Probate records reunite owner with family heirloom

Probate solicitors are often engaged to help families ensure all is in order when a loved one dies, or by people hoping to draw up a will.

But one woman might be even more grateful for the important service, as it emerges probate records helped her be reunited with a treasured heirloom.

The Scotsman reports Stuart McKenzie of Inverleith found the 94-year-old ring while working on his allotment and quickly realised it was a valuable piece of jewellery.

A keen gardener, he used probate records to track down the owner of the artefact, which took 18 months and countless legers recording births, marriages and deaths.

Engaging a probate solicitor now should ensure an easier time when loved ones pass away, but it seems it can be useful even long into the future, as grateful owner Lillias Noble reveals: "I don't treasure many things but my granny's wedding ring was special."

Probate details of famous individuals such as Charles Dickens were recently published on the internet, indicating the power of will-writing long after people have died.