ABSTRACT
Any investigation into the study of wills, which were the subject of a cause in the consistory courts, promoted by disappointed relatives, intimate friends or creditors of the deceased, is no light task. It is clear from the number of enquiries made and searches undertaken into this interesting subject that little, if anything has been produced. It is important that the origin of the will and the difference between a will and a testament should be understood. In the matter of probate and administration of the estate of a deceased person, the custom until 1692 was very different in the Northern Province from that prevailing in the southern one. The vultures are many and varied, ranging from close and distant relatives to intimate friends claiming that the deceased had promised to remember them in his will. One allegation that is often found is that the will had been drawn up after the testator had died.
