UK Probate Genealogy, 9 Thorneyholme Drive, Knutsford (2026)

27/08/2026

Did you know that surnames can go extinct just like species do?
One historical reason for surnames becoming extinct was World War I. When there were mass casualties, a village or town might lose a whole generation of their men. Because names at that time were often specific to an area, a surname could be lost.
There are less drastic reasons for a surname’s disappearance as well. Sometimes, a name is changed over time, or a male line may simply die out.
Since 1901, about 200,000 names have disappeared altogether from England and Wales, according to a study conducted by Ancestry.co.uk. These include
• Chips
• Hatman
• Temples
• Raynott
• Woodbead
• Nithercott
• Rummage
• Southwark
• Harred
• Jarsdel
Hundreds of other English surnames are “endangered” — so rare that fewer than 50 people in England and Wales have them. These include
1. Pober
2. Mirren
3. Febland
4. Nighy
5. Grader
6. Bonneville
7. Gruger
8. Carla
9. Fernard
10. Portendorfer
Actress Helen Mirren, whose name is on that list, was born with the last name Mironoff, which her Russian father Anglicized to Mirren. Actors Hugh Bonneville and Bill Nighy also have endangered surnames.
More people researching their roots today has led to an interest in preserving rare surnames, and as a result, more people are using hyphenated surnames in England. In 1901, “double-barreled names” were just 1 in 50,000 people. Today, 1 in 50 people has a hyphenated surname, and almost half of them say it’s to preserve a family surname.
Research by Ancestry.co.uk

26/08/2026

Are you good at geography?

I always thought I was until a recent probate research case became the most geographically diverse project we have encountered.

At first it seemed quite straightforward – the deceased, an only child, unmarried and without issue, had 7 aunts and uncles (all deceased) who had 14 children between them. So it didn’t look too problematic to begin with.

However it soon became clear that the 14 cousins were as fecund as they were dysfunctional! Of the 14 cousins, 12 were deceased and had 72 children between them, many of whom had dispersed all over the world, reputedly (according to the two surviving 1st cousins) due to family disputes, inheritance disputes, bankruptcy and criminal records! The family was part of an unusual Christian sect (for whom, apparently, contraception was not an option!) and quite a few of them became missionaries.

It took a while but here is a partial list of the more surprising locations:
Luanda, Angola (A missionary like a number of the others)
Arua, Uganda
Kampala, Uganda
Wichita Falls, Texas
Rochester, Nevada
Elorza, Venezuela
Augusta, Western Australia
Davao, Phillipines
Xinjiang, China

The rest are in the UK and Europe – a very satisfying result.

Ironically the cousins’ descendants had very few children between them, no doubt learned the lessons of their parents’ decisions!

25/08/2026

Parents - be kind to your children!

Over the years that we have been doing our probate genealogy at UKPG we have come across a wide variety of most unusual names that unthinking parents have given their children. A few of the worst examples are below. (And we have double checked - they are all genuine!)

A Mr Pleasant Bottom (b1799 Kentucky) - well I'm sure he had one but there was no need to tell the world

The misses Ima and Ura Hogg (b 1908 Alabama) - verging on the edges of child cruelty here

If-Christ-had-not-died-for-thee-thou hadst-been-damned Barebone (b1621 Massachusetts)

Fly-fornication Jones (b1865 Arkansas)

Experience Bliss (b 1649 Massachusetts) – let’s hope she did!

Zebedee Twopenny (19th C Yorkshire)

And this one I promise you is true - a Mr Preserved Fish - I attach an extract from his will. His brothers all had normal names so what possessed his parents we shall never know.

Finally it never occurred to the parents of F***y Kirby that she might one day marry a Mr Rash... or another who married a Mr Smellie

Parents - be careful!

Any unusual or unfortunate names in your family?

19/08/2026

How to trace people - education slot

Lost someone? Need to find a beneficiary, executor, trustee, family member or friend, work colleague or school friend – here are a few tips on where to look – these are all methods we use regularly in concert with our main genealogy sites

1. My favourite (and often most rewarding) is the nosy neighbour – find the local curtain twitcher at the last known address – they will be delighted to fill you in on all the comings and goings – “of she was sh…..g him and he was sh…..g her” – “he moved to x town and she had 6 children by 6 different men” – etc etc no end of gossip often yields those vital clues needed for a successful search

2. Don’t forget the will and other estate papers if available – these often yield valuable answers in your search – look at them yourself as clients often don’t realise the usefulness of the most minor of details

3. Social media, especially Facebook is a great source of contacts and establishing family groups – as a last resort leaving posts on local social media groups will stir local “concerned citizens” to enter the search on your behalf. (Be careful not to infringe on the dreaded GDPR though!) Was the missing person involved in local sports clubs, alumni associations or workplace groups? – these often yield valuable results.

4. There are missing people charity groups, many dealing with tracing estranged family members such as missingpeople.org.uk and locate-international

5. There are several paid for search resources such as LexisNexis, Altia Clio, Onic, Resolver and Microsoft Purview – you have to demonstrate a legitimate need and pay an annual subscription for these. We subscribe to LexisNexis TraceIQ

6. More distant relatives are sometimes in touch with family members otherwise estranged form their own immediate family.

