Price Mary

[natty]

Hi I don't know if anyone can help I was looking to see if I can find the probate calendar details for Mary Price. She was married to a Joseph Price and lived at 86 Great Hampton Street, Birmingham. She died around 1888 and was born 1790
I was just interested to see how much and to whom she left her money - I found the details for herhusband but can't find any for her.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Shortie]

Re: Mary Price

I understand that people only left a will if they were poorly. I have found several of my rellies who had plenty of money left no will - one was 84 and was killed by a motor cycle on Soho Hill - he was a jeweller. Another was a surgeon, and again, no will. It may be that they just died unexpectedly. You will need death date, but you can search in Birmingham Library. They have the Index to Wills there, but any prior to 1858 went to an Ecclesiastical Court, depending on where they lived.

 

[leslam]

Re: Mary Price

In case you aren't aware of it, you might like to know that the probate calandars are available online through Ancestry. These are the same as the volumes in the library and currently run from 1861 to 1941, whereas the library calendars have a wider range. The calendars include a record of the letter of administration (where a person died without a will) as well as grants of probate (where there is a will to be proved).

The record of grant of probate is often within a year (though I have one that didn't get proved for 20 years!), but a letter of administration can be many years after death - particularly in case where there is little or nothing to distribute.

In recent times, you will almost always need either probate or letter of administration (because there is nearly always at leasr a bank account to deal with), but when there was less rigor and no will, there may well be no application for a letter of administration.

Did her husband die before her? If not, there may be no will/application for letter of administration; I think at this stage a woman's money still became her husband's on marriage (unless a marriage settlement was drawn up to the contrary or the terms under which she had inherited any money specifically indicated that the money was "for her use only"). There were various acts in the 1880s, but the final piece of the legislation that changed that was the 1893 Married Woman's Property Act.

I have looked for Mary Price on Ancestry; I can only spot one within a reasonable time frame and she was "late of Frankley House, 80 Balsall-Haeth Road, Edgbaston". She was a widow when she died on 4th March 1890. Probate was granted (with certain limitation?) on 28 March 1890. I can't spot any other likely candidates at the moment - could this be her?

I hope this helps

 

[natty]

Re: Mary Price

Hi thanks for the replies. I see what you're saying re the wills when they were poorly (I know I've managed to get a couple of ancesters who have not much at all but were on the probate calendar).

Leslam - I don't know if this was her - she died in 1888 i believe but not sure - I know she was at Great Hampton Street when she was 90 so presumed she stayed there as this was also the family business (dealers in precious stones). She died after her husband though and on the latest census I found for her she was an annuitant.

 

[leslam]

Re: Mary Price

I think that you are probably correct about 1888 as there is a corresponding death (Q2 1888, Birmingham 6d 98). You would have to get the death certificate from the GRO or Birmingham registry office to confirm where she died.
If that is the case, then it doesn't look as though she had a will proved as there is no other possible candidate in the probate calendars. the letter of administration wasn't applied for/granted either or it would be on the calendars. If there was no property title to transfer or bank account/bonds etc to deal with, I guess it would have been possible to do it without any formalities.