Order copies of the registered wills or copies of entries from probate act books (for administrations).

Umm… This is tricky. Whilst sometimes people did write their own wills, wills could also be written in the hands of relatives, friends, solicitors, etc. Not only that but some of the "original" wills contained in the probate files here will be copies made by the staff of the probate courts. This means there is no way we can guarantee to offer a will in the handwriting of a particular person. However, for the maximum chance of seeing the handwriting of a testator, order a copy of the full probate file, either a paper copy or a scanned copy. Please note that before 1630 we have very few original probate files.

Your best bet is to order a photocopy or scan of the original probate file (assuming the will was proved after 1630). However it is important to bear the following in mind:

• Some "original" wills are actually certified copies made by the courts and are not signed.
• Some people were unable to write their names (or were too ill to do so) and signed with a mark.
• Some wills were given orally (nuncupative wills) and are thus not signed.

Seals are best photographed with side lighting so for the best image we would recommend colour photography starting at £28.00 per print, or we can quote for the University's photographer to take a digital photograph for you. No method of reproduction can be used which might damage the seal. Note, however, that a seal design is not necessarily personal, nor will it necessarily identify an individual.

This is a difficult one. In terms of image quality scanned images are best, followed by photocopies, followed by copies made from microfilm. But note that not all types of records are suitable for all kinds of copying. For instance we cannot photocopy the probate registers.

However, lots of the difficulty with reading copies comes from difficulties with the handwriting or the language. The probate registers were written by just a few people, who on the whole had controlled and consistent styles. This means that once you have mastered their handwriting you can read a lot of wills. The wills in the original probate bundles could have been written by anyone, and the handwriting varies from the tidy and professional, to the shaky scrawls of the barely literate and ill.

Both probate registers and probate files have come down to us in a good state of preservation, but this does not mean that they are perfect. Probate registers are sometimes faded or dirty at the beginnings and ends, and the parchment pages will not lie perfectly flat. Probate files will have dirty wrappers and sometimes may have been torn along folds. Probate files need conservation work before they can be used and so we charge more to make copies of them. Very occasionally, mostly amongst the records of peculiar probate jurisdictions, there are some probate files which have suffered from water or rodent damage in the distant past. If you order a certain type of copy and we notice that there are significant illegible parts, we will, where possible, substitute another kind of copy that is more legible.

We sell a number of publications designed to help people wanting to improve their reading of old handwriting. See our publications pages for more details.

You will need to ask your publisher or printer what they need but most will be happy to accept electronic images at 300dpi. Please note that you will need to tell us that you want to publish these images when you order so that we can:

• Make the right sort of image for you
• Advise you about any usage and copyright restrictions on the images.

Please note that commercial reproduction of images normally attracts reproduction fees in addition to the reprographic fees. The Office Manager will be pleased to discuss your plans with you and give you an idea of what charges are likely to be.

The probate records at the Borthwick are rich in inventories but they survive best in certain periods. Note the following:

• To get any inventory that may exist you need to order a copy of the probate file – inventories were not copied into the probate registers. Note there are very few probate files from the Prerogative and Exchequer Courts of York before 1630.
• The best period for inventory survival is 1680-1770 in the Prerogative and Exchequer Courts of York.
• Inventories may survive from other periods but are far less likely. We cannot tell you in advance whether there are probate inventories in the files unless you ask us to do so under the terms of our research service. The reason we charge for this is that we will need to unroll each bundle to see if there is an inventory and after it has been unrolled once it cannot be re-rolled but will need to be flattened, and wrapped by our Conservator. 
• Peculiar court records vary from the Prerogative and Exchequer Courts. Inventories may survive in these records over a much longer period.

Most, but not all, of the peculiar court probate records survive only in the form of probate files (ie only a very few of them have probate registers). If you are ordering we would recommend that you order the cheapest type of copy since you will in all likelihood get the full probate file for the price of a registered copy.

If you order a copy of the registered will (from the probate register) and for some reason we cannot make a copy from the microfilm we will, where possible:

• make a copy of the full probate file for you without additional charge

If you order a copy of the probate file and we are not able to copy it (this usually happens because a file doesn’t survive or because it is too fragile to copy) we will, where possible:

• For estates dealt with by will: send you an image of the registered will as entered in the probate register and refund the difference in price between a copy of the registered will and a copy of the probate file.
• For estates dealt with by administration: send you an image of the administration entry in the the probate act book  and refund the difference in price between a copy of the administration entry and a copy of the probate file.

If you order a copy of administration details (from the probate act books) and for some reason we cannot make a copy from the microfilm we will, where possible:

• make a copy of the full probate file for you without additional charge