Whiles ye micht read that testaments wis for weel tae dae or sillert fowk, but it isna that simple. In Scotland the war twa kind o testaments: the testament dative, an the testament testamentar. A publict offeecial, kent as the commissar, wis appyntit fae the 16t century tae keep a register buik in his airt for makkin a dooble o ony testament that fowk wantit recordit, tho it wisna compulsor tae dae it.

Gin a body dee’d athoot makkin a will, his or her kin cuid hae an inventar made o his or her guids an geir an gie this in tae the commissar tae mak thair claim as the appearant heirs til awbody wi an intress. The inventar wis wrutten up in the commissar buik, alang wi a statement o whit the deid wis aucht bi ither fowk at time o deith, an whither the deid wis in the aucht o ithers, an the sums reckont on the estate. Gin a body dee’d wi sindry debts, the creditors cuid gie up the inventor insteid o the kin. Either wey this document wis kent as a testament dative. Whaur a body made a will this wis wrutten up alang wi the inventar an debts an sae the document wis than cryed a testament testamentar. For ordnar, thir documents recordit the date, but whiles jist the month o deith, but bi the 18ct century mony testaments left this information blank.

Maist o the commissariats haes volumes wantin sae mony testaments haes been tint but we micht can get by this whaur the warrants haes won ower. Warrant wis the name gien tae the papers, sic as the inventar, gien in bi the kin or creditors tae be wrutten up. Aince the testament haed been inrowed the oreeginal warrants wis pit awa amang the coort’s papers. Affen the warrant is aw that we noo hae whaur the testaments volume haes been tint.

Whaur ye canna find ony testament ava for a parteeclar body amang the commissar buiks or warrants, but jalouse the shuid’a been, tak a swatch insteid o the shirra coort deeds, or general register o deeds o the coort o session. Fowk affen drew up documents in thair lifetime cryed disposeetions an sattlements that airtit whit wis tae happen tae thair moveable estate efter thay dee’d, a will in aw but name, an thay wad hae it doobled in a register o deeds. Whiles ye will find wills amang faimly papers in register-hooses.

Aw testaments that’s won ower fae the 16t century until the 1920’s , that’s been recordit in the commissar buiks, haes been indexed an can be seen on the Scotland’s People wabsteid, but ye maun be inrowed for ingait, an ilka testament seen is for the price o ten credits.

Keep in mind that the auldest testaments is wrutten in Latin while maist is in Scots, wrutten in Scots secretar haun, until aboot 1700, but even lang efter thon time thir documents wis full o Scots terms.