Trying to research a Will but can't find a death certificate

[glasjam]

Hi there - My Great Grandfather was born in 1871 - I have his birth certificate and the index references for his marriage to his first and second wife. My Mother tells me that he died in January 1951 but I have searched from 1945-1971 and can't find any record of his death. I wanted to be sure of his death date because I want to do a search for his will. I have tried FreeBMD and ancestry.co.uk - anyone got any ideas where I can try next? Thanks.

do you know where he died? you could go and search at the records office, if it is near you?

Hi Redhead - have sorted it now - went on Rootshcat as someone on here advised and they told me that the IGI and FreeBMD records are too recent - the top tip was to go back on ancestry.co.uk and go through the complete index. I always thought when I typed in a name and date that it would automatically look through ALL death records but it doesn't. I had to go through each quarter of each year starting back at 1946 and he eventually turned up in 1954 - so my Mum was a few years out.

A lesson learned there! And he died in Warwickshire where he lived all his life - I live in Scotland so on the ground research aint a possibility at the moment.

Ok so he died in Warwickshire - where, which civil registration district is listed on the gro?

Go back onto rootschat and ask if anyone is going to birmingham central archive (they hold the probate register for the whole of england and wales till well into the 1980's at least) ask if some kind person when they visit the office can do a look up in the probate for his will, give the date of death and the full name.

You never know someone may have some time to kill when at the office and look for you.

Then when or if you get the info you can order the will from the york office. Hope this is of help