Using the Wills Index

You can search this index of over 38,000 entries to see what Archdeaconry of Berkshire wills, administrations and inventories we have for the period 1480 to 1857.

Let's explain the difference between these records.

Wills: this is the most common record in which an individual sets out their intentions as to what should happen to their possessions after death and to appoint executors.

Administrations (admons): If a person died without making a will (intestate), the court had to appoint people to administer the estate and issued letters of administration. The appointed persons would then enter an administration bond to carry out various tasks. However, they do not reveal anything about actual possessions unless an inventory is included.

Inventories: This was made as a true record of the extent and value of the deceased’s estate and often included debts as well as possessions.

It's also worth noting that sometimes, all that survives is a registered copy of a probate record, which is a hand written version in a bound volume.

How to use the wills index:

The index is listed by surname, but also provides details of place name and occupation as well the document reference of the record and what microfilm/fiche (MF) copies we have.

To use the Name Search simply enter the name as surname, first name. For example: Blackmore, Dennis.

You can also search by surname only or first name only.

For place names or occupations please use the Keyword Search.

If you would like to look at or order copies of any of the records listed, please Contact Us.

Name	Place Name	Occupation	Year	BRO Ref	MF Copy
BURGES, Thomas	Cumnor	Clerk	1568	D/A1/167/138	MF96000
BURGES, Thomas	Cumnor	Vicar	1569	D/A1/39/240 D/A1/9/166	MF462 MF10046
BURGES, Thomas	Lambourn Woodlands, Lambourn		1618	D/A1/176/059	MF96012
BURGES, Thomas	Lambourn		1618	D/A1/168/149	MF96001
BURGES, Thomas	Swallowfield	Husbandman	1644	D/A1/45/003	MF465
BURGES, William	Warfield	Husbandman	1558	D/A1/39/090 D/A1/7/140	MF461 MF10040
BURGES, William	Shottesbrooke		1579	D/A1/10/188	MF10047A
BURGES, William	Warfield		1579	D/A1/10/149	MF10047A
BURGES, William	Hawkridge, Bucklebury	Cloth Worker	1635	D/A1/44/064	MF464
BURGES, William	Baulking, Uffington	Husbandman	1641	D/A1/177/089	MF96014
BURGES, William	Newbury	Husbandman	1642	D/A1/177/104	MF96014
BURGES, William	Reading	Tailor	1719	D/A1/180/54	MF96019
BURGES, William	Hampstead Norreys	Carpenter	1758	D/A1/50/82	MF469
BURGESS, Charles	Reading	Shopkeeper	1773	D/A1/50/147	MF469
BURGESS, David	Marcham	Boat Builder	1842	D/A1/226/112	MF96123
BURGESS, Edward	Chieveley	Yeoman	1737	D/A1/49/201	MF468
BURGESS, Frances	Brightwell		1662	D/A1/45/103	MF465
