Aside from providing information regarding how much wealth/property your ancestors had in their possession, along with their occupations, wills are especially useful because they describe familial relationships!

For example: if John Smith left a will, leaving his estate divided between his wife Susan Smith, children Katherine Jones, Samuel Smith and William Smith, and brother-in-law Thomas Anderson, then you can confirm the following:

1. That John Smith married Susan Anderson.
2. That his daughter Katherine married a man with the surname Jones.
3. The names of his living children.

This is especially helpful when researching ancestors who lived further back in time, when parish records become vague or scarce!

Some wills also give parents' names, or specific property names, thereby giving you even more valuable information. Many also show bequests to grandchildren, nieces/nephews, cousins, and so on.

Some wills can also provide evidence of family feuds... For example, I recently discovered the will of a man who left all of his worldly possessions to his horse, because "my children are not grateful, and I hath no wish to indulge them any longer"!

The best places to search for wills are the Oxfordshire Wills website, and The National Archives, although you may also find them on sites such as Ancestry. :) Top tip: be sure to try alternative surname spellings!