VPRS 27 Transcriptions of Wills [also known as Register of Wills]

This series consists of transcribed copies of original wills submitted for the granting of probate and were known as registers in the Probate Office. These volumes were created by the N.S.W. Supreme Court for the district of Port Phillip, then from 1852 to 1922 the Master in Equity of the Supreme Court. These offices were responsible for the granting of probate or letters of administration to the executors of estates of deceased persons. Executors had to apply to the Court for a grant of probate or letter of administration before the assets of the estate could be liquidated if the value of these assets exceeded a certain limit. Applications for probate included a copy of the will and other relevant documentation. Applications for letters of administration involved estates where the deceased had not left a will.