BURGESS, Francis	Kingsclere, Hampshire	Sackweaver	1820	D/A1/145/94	MF557
BURGESS, Francis	Burghfield		1827	D/A1/226/72	MF96123
BURGESS, James	Burghfield		1827	D/A1/226/73	MF96123
BURGESS, John	Chieveley		1810	D/A1/226/41	MF96123
BURGESS, Margaret	Drayton, Abingdon St Helen		1623	D/A1/43/098	MF464
BURGESS, Richard	Padworth	Yeoman	1807	D/A1/145/40	MF557
BURGESS, Thomas	Brightwell	Blacksmith	1662	D/A1/178/67	MF96015
BURGESSE, Alice	South Moreton		1637	D/A1/44/098	MF465
BURGESSE, John	Brightwell	Yeoman	1619	D/A1/43/034	MF464
BURGIS, John	Grazeley, Sulhamstead Abbots	Yeoman	1697	D/A1/48/50	MF467
BURGIS, John	Newbury	Cordwainer	1730	D/A1/180/118	MF96020
BURGIS, Robert	Shaw Cum Donnington	Husbandman	1628	D/A1/177/010	MF96013
BURGIS, Sarah	Buckland	Grocer	1705	D/A1/48/131	MF467
BURGIS, Thomas	Brightwell	Yeoman, Blacksmith	1705	D/A1/48/122	MF467
BURGIS, William	Shellingford	Husbandman	1618	D/A1/43/025 D/A1/15/870	MF464 MF10065
BURGIS, William	Bray	Yeoman	1624	D/A1/43/117	MF464
BURGMAN, John	Harwell		1555	D/A1/7/095	MF10040
BURGMAN, John	Harwell		1555	D/A1/39/073	MF461
BURGMAN, Julian	Harwell		1616	D/A1/42/160 D/A1/15/651	MF463 MF10065
BURGYS, Ellis	Reading	Yeoman	1599	D/A1/41/132 D/A1/13/415	MF463 MF10049
BURGYS, John	Brightwell	Husbandman, Smith	1559	D/A1/39/147 D/A1/7/267	MF461 MF10040
BURK, Thomas	Welford	Yeoman	1664	D/A1/45/141	MF465
BURLETON, John	Tilehurst		1579	D/A1/10/176	MF10047A
BURLEY, Hugh	Reading St Mary	Clothier	1637	D/A1/177/065	MF96014
BURLEY, James	Shinfield	Blacksmith	1636	D/A1/177/061/1	MF96013
BURLEY, Leonard	Cookham	Yeoman, Farmer	1638	D/A1/177/085	MF96014
BURLEY, William Snr	Newbury	Butcher	1530	D/A1/1/146	MF10042
BURMINGHAM, Peter	Reading	Joiner	1725	D/A1/49/86	MF468
BURNAM, Henry	Hagbourne		1561	D/A1/8/194	MF10043C
BURNAM, Henry	Hagbourne		1561	D/A1/39/185	MF461
BURNAM, John			1545	D/A1/233/046	MF96132
BURNAM, John	Great Coxwell		1545	D/A1/2/092 D/A1/6/180	MF604 MF10043B
BURNAM, John	Oakfield, Sulhamstead Bannister	Shearman	1668	D/A1/178/110	MF96015
BURNAM, Richard	Reading St Laurence	Husbandman	1575	D/A1/40/047 D/A1/10/021	MF462 MF10047A
BURNAM, Richard	Hurley	Servant, Yeoman	1627	D/A1/43/156	MF464
BURNAM, Thomas	Drayton, Abingdon St Helen	Husbandman	1634	D/A1/44/062	MF464
BURNAM, Thomas	Hagbourne		1740	D/A1/49/225	MF468
BURNAME, Richard	Padworth		1554	D/A1/39/068 D/A1/7/079	MF461 MF10040
BURNAN, Richard	Long Wittenham	Labourer	1611	D/A1/42/063 D/A1/15/143	MF463 MF10065
BURNAT, Gilbert	Abingdon St Helen	Parchment Maker	1573	D/A1/40/018 D/A1/9/348	MF462 MF10046
BURNEHAM, Alice	Hagbourne		1602	D/A1/41/178 D/A1/13/820	MF463 MF10049
BURNEHAM, Dennis	West Hagbourne, Hagbourne		1635	D/A1/177/052	MF96013
BURNEHAM, Edward	Hagbourne		1565	D/A1/175/054	MF96010