7. Newspaper archives and the gazettes online, local newspaper websites are useful too

These are just a few resources we use but you can always call us on 07725 993 400 or email [email protected] for a fixed price quote and timetable

13/08/2026

A death sentence for probate fraud might concentrate people’s minds a bit more today!
Another probate dispute from the archives – The Weekly Worcester Journal of 1 June 1744 reports as follows:
A Sarah Lowther was sentenced to death for “impersonating the widow of a Nicholas Woollen, mariner, and obtaining a probate of his pretended will, knowing the same to be false and counterfeit” - the sentence was transmuted to 14 years transportation.
In the same article an Isabella Mills was also sentenced to death for stealing a silver tankard!
Justice was severe in the 18th century!

12/08/2026

Was your ancestor a baddy or a goody?

Two great resources for family history and probate research are the Gazettes (London, Edinburgh and Belfast) and old newspapers

The gazettes can be searched at https://www.thegazette.co.uk/

(and they are free!)

And include such fascinating records such as contemporary reports on historical highlights such as the great fire of London and war reporting. Also you can find out if your ancestors were made bankrupt, had criminal records, served in the military or civil service and their progress, received honours and awards.

The gazettes also record births, deaths and marriages, probate notices, how they interacted with society and much much more – it’s easy to get sucked in and spend hours and hours on these sites.

The gazettes go back to 1665 and are accessible at https://www.thegazette.co.uk/

One of my family’s ancestors appears several times suing the then King in Scotland for non-payment of his printing debt – alas history doesn’t reveal if his majesty paid up!

Old newspapers are available on ancestry and findmypast.

Give them a go, you might find something about your ancestor that is really interesting

11/08/2026

Nearly 300 years ago – disputed probate shows that there is nothing new under the sun!
The Gloucester Journal of Jul 10th 1733 reports that a Mrs Moore, the sister of the deceased, tried to turn over the executor, a Mr Payne, named in the will. Needless to say the judges “after hearing several learned arguments of the advocates on both sides were pleased to determine in favour of Mr Payne”.
It was clearly just as hard to turn over a will then as it is now.
The really interesting matter is the value of the estate - £10,000 – over £2 million in todays money. While one would never impugn Mrs Moore’s motives it would have been interesting to hear her objections!

30/07/2026

Famous last words - keep on the Scotch if you want a longer life...

1. Jane Austen: "I want nothing but death" (1817)
2. Karl Marx: "Go on, get out — last words are for fools who have not yet said enough!" (1883)
3. Oscar Wilde: "Either that wallpaper goes, or I do" (1900)
4. Bob Marley: "Money can't buy life" (1981)
5. Steve Jobs: “OH WOW. OH WOW. OH WOW.” (2011)
6. Winston Churchill: “I’m bored with it all.” (1965)
7. Humphrey Bogart: “I should have never switched from Scotch to Martinis.” (1957)
8. Spike Milligan: “I told you I was ill”

29/07/2026

Nothing Brings a Family Together Like… an Intestacy Battle.

If I had a pound for everyone who said to me “Oh my affairs are very simple, I don’t need a will - the family will sort it out” or “It will all go to my partner” I’d have an awful lot of pounds.

So, who inherits what if I don’t write a will?

No 2 and no 8 below are surely the best reasons to write a will

The laws of intestacy are both simple and complex – sorry about that! and the link below has an excellent guide on how to work it out

https://www.gov.uk/inherits-someone-dies-without-will/y

Basically the order of priority is:

1. Spouse (the first £322k) plus half of the residue if there are children

2. A partner who was not married or in a civil partnership with the deceased has no automatic right to inherit.

3. Children or their descendants (The whole estate if there is no mother or half the residue)

4. Parents

5. Siblings then ½ siblings or their descendants

6. Grandparents

7. Aunts and Uncles then ½ aunts and uncles (by blood) or their descendants

8. The Government!!

If you are handling probate in a case of intestacy, whether you are a lawyer or an executor, then we at UK Probate Genealogy can handle all your due diligence by preparing a detailed family tree and tracing all the beneficiaries – all for a fixed fee with regular reporting.

28/07/2026

Were you or a relative adopted and you now feel the time is right to try and find them?
Welcome to the minefield that is adoption tracing, whether you were adopted or have relatives who were adopted or put your own child up for adoption.
UK adoption records are not public, but adopted adults over 18 can access their original birth certificates, agency files, and the Adopted Children Register.
Official resources include the ⁠General Register Office and the ⁠Adoption Contact Register.
Types of Records Available
1. Original Birth Certificate: Shows your birth name and birth parents.
2. Adopted Children Register: A legal index of adoptions managed by the Registrar General since January 1927.
3. Local Authority & Agency Files: Case notes, social worker reports, and background family details held by the council or charity that managed the adoption.
4. Court Records: The formal adoption order and court papers from where the order was granted.
How to Access Records:
Age Requirement: You must be 18 or older to apply for your own records.
Counselling:
If you were adopted before 12 November 1975 in England or Wales, you must attend a counselling session with an approved adoption adviser before getting your birth details.
Tracing Locations:
Use the ⁠CoramBAAF Locating Adoption Records database to find out which local authority or voluntary agency holds specific files
If you would like some free advice on how to proceed please get in touch – family reunions are what make us tick.

UK Probate Genealogy

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