Help with analysing information of a will inventory (1925)

[doddie]

Please bear with me as this post is a bit long. Very recently I managed, via the National Archives of Scotland digitised catalogue, to obtain a copy of the inventory of the persoanal estate of my great grandfather dated May 1925. The inventory is a page and half long and I get the gist of most of it. I asked somebody at NAS for a little more help but was told I would need to consult someone with legal training. All I really want is some basic help in understanding the meaning of some of the catgories and the relevant monetary sums mentioned. Most of the document is taken up with a brief but detailed inventory of moveable property and monies due etc. ("Cash in house", "Household furniture...", "Sum in bank with interest... " and so on) at the time of my great grandfather's death. This is all neatly laid out with a sum total at the bottom of the page of £228 6 Shillings & 6 D. On the opposite page are two sums.The first is "Amount of forgoing Inventory" which comes to £630 & 12 Shillings. Below that is the self explanatory "Amount of Debts and Funeral Expenses" which is £239 2 Shillings & 4 D. The latter sum is subtracted from the former to give a balance. What I want to know is, what does a forgoing Inventory usually consist of as, in this particular case, the sum of the forgoing Inventory is considerably more than the sum value of the detailed inventory - about £390 more. Does anyone know in general what other types of financial 'item' could be included? Also, there is no specific mention anywhere in the document of the monetary sum of any debts. I would have presumed that such an inventory would have included the negatives as well as the positives.

As I say, I am not necessarily after an involved legal opinion. It would just be helpful to have some of what I see as discrepancies explained so I in turn can explain things to some of my relations. As there is already quite a bit of established personal family background to my great grandfather's life the discovery of this document sheds some even more light on things. As usual, all feedback will be greatly appreciated.

Regards

Doddie

[Currie]

Hello Doddie,

I can't claim to know much about this sort of thing but it sounds like there's a missing page. Are you sure you got the lot?

Perhaps the discrepancy is that he owned property or had money invested outside of Scottish jurisdiction. The foregoing inventory contained all of his assets whilst the lesser amount was the Scottish component. There was something about this in an older thread. viewtopic.php?f=1&t=16749

Is there any sign of him in the England & Wales National Probate Calendar. It appears to be available at Ancestry.

All the best,
Alan

[carolineasb]

Hi Doddie,

It is my understanding that nowadays Inventories (for Confirmation) are listed usually on the HMRC Forms starting with Heritable Estate in Scotland, then Moveable Estate in Scotland, then Estate in England and Wales, then Estate Elsewhere etc. It is all then totalled up for the gross amount for Confirmation and then there is a page where debts are totalled and can then show the net value of the Estate. If there is a note on Anc*stry about a listing in the England & Wales Probate Calendar that tends to suggest that there was Estate in England and Wales and the Confirmation had to be sent to them for sealing there after Confirmation was expede in Scotland. If there is a difference between the total for the last page of the Confirmation and the amount after deducting debts, I would be of the same opinion as Currie that there may be a page missing. Can I ask why you obtained it from NAS? I'll have to check but I thought that Scotlands People's Wills and Inventories went up to this date?

Financial Items are usually Bank & Building Society accounts, insurance policies and shares.

[carolineasb]

Just checked and Scotlands People does go up to 1925.

[doddie]

Thanks so much for the replies. They were most informative. To quickly answer a few points, as I live in Edinburgh I quite often visit the local records office to consult their digital collection. As far as I am aware the material available is the same as that which is available on the Scotland's People website. Also, when the relevant pages for my great grandfather came up on the PC screen I made sure to click on the 'Previous Page' and Next Page' facilities in case there was further information to view. Unfortunately I met with just blank white screens in each case which I presumed to mean there was nothing additional to view (or that nothing else had been digitised, at any rate). Further investigation might be needed to confirm this for certain. Lastly, I will have to check to see if my g. grandfather may have had any assets in England. I am sure some of the family will know. I will be sure to keep everyone updated.

Regards

Doddie

[carolineasb]

Sorry, doddie, maybe I'm not reading your post right? I was just wondering if the number of pages that you have received from NAS totalling the Inventory corresponds with that online with SP (as SP tells you the number of pages before you purchase)?

I would think that the assets in England & Wales should be narrated in the Scottish Confirmation to allow it to be sealed in England & Wales and so if it is not there, it may well be that there are pages missing from your copy.

[doddie]

Hi Caroline, up until now I haven't been registered with SP as I have always gone to the records office. I have just registered with SP just now and checked out the information. It seems, according to SP, that there should be 5 pages. I will try and sort the discrepancy in the near future. As I say, I was always under the impression that the documentation available through SP was the same as you would access from the records office catalouge. Will keep you posted.

Regards

Doddie

[AndrewP]

... I was always under the impression that the documentation available through SP was the same as you would access from the records office catalouge. Will keep you posted.

That should be the case, within the date ranges allowed to SP to put data online.

All the best,

AndrewP

[carolineasb]

What I was getting at is that the copy sent to NAS for scanning may have been different to that sent to wherever documents were scanned for Scotlands People or the person at NAS may not have scanned them all? Even today, copies of Confirmations go to more than one place.

[doddie]

Hi Caroline, It's confession time. In the words of the great Homer Simpson, all I can say is "Doh!!!!". I have managed to get to the bottom of this 'mystery'. I spoke to a member of staff at the records office in Edinburgh. It seems, because of the way that the wills have been digitised, that every alternative page is left deliberately blank (go figure!). All five pages of Alexander's will were there all the time, it was just that I hadn't searched far enough through all the pages. Also, the left hand the page which I thought contained inconsistent figures was most probably a page relating to a completely different individual. Alexander's details seem to have started on the following page. I really should have realised all this and do feel extremely foolish. After all the years I have spent looking at various types of civil documentation during my research I should have been more on the ball.

Thanks once again to all who have helped me with this post.

Regards

Doddie