England and Wales, Index to Death Duty Registers, 1796-1903

What is in This Collection?

The Estate Duty Office created the original index of all wills and administrations that incurred a death duty (inheritance tax) from the Probate Courts in England and Wales. Information in the index can be used to obtain a copy of the original will. Details usually include the name and address of the testator; the date of death; the name and address of the administrator; and where the will was proved or letters of administration were granted. These records are an index to IR 26, Registers of Legacy Duty, Succession Duty and Estate Duty.

The courts overseeing these cases were located in England and Wales and included the Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of York, as well as Bishops Diocesan and Consistory courts, Commissary courts, Archdeaconry court, Dean and Chapter courts, and Peculiar courts. As well as England and Wales, the individuals who can be found in these records were living in Africa, Canada, Channel Islands, East Indies, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Isle of Man, Scotland, Spain, the United States of America, and West Indies.

From the National Archives' website, "The indexes to legacy duty on the estates of intestates from 1864 to 1881 have not survived. Many of the estate duty registers for the 1890s were destroyed by fire."

Additional records and/or images may be added to this collection in the future.

What Can These Records Tell Me?

The following information may be found in these records:

Collection Content

Sample Images

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  Index, 1812