How to find a will

How to find a will

This guide explains how to locate historic Wills, Grants of Probate and letters of administration in Ireland. The National Archives preserves State records including wills from the Probate Office which is part of the High Court. The National Archives holds the wills for Dublin and some district registries up to the year 1991. For all records from 1992 onwards, please contact the Probate Office. These records are invaluable for genealogists, researchers and those exploring family history.

What is a will?

A will is a legal document expressing a person’s wishes regarding the distribution of their estate after death. To ensure its legality, the courts must issue a grant of probate. If someone dies without a will (intestate), the courts can issue letters of administration to appoint someone to manage the estate’s distribution.

Types of testamentary records

• Grant of probate: Legalises a will and confirms the executor’s authority to distribute the estate
• Grant of Administration: Legalises and confirms an appointed executor’s authority to distribute the estate
• Letters of Administration: Issued when no will exists, allowing an administrator to manage the estate.
• Schedule of Assets: This document contains a breakdown of the assets held by the deceased i.e. Property, Savings, Livestock etc.
• Records after 1858:
  • Managed by the civil courts (Principal and District Registries of the Probate Court before 1877 and the High Court from 1877)
  • Indexed in the annual Calendars of Wills and Administrations for 1858–1982

Key offices managing testamentary records

• Principal Registry: Also referred to as the Probate Office, it is the central office in Dublin for managing testamentary records. In the Calendars of Wills, it is noted as PR, PO or Dublin. Find more at the Probate Office.
• District Registry: A District Registry is a sub-office of the Probate Office located outside Dublin. Ireland has 14 District Probate Offices which issue grants of probate and administration locally.
• Probate Office: The Probate Office is part of the High Court, responsible for administering testamentary records. The central office is in Dublin with additional District Probate Offices across Ireland.

Searching for a Grant of Probate

A grant of probate is an official document that validates a deceased person’s will, allowing the executor to distribute their estate according to their wishes. These grants are indexed annually in an alphabetical record called the Calendar of Wills and Administrations.

How to search:

• If you know the Date of Grant you can start your search from that year, if not, the date of death is a good starting point to begin your search
• For Wills that were granted probate we recommend doing a 5-year search of the will calendars. You would start from the year of death and move up the years until the entry you are looking for is found.

Searching for a grant of letters of administration

If a person died without a will (intestate), the courts issue letters of administration to appoint someone to manage the distribution of the estate. These grants are also recorded in the Calendars of Wills and Administrations.

How to search:

• Grants of administration are listed similarly to probate grants ie by year of issue and surname of the deceased
• From 1868 onwards, both probate and administration grants are included in the same calendar series

What is a Calendar of Wills?

A Calendar of Wills is an index summarising key details about Wills and Grants of Probate or Administration. It is an essential tool for locating the original records.

Each entry typically provides:

• Name of the deceased
• Date of death
• Grant date
• Grant type (eg probate or administration)
• Last known address (can also be the hospital where they passed)
• Executor name
• Estate value
• Issuing registry

Searching Calendars of Wills

The Calendar of Wills, 1858–1922, lists individuals whose probate was granted in the relevant year. These calendars were previously available through the National Archives’ genealogy microsite, which has now been retired. As part of a large‑scale redevelopment project, the National Archives is rebuilding and modernising all retired microsites and their associated databases. Updated digital access will be made available as the new systems come online.

Calendar of Wills 1918–1922 can be consulted only onsite in the National Archives Reading Room. We are in the process of digitising these calendars and we hope to have them on our website soon.

Calendar of Wills 1923–1982 can be consulted on our website and onsite in the National Archives Reading Room.

Calendars of Wills for the years 1983-1991 are available to search in hardcopy in the Reading Room.

Northern Ireland: for the counties in Northern Ireland post-1918, consult Will Calendars – proni.gov.uk

Tips for effective searches

For common names, searches may yield multiple entries. Narrow your results by searching individual calendars when you know the grant date or date of death. If no results are found, expand your search by using a five-year range as registration delays were common. Before 1858, records were managed by the Church of Ireland. Separate indexes for these records are available on microfilm in the Reading Room. From 1858 onwards, records were managed by the civil courts and are indexed in the Calendars of Wills and Administrations.

Order a copy of a will or grant of probate

If you would like to obtain a copy of any of the records listed above you can do so by submitting a query to us here: Order Copies of Documents | The National Archives of Ireland you will need to provide us with:

1. Full name of the deceased
2. Date of Grant or Date of death
3. Issuing registry or last known address

Once we have received your request and ordered the documents, we will contact you with final costs and methods of payment*.

If all information is known you can download the below form and post it in to is at the address at the bottom of the form with the appropriate payment in the form of Cheque, Bank Draft or Postal Order Made payable to the National Archives Ireland.

*Please note items like a plain copy of the Schedule of Assets require a page count and you will need to contact us for an accurate price for this*

Download the form to order copies of wills or grants of probate