Irish: Testamentary Source Records

Optional Print Course Material: Irish: Testamentary Source Records

*Course material will only be sent to students who are registered in the course.

Probably no record group is more important to pre-civil registration research in a country than wills and estate administrations. More than any other record, wills can provide both ancestral and descendant accounts of family groupings. In Ireland we tend to see less documentation than in other countries due to the way personal and moveable property descended over time.

This course addresses this record group, both pre-1858 before the system of administration changed, and post-1858 to the present date. We will discuss the value of these records during both these time periods, historical background to their development, examine the contents and availability of the records in both periods, and research strategies for these collections.