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Wills search

The wills index comprises about 77,000 entries taken from a manual listing of probate records of the Diocese of Hereford, 1428 - 1700;  the Diocese of Hereford Probate Act Books 1700-1858, and Hereford Deanery Probate Act Books 1660-1858. The early probate listing includes wills (W), letters of administration (A), inventories (I) and other associated documents. Information given includes name of testator, parish, occupation and original document reference. The Act Books contain a summary record of each grant, including: the names of the testator and executor(s), the parish they were from, the value of each estate and the date of the probate grant. In some cases, all of the original documents have been lost and the Act Book holds the only surviving record of a will.

Historically, the Diocese of Hereford included most of the modern county of Herefordshire, southern Shropshire and some bordering parishes in Powys, Monmouthshire, Gloucestershire and Worcestershire. Visit the Diocese of Hereford website for coverage of the Diocese of Hereford and Deanery of Hereford.

You can order copies of wills and letters of administrations for £12 each, or four for the price of three, from the Herefordshire Archive Service's research service. Copies will be sent via email. Alternatively, we can post paper copies for which we will charge postage. To order, complete a research request form - remember to include details on the testator and date of probate on the form. For further information visit the research and copying service page.

Using the wills search

If you are uncertain about a name, you can use wildcards:

  • '*' will match any characters
  • '_' will match any single character

For example, 'J_n' would match Jon but not John, and 'J*n' would match both.

Search for a will

Type Date of Probate Surname Forename Parish Executor(s) Name(s) Value Jurisdiction Occupation Original Reference
W 17/11/1856 Merrick Richard Yarkhill William Merrick <200.00.00 Diocesan
W 18/11/1854 Merrick Simon Ledbury Martha Merrick (Widow) <100.00.00 Diocesan
W 25/03/1854 Merrick John Yarkhill William Merrick <20.00.00 Diocesan
W 27/07/1852 Merrick Thomas Norton Canon Ann Merrick, Thomas Merrick <600.00.00 Deanery
W 12/10/1846 Merrick Judith Allensmore Francis Merrick <1,000.00.00 Deanery
W 16/02/1846 Merrick Elizabeth Allensmore Francis Merrick, Arnold Merrick <3,000.00.00 Deanery
W 29/01/1845 Merrick Henry Hereford All Saints Francis Merrick <1,000.00.00 Deanery
A 14/07/1838 Merrick Ann Hereford St Martin William Merrick (Brother) <20.00.00 Deanery
W 19/05/1837 Merrick Edward Weobley James Merrick, William Merrick, Elizabeth Merrick <2,000.00.00 Diocesan
A 15/03/1832 Merrick Thomas Hopkins Weston under Penyard John Hawkins <5.00.00 Diocesan
A 11/02/1832 Merrick Thomas Hereford All Saints William Merrick (Brother) <100.00.00 Deanery
W 04/08/1829 Merrick John Hereford All Saints Ann Merrick <2,000.00.00 Deanery
W 21/06/1828 Merrick John Felton Elizabeth Merrick (Widow) <20.00.00 Diocesan
W 18/05/1825 Merrick John Kingstone James Garbett, Richard Merrick <300.00.00 Deanery
W 05/12/1812 Merrick James Pencoyd Margaret Merrick <1,500.00.00 Diocesan
W 02/11/1805 Merrick John Yarkhill John Merrick <20.00.00 Diocesan
A 20/10/1798 Merrick Elizabeth Norton Canon Thomas Merrick (Son) <20.00.00 Deanery
W 06/10/1796 Merrick Elizabeth Hereford St Owen William Merrick <100.00.00 Deanery
W 17/05/1787 Merrick John Hereford St Owen Elizabeth Merrick <20.00.00 Deanery
A 29/04/1772 Merrick Jane Hope Mansel Thomas Cowles (creditor) <20.00.00 Diocesan
A 05/06/1771 Merrick William Ross Alice Merrick NI Diocesan
W 27/08/1770 Merrick Richard Yarkhill Mary Parsons <20.00.00 Diocesan
W 20/10/1766 Merrick John Weston-Under-Penyard Jane Merrick NI Diocesan
W 29/04/1763 Merrick Lettice Ross Thomas Roberts, William Wood NI Diocesan
A 29/07/1761 Merrick Samuel Welsh Bicknor Elizabeth Merrick 14.02.06 Diocesan