Searching for PCC wills - warning!

[ElizabethHerts]

For those who use the PCC wills on Ancestry for their research, and I know there are a few of us, beware when searching by name as I have found several that have been mistranscribed.

Henry Purdue - should be Benedict Perdue.

http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/SearchUI/Details?uri=D839981
http://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&db=CanturburyPrerogativeCourt&rank=1&new=1&MSAV=1&gss=angs-d&msrpn__ftp=Probus%2c+Cornwall%2c+England&uidh=xt1&pcat=36&fh=21&h=719978&recoff=&ml_rpos=22

John South - should be John Couch

http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/SearchUI/Details?uri=D802996

I have taken to searching by place name/parish so as to avoid missing people/

http://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&db=CanturburyPrerogativeCourt&rank=1&new=1&MSAV=1&gss=angs-d&msrpn__ftp=Probus%2c+Cornwall%2c+England&uidh=xt1&pcat=36&fh=24&h=708877&recoff=&ml_rpos=25

[kiterunner]

I often search the TNA Catalogue first, and when I have found a will on there, then I know it should be on ancestry and then I keep trying on ancestry till I find it, or in a few cases, end up browsing and establishing that it is missing. A lot of the place names are also mistranscribed on ancestry.

[ElizabethHerts]

Yes, Kate, I use that tactic too. It would have been logical to provide the transcribers with the TNA information before they started work!

[HarrysMum]

I've used The Genealogist for PCC wills and non-con records and certs for years. I can't work out how they manage to transcribe so much better than Ancestry.