Tracing your Caribbean family
Probate and wills
Probate is the process of applying for the legal right to manage a deceased person’s possessions. Wills record how a deceased person wishes their possessions to be distributed. Since enslaved people were regarded as the property of the slave owner, they may also be named in the will. Copies of wills may be held in the local Caribbean archive or in the UK’s National Archives, depending on where the person held property or died. You can also search probate records on the UK Government website.
Page last updated: 15 September 2023
