Wills to be published online

The wills of millions of famous Britons including Florence Nightingale and Winston Churchill are being published online for the first time.

Family history website Ancestry.co.uk said six million probate records are included in the collection, dating from 1942 to 1966.

The records show that former prime minister Churchill left effects totalling more than £300,000, while wartime nurse Florence Nightingale left an estate worth £36,000.

Comedian and singer George Formby left almost £150,000, while Welsh poet Dylan Thomas left just £100, according to the collection.

Ancestry.co.uk international content director Miriam Silverman said: "These new records give a fascinating insight into the final estates of some of Britain's most recognisable faces and reveal that money and fame did not always go hand in hand.

"They also provide a rich source of information for anybody interested in uncovering the finer details of their ancestor's finances and exactly what, if anything, they decided to leave and to whom."

PA