When Death Do Us Part. Understanding and interpreting the probate records of early modern England

Notes:

Provides seventeen collected essays dealing with probate records as a key source for historical studies in the period c1550-c1750. Describes the records, explains their interpretation and provides case studies of how they can be used, Structured in three parts: 1] 'Probate records'; 2] 'Wills and probate accounts'; 3] 'Probate inventories plus'. Chapters include: 'The probate process'; 'Probate, 1500-1800 - a system in transition'; 'Wills as an historical resource'; 'Attitudes to will-making in early modern England'. Case studies relating to their use include: Peter Spufford, 'Long term rural credit in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries - evidence from probate accounts' [pp213-28]; Christine North, 'Merchants and retailers in seventeenth century Cornwall' [pp285-305] covering wholesaling and retailing. Appendices include 'Main acts of parliament concerning probate before 1760' and transcriptions of a sample of probate documents