| Date Range: |
Series |
1853 - 1992 |
| |
Series in Custody |
1853 - 1992 |
| |
Contents |
1853 - 1992 |
| Public Access: |
Open |
| Location: |
North Melbourne |
| Format of Records: |
Physical |
  | Agency which created this SeriesAgency which created this Series |
| Agency currently responsible for this SeriesAgency currently responsible for this Series |
| Description of this SeriesDescription of this Series |
- How to use the Records
The 1841 - 1925 portion of series has been digitised and is available online. Access to the digitised records is available via the physical records details pages. You can use an online index to search for records here:
http://prov.vic.gov.au/index_search?searchid=54
The digitisation of VPRS 7591 was a joint project between the Genealogical Society of Utah and Public Record Office Victoria, undertaken from 2004 - 2011. (Researchers should note that during this project, some records could not be digitised as they required conservation. As of June 2012, conservation work is ongoing. The records will become available online once conservation and digitising is complete.)
The remainder of these instructions relate to searches for records from 1926 onwards. Links to detailed searching instructions for will and probate records can also be found here:
http://prov.vic.gov.au/research/wills-and-probate
Wills have been arranged numerically by file number (eg 123/456, 123/457 etc). To locate items of interest, researchers will need to first obtain relevant file numbers.
Consult the microfiche VPRS 3340/P2 Index to Probates and Administrations Issued (Microform) also known as Probate Index, Victoria (1841-1992) which is located in VAC and BAC Reading Rooms. The Index is arranged alphabetically by name of the deceased.
Note series and record numbers from index (for example, 123/456).
For later records the Probate Index uses the following format: 123456 28/p0001/0002, and should be noted as 123/456 (series/record).
For 7 digit numbers, for example 1234567 28/p0077/002, the series number is the first four digits and the record number is made up of the remaining three, and should be noted as 1234/567 (series/record). Researchers should also note the nature of the Grant (usually Probate or Administration).
Use the file numbers obtained and the Search within a Series or Order Wills and Probate option on PROV's catalogue, Access the Collection, to locate and place orders for records of interest.
- Function / Content
A Will is a legal document that sets out the instructions of a person in relation to the distribution of his or her property after their death. The will usually names one or more persons to carry out the wishes and directions in relation to the estate. This person is called the executor/executrix. The estate can only be dealt with after the will has been approved by the Registrar of Probates. This approval is called the Grant of Probate and the document giving the approval is called Probate.
Procedures relating to the granting of Probate are outlined in the documentation for VPRS 28 and VPRS 7592, and include the lodging of the will of the deceased with the Registrar of Probate.
When an application for grant of probate was lodged with the Probate Office, the will would have been included amongst other papers relating to the deceased's estate. The wills were removed from the rest of the files and kept separately, presumably because of their size and the associated storage requirements.
For a time, wills were copied by transcription. When the records were first transferred to PROV from the Probate Office, The original wills were retained by the Probate Office and the volumes of transcribed wills were transferred to PROV (VPRS 27, VPRS 525 microfilm).
From approximately March 1992, when flat files (rather than folded) were introduced in the Probate Office, wills and probate files were kept together and transferred to PROV in VPRS 28 Probate and Administration Files.
- Recordkeeping System
The files were divided into "series" of 1000 files with a sequential allocation of numbers between 1 and 1000 in each series. For example: 106/291, this refers to the 291st file in the 106th series.
Register:
The allocation of numbers for files and wills was controlled by VPRS 261 Register of Probates and Administrations Issued from 1854 until at least 1900. It is not certain how file numbers were allocated after this time but it is likely that the register which served this purpose is no longer extant.
Index:
These records were indexed by VPRS 3340/P2 Probate Index, microfiche copies of which are available in Public Record Office Victoria's Reading Rooms. As at 1994 the original index remains in the custody of the Registrar of Probate. This index was arranged alphabetically within time periods according to the date of the Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration. There was sometimes a considerable gap between the date of death and the date of the grant.
If the entry in the Probate/Administration column (often headed "Nature of Grant" has a "P" then the file is a Probate and there should be a Will; if there is an "A" in the column the file is an administration and it is unlikely that there will be a Will. A list of abbreviations used by the probate office is available in the Reading Rooms.
| More research resourcesMore research resources |
| Indexes and RegistersIndexes and Registers |
| Controlled SeriesControlled Series |
| Previous SeriesPrevious Series |
| Subsequent SeriesSubsequent Series |
| List/s of records in this seriesList/s of records in this series |
| Indexes and RegistersIndexes and Registers |
| More research resourcesMore research resources |
|