BURNEHAM, Edward	Hagbourne	Yeoman	1639	D/A1/44/115	MF465
BURNEHAM, Edward Snr	Hagbourne	Husbandman	1624	D/A1/43/097	MF464
BURNEHAM, John	London Street, Reading	Chapman	1603	D/A1/41/180 D/A1/13/1160	MF463 MF10049
BURNEHAM, John	Hurley		1605	D/A1/175/192	MF96011
BURNEHAM, Richard	Knowl Hill, Hurley		1603	D/A1/175/178	MF96011
BURNEHAM, Sibyl	Abingdon		1609	D/A1/42/058 D/A1/14/591	MF463 MF10064
BURNEHAM, William	Hagbourne	Husbandman	1586	D/A1/40/136 D/A1/11/058	MF462 MF10047B
BURNELL, Richard	Midgham, Thatcham	Yeoman	1703	D/A1/48/113	MF467
BURNELL, Thomas	Woolhampton	Husbandman	1712	D/A1/180/8	MF96019
BURNELL, Thomas	Brimpton	Husbandman	1721	D/A1/49/55	MF468
BURNELL, Walter	Fyfield	Vicar	1570	D/A1/39/257 D/A1/9/244	MF462 MF10046
BURNER, Henry			1631	D/A1/177/033	MF96013
BURNES, William	Chieveley		1579	D/A1/40/077	MF462
BURNET, Richard	Sutton Wick, Sutton Courtenay		1623	D/A1/43/094	MF464
BURNET, Thomas	Sandford	Husbandman	1640	D/A1/44/129	MF465
BURNETT, Edward	Sandford	Cloth Worker	1633	D/A1/177/036 D/A1/168/240	MF96013 MF96001
BURNETT, John	Ock Street, Abingdon St Helen	Parchment Maker	1609	D/A1/42/036 D/A1/14/516	MF463 MF10064
BURNETT, Paul	Aldworth	Cordwainer	1704	D/A1/179/149	MF96017
BURNETT, Thomas	Sunningwell		1590	D/A1/11/223	MF10047B
BURNHAM, Edward	Hagbourne		1565	D/A1/167/126	MF96000
BURNHAM, Edward Snr	East Hagbourne, Hagbourne	Yeoman	1699	D/A1/179/133	MF96017
BURNHAM, Elizabeth	Hagbourne		1700	D/A1/48/79	MF467
BURNHAM, Francis	Abingdon	Tailor	1632	D/A1/177/040	MF96013
BURNHAM, John	Hurley		1605	D/A1/14/184	MF10064
BURNHAM, John	Reading	Cloth Worker	1661	D/A1/45/84	MF465
BURNHAM, Thomas Snr	Knowl Hill, Hurley	Husbandman	1675	D/A1/46/113	MF466
BURNINGHAM, Edward	Reading St Laurence	Tallow Chandler	1612	D/A1/42/089 D/A1/15/296	MF463 MF10065
BURNINGHAM, Hugh	Winkfield	Tailor	1613	D/A1/42/102 D/A1/15/382	MF463 MF10065
BURNINGHAM, John	Winkfield	Yeoman	1661	D/A1/45/78	MF465
BURNINGHAM, John	Winkfield	Yeoman	1691	D/A1/47/161	MF467
BURNINGHAM, John	Reading	Clothier	1703	D/A1/48/108	MF467
BURNINGHAM, Margaret	Shinfield		1665	D/A1/46/8	MF466
BURNINGHAM, Peter	Shinfield		1662	D/A1/45/99	MF465
BURRATT, Beverly	Newbury	Weaver	1639	D/A1/44/112	MF465
BURREN, David	Cholsey		1595	D/A1/175/144 D/A1/12/396	MF96010 MF10048
BURREN, Dorothy	Hagbourne		1662	D/A1/45/94	MF465
BURREN, Helen	Hagbourne		1605	D/A1/41/192 D/A1/14/021	MF463 MF10064
BURREN, John	Hagbourne	Husbandman	1593	D/A1/41/042 D/A1/12/132	MF462 MF10048
BURREN, Richard	Hagbourne	Husbandman	1662	D/A1/178/65	MF96015
BURREY, Hugh	Aston Boughs, Bampton, Oxfordshire	Husbandman	1577	D/A1/40/059 D/A1/10/087	MF462 MF10047A

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