There’s a new simplified search interface for England and Wales wills from 1858.
Previously you had to choose between three searches, an early period, a later period, or a soldier’s will. It was easy to forget to select the appropriate tab. Now there’s a single search form asking for the last name, year of death, and whether or not the deceased was a soldier who died while serving in the British armed forces between 1850 and 1986.
For more recent probate, where more information is indexed, you have the option of an advanced search, although as previously you don’t get as much information as for the earlier period.
There’s a help file at https://probatesearch.service.gov.uk/help
The change is in Beta and feedback is requested. Lots of comments about deficiencies and missing data on social media. It did warn about being in Beta!
Not working for me in Firefox…I get so far, then it just goes blank when I look for a soldier’s will I already know exists (I have it)…
Then I tried searching for another will I already have (makes it easier to test the system), and it gives me a 0 result. Very interesting. I had seen complaints on some forums, and now understand why. Will send them feedback.
Ah…it turns out the soldier’s will only turned up when I put in the DAY of his death as well as the year and month, even though those fields are optional. So that’s a hint…