Introduction.
Book 1.
Book 2.
Book 3.
Book 4.
Book 5.
Charges & search information.
Scottish Wills 16th-17th century
Pat Burnett welcomes you to her website
Rich in genealogical data & human interest this much neglected source can be of use to anyone whose family researches have foundered in the middle of the 18th century. And to many whose search has never got off the ground.
The main drawbacks to using testaments/wills have been firstly, accessibility. The Registers of Testaments of the Commissary Courts of Scotland are held by the National Archives of Scotland in Edinburgh, and the indexes are available there, and in main libraries in Scotland.The Scottish Archives Network SCAN Testament project is now in operation. Eventually users will be able to search the Indexes of the Commissary Court Registers of Testaments for the whole of Scotland online free of charge.
Eventually, each index entry will be linked to the digital images of the original testament/will, and the images will be available for sale via the internet. The linking will be a gradual process and the first wills are now indexed online at SCOTTISH WILLS and should be available shortly.The second drawback has been language. The 16th-17th century wills are written in secretary hand, the script mainly used until the end of the 17th century. In many cases this is unreadable without training & application. This site offers an insight into the wide range of information available, in a series of volumes containing summaries transcribed from the original secretary hand & based on name and location. A search & transcription service is available for names not covered by the volumes. The author will be happy to provide summaries of individual wills.
