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Wills explained

What are Wills and testaments?

Wills and testaments can be very useful sources for family history.

A testament is the term used to describe all the documents relating to a dead person's estate. All testaments include an inventory of the dead person's property. It was the legal document drawn up by a court after a person died, and its purpose was to enable the court to confirm an executor who would be responsible for winding up the deceased's affairs.

In some cases an additional inventory is added later to cover property not originally included. This addition is called an eik and was brought to the court by the executor(s) if it was discovered that the original inventory had been incomplete or incorrect. You will sometimes find several eiks relating to the original testament.

A will is esentially a statement by the dead person describing how their property is to be distributed after death and named the person whom they wished to administer the estate. Not all testaments included a will. If a testament has a will it is called the Testament Testamentar and if there is no will it is called the Testament Dative.