Catalogue description Treasury Solicitor and HM Procurator General: Bona Vacantia, Administration of Estates Papers

Selected case papers and letters of administration (to 1857), relating to estates, etc, administered by the Treasury Solicitor and HM Procurator General after the property has became bona vacantia owing to the owner's dying intestate, or testate without disposing of the residue of his estate, or without being survived by a lawful heir. Papers relating to the property in this country of dissolved companies and trusts which have failed or have been determined, are also included.

Some of the case papers deal with policy questions affecting bona vacantia, rather than individual cases. Some files concerning letters of administration contain only the jury summons.

Most of the papers concern twentieth century cases, but there are a few for the nineteenth century.

A record of grants of letters of administration after 1857 is maintained by the Principal Registry of the Family Division of the High Court of Justice and may be inspected at Somerset House.

See records of the Companies Registration Office Division within BT

For Preogative Court of Canterbury administration act books between 1559 and 1858 see PROB 6

For bound volumes of depositions of witnesses in causes heard by the Prerogative Court of Canterbury for the period 1826-1858 see PROB 26

For further probate material see TS 15

A partial list of the contents of TS 17/1245-1385 (inclusive of most piece numbers) is in the reading rooms at The National Archives, Kew.