In a world-first, Ancestry.co.uk, the UK's number one family history website, today launched online the England and Wales National Probate Calendar, 1861-1941 – an index to more than six million wills proven across the 19th and 20th centuries.

　　Ancestry.co.uk是英国第一、世界一流的家族史网站，目前站上首次公布了一份1861年到1941年间英格兰和威尔士国家的遗嘱记录，其中包含了整个19世纪和20世纪600多万份有效遗嘱。

　　Combined, the value of the 6,079,000 estates in the index reveals a fortune that today would be worth more than ￡20 billion, yet despite this impressive figure, the average value of our ancestors' estates is a rather modest ￡3,400.

　　遗嘱记录中所有6079000处不动产的总价值在今天高达200多亿英镑，然而，尽管这个数字非常惊人，英国祖先平均所拥有的资产仅为可怜的3400英镑。

　　In addition to the material value of the estate, probate calendar books provide a rich source of information for family history enthusiasts as each entry may also include the name of the deceased, the date and place of death, and, in some cases, bequest recipients.

　　除了不动产本身的价值外，遗嘱年鉴还提供给家族史爱好者丰富的信息来源，包括死者姓名、死亡时间和地点，在某些情况下还包含遗产接受者。

　　南极探险家沙克尔顿爵士

　　Included in the index are numerous famous names such as once-rich polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton, who died in 1922 leaving an estate of just ￡556 (￡20,000 today)， having lost his fortune in failed money-making schemes.

　　在这些遗嘱中可以看到很多闻名遐迩的名字。比如曾经一度富裕的南极探险家沙克尔顿爵士，由于在投资计划中屡次失败而丧失了原有的财产，1922年去世时他仅留下了价值556英镑(相当于现在的2万英镑)的一处房产。

　　无产阶级的伟大导师马克思

无产阶级的伟大导师马克思

　　Fittingly, the anti-capitalist Karl Marx died in 1883 almost as poor as Shackleton, leaving just ￡250 (￡23,000 today) to his youngest daughter Eleanor.

　　与之相应的是资本主义的大敌卡尔·马克思，1883年去世时，马克思也和沙克尔顿爵士一样穷，只留下了250英镑(相当于现在的23000英镑)给他的小女儿埃莉诺。

　　卖药致富的霍洛威

　　In contrast, Thomas Holloway, a man who made his fortune selling medicines and ointments, left one of the largest estates in the index, worth ￡600,000 in 1883 – the equivalent of ￡55 million today.

　　与他们形成对比的则是托马斯·霍洛威，他靠着卖药片、药膏而发财致富，成为记录中遗产最多的人之一，1883年去世后留下了价值60万英镑(相当于现在的5500万英镑)的不动产。