although the indexes go up to 1879, I'm afraid the Administration Registers they refer to only go up to 1839. However, you can cross reference from the indexes to the surviving registers. Picking an early entry at random I found out that administration of the estate of Martin Arthur was granted in 1831 in the diocesan court of Limerick. The folio number referenced was 75. I retrieved the correct file (FamilySearch #597273) and, by paging through the thumbnails, found that the years 1830-1831 started on image #181. Each image shows the 2-page double spread, or folio, which is numbered in the top left corner (circled in red.) Folio 75 contained the entry for Martin Arthur and is illustrated below (see the red arrow.)
(Click to enlarge)
Interestingly, his entry is one of the more expansive ones and we learn when he died, that his 2 brothers were his administrators and a little more about the the value of his estate. However, be prepared to find many more entries like the others on this page with fairly brief information. However, as so little survives for those who died without leaving a will, if you do find something for your ancestor in this source, it may just advance your research that little bit more.
You may also glean other incidental bits of information from these registers. For example, when someone died leaving debts, the administrator may have been substituted by one of their creditors. The first column on the right hand page is headed "Degree of Kindred" and I have seen entries in here which include a substitute name as "having an interest."
Will Indexes, 1839-1879
Like the Administration Indexes, this resource also spans the 1858 watershed so watch out for the court names changing to registry names. They must have had a big supply of pre-printed books to use up though, as the column name doesn't change as you can see from the 1874 example below. One key point to note is that the volume for 1862-1863 is missing.
Again the names are arranged in annual blocks per surname letter - look out for the year written somewhere at the top of the first page for that letter for that year (it's not written on every page - so page backwards to make sure you know where each year starts.) You do learn the name and address of the executor(s) but not their relation to the deceased. There is a folio number as these are index volumes, but sadly, there are no corresponding Inland Revenue will registers in this collection for you to cross reference to. I don't know whether these survived and will have to investigate further.
You may also glean other incidental bits of information from these registers. For example, when someone died leaving debts, the administrator may have been substituted by one of their creditors. The first column on the right hand page is headed "Degree of Kindred" and I have seen entries in here which include a substitute name as "having an interest."
Will Indexes, 1839-1879
Like the Administration Indexes, this resource also spans the 1858 watershed so watch out for the court names changing to registry names. They must have had a big supply of pre-printed books to use up though, as the column name doesn't change as you can see from the 1874 example below. One key point to note is that the volume for 1862-1863 is missing.
Again the names are arranged in annual blocks per surname letter - look out for the year written somewhere at the top of the first page for that letter for that year (it's not written on every page - so page backwards to make sure you know where each year starts.) You do learn the name and address of the executor(s) but not their relation to the deceased. There is a folio number as these are index volumes, but sadly, there are no corresponding Inland Revenue will registers in this collection for you to cross reference to. I don't know whether these survived and will have to investigate further.
(Click to enlarge)
Any wills referenced before 1858 are most likely to have been destroyed. The same fate applies to those dated after 1858 proved at the Principal Registry (PR). However, if any post 1858 wills were proved at any of the other district registries as listed in the "Court" column, then there should be a copy of the will in the Probate Will Registers. See my page on Irish Will Probate Districts & Records, 1858+ to find out more.
Read on...
(c) Irish Geneaography - 2023
