Looking for Ludfords and Wills

Exterior of Ansley Hall. 1970
IMAGE LOCATION: (Warwickshire County Record Office)
Reference: PH, 344/2, img: 3572
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Dear Sirs,

My grandmother made much of her connections to the Ludfords of Ansley Hall and had a huge full length portrait of Juliana (Newdigate) Ludford (1741-1811) hanging in her hallway. I have been trying to trace her family back through my membership of Ancestry.com.

So far, I have not established a link between what appear to be my grandmother’s Ludford ancestors who lived around the Shustoke and Kingsbury parishes and those at Ansley.

I know that Ludford was and perhaps remains quite a common surname in Warwickshire and that it may be difficult to attribute a direct relationship between Ludfords who lived in adjoining parishes.

I have located a man named Valentine Ludford (1548-1620) who was buried in Shustoke on 14 June 1620. A record of his Will/Probate exists in the Series: Registered Wills and original Wills, administrations and inventories, 1494-1860, and, act books, 1532-1638 for the Diocese of the Lichfield Episcopal Consistory Court (calendar of wills and admins), “piece year range” 1494-1650.

Do you know how I might obtain a copy of the will? I thought I might be able to do this via findmypast but only got a summary of the will year 1621.

Perhaps more importantly, I wonder if your Society has amongst its members any Ludfords who may be knowledgeable about the Ludford family history in Warwickshire.

Any help you might be able to provide would be most gratefully received.

Kind regards.

Robert Campbell