Exploring Victorian Will and Probate Records

Dr Ben Wilkie explores Victoria’s rich collection of wills and probate files and illuminates the meaning behind these valuable historic records. The Public Record Office of Victoria (PROV) archives thousands of probate records from the Supreme Court of Victoria every year and has been doing so since 1841. These records provide a snapshot of economic conditions, social conventions and legal standards from the last 180 years. In this practical talk, Ben will focus on the Public Record Office of Victoria’s probate collection and how to decipher these documents and their historic context. He will also share some interesting stories he has come across in his research.

Dr Ben Wilkie is a wills and estates lawyer at Whyte Just & Moore, and an Adjunct Research Fellow in the Department of Archaeology and History at Latrobe University. He has broad experience in Victorian and Australian history, particularly the history of western Victoria and the history of the Scots in Australia. More recently he has focused on the development and conventions of wills and probate records.

Attend Talking History in person at the Eureka Centre (no booking required).

Past lectures can be viewed on YouTube by clicking this link.

Image: James Oddie: Will; Grant of probate, 1911. Public Record Office of Victoria, VPRS 7591/P0002, 119/587.