Wills and Testaments

Guide to resources for wills and testaments from 1514 to 1936.

What do I need to know before I s​tart?

Try to find out: 

  • name of the person

  • where they lived 

  • when they died

​​​

What records can I find in The Mitchell: Registrars, Special Collections and Glasgow City Archives?

The testaments from 1514-1925 for all of Scotland have been digitally imaged. Copies of these images, together with a full index, are one of the many resources available as part of the ScotlandsPeople network which you access in the Registrars on payment of a daily fee. 

 

Special Collections holds a copy of the annual indexes of testaments: the Calendar of Confirmations for Scotland, 1872-1936, which give details of the deceased, their place and date of death, and details of when and where their testament is recorded. 

 

The City Archives holds the Burgh Register of Deeds for Glasgow, 1622-1955 (B10/10/10-16).  Occasionally, wills and codicils (additions to wills) that cannot be found in the court records in Edinburgh can be found in the Registers of Deeds.

What records can I see on​line?

Images of the testaments for 1514-1925 can be purchased on ScotlandsPeople. 

What records can I see elsew​here? 

The wills for Glasgow have been printed: Francis J Grant (ed.), The Commissary Records of Glasgow. Register of Testaments 1547-1800 (1901) 

 

Testaments from 1926 onwards are available at the National Records of Scotland.  

 

For more details, please visit The National Records of Scotland - wills and testaments.

 

Testaments less than 10 years old are at the Commissary Department, Edinburgh Sheriff Court, 27 Chambers Street , Edinburgh EH1 1LB.

What other resources will help ​​me find information?

Websites 

The NRS guide​ has a good reading list.  

Further information is available here​.