PROBATE INVENTORIES and accounts

Inventories were normally compiled within a few days of death. They were usually made by neighbours of the deceased who were considered to be of suitable standing. However, some of the assessors were not particularly literate so the resultant inventories could be unreliable. In some cases they were used only as a guide as to the movable property of the testator. The inventory had to be made openly and in the presence of witnesses and the valuation was usually performed by an appraiser.

Executors or administrators had to “exhibit” the inventory in the probate court within six months of the grant of probate. The executors or administrators had to swear an oath to the effect that it was honest and true. In cases where an executor could not go to court, then the court had powers to grant a licence to the local clergy to administer appropriate oaths of the executors or administrators.

Assessors would frequently list the deceased person's possessions room by room. They often went into great detail, recording all the furniture and personal possessions in each room of the house. It was normal for inventories of deceased tradesmen and farmers to include details of stock-in-trade and livestock. Where inventories survive, they are normally with the related wills. After 1782 an inventory could still be made and may be available much later but do not exist for wills proved under the national probate system after 1858. You may also find inventories within a family archive. Inventories did not usually contain information about the deceased’s family but they give family historians a fascinating insight into the life and wealth of the ancestor to which they relate.

It is almost impossible to know if the value of the items in the inventory was accurate or fair although there could have been an action in court if the valuation given was deliberately false. There are cases where executors were brought to account in the ecclesiastical courts by the legatees or sometimes creditors.

Most inventories did not list debts incurred by the deceased and should therefore not be used as a definitive indicator of wealth. It is always necessary to interpret information in conjunction with the will and account and even the death duty registers.

Some inventories contain little in the way of detail.

In some cases the production of an inventory was not possible so a declaration was submitted which usually took the form of a sworn statement indicating the reason why an inventory was not provided. This was particularly true when there was a significant time lapse since the death.

Usually within twelve months of the grant of probate, executors or administrators had to submit an account of their expenditure in settling the deceased's estate. In doing so certain criteria had to be met. Executors had to declare that the goods and chattels belonged to the deceased, declare the debts and legacies paid for and provide proof of all payments.

It was the responsibility of the ecclesiastical probate court to check that the account had been calculated properly. If the process of finalising the estate took longer than one year, the court appointed an apparitor to work with the executors or administrators. The court could legitimately recover the cost of doing so from the deceased's estate.

It was necessary for the court to follow this process in order to make the affairs of the testator public, and demonstrate that all the debts had been paid and confirm what was available to distribute.

Accounts usually confirmed the value of the personal estate. Probate accounts were usually, but not always, filed with the inventory.

The survival of inventories is somewhat sporadic but should always be researched if available. Sometimes they only survive if the inventory was in support of litigation. The survival rate of accounts is small in comparison with inventories and tend only to survive until around 1685/1690. After that date, administrators were no longer required to provide accounts associated with intestate estates although inventories had to still be provided. Again accounts are more likely to have survived where litigation was involved.

Inventories and accounts, where they survive, will usually be catalogued with the records of the appropriate ecclesiastical court that proved the will and therefore will be available to research in the archive where that court's records are deposited. Sometimes inventories have been separately catalogued to the wills. PCC inventories and accounts are held by the National Archives at Kew.