Why donate to our Big Give 2025 campaign
FreePRO will be the first free, fully searchable index of probate records for England and Wales from 1854 to 1943.
These records contain rich detail that helps people trace family stories, understand communities and unlock connections that are not available through existing government or commercial sites.
Why your support matters
Digitising more than 800 probate register books is essential before FreePRO can launch. Professional scanning, secure storage and technical development carry unavoidable costs. Once the images are created, our volunteers will check and correct millions of entries, exactly as they do for FreeBMD, FreeREG and FreeCEN.
During the Big Give Christmas Challenge, donations are doubled.
This means every pound you give takes us closer to publishing nearly ninety years of probate records that will remain free to access for everyone.
What your donation achieves
1. A free resource for all: Probate records provide occupations, addresses, relationships and estate values. By making these searchable, FreePRO gives family historians and local researchers new ways to understand the past.
2. Better, more flexible searching: Unlike the limited government index and those behind paywalls, FreePRO lets users search by any name on the record, executors, places, occupations and more. This makes difficult or unknown ancestors far easier to find.
3. Stronger links across FreeBMD, FreeREG and FreeCEN: Exact dates, addresses and relationships from probate entries help bring together records from across our sites. This improves accuracy and broadens what users can discover.
4. Valuable open data for research: Academics, economists and digital historians have already expressed interest in using linked BMD and probate data for their work. Your donation supports a resource with long-term public value.
Covering costs
- Digitising the full collection: approximately £40,000
- Transport and storage of the books
- Technical development and long-term hosting
- Volunteer support and quality assurance
Help us unlock millions of stories
Every donation has twice the impact during Big Give week. Your support brings us closer to launching a unique resource that will be free forever.