In the National Archives, Kew, there is a series of legal registers and archives, class FO 446, pertaining to the British Consulate at Buenos Aires. Pieces 1 to 6, and 28 to 30, refer particularly to transactions and events in the 19th century.

There is a broad miscellany of material here, all giving an interesting view of the lives of British citizens living in Buenos Aires at the time. Use has already been made of some of this material on other pages in this website.

In the Treaty of Amity signed between the British Government and the Government of Buenos Ayres in 1825, one of the sections specifically deals with the issue of what was to happen to the estate of any British citizen who died intestate.

Article XIII says that ‘...in the event of any British subject dying intestate ...the consul-general...shall have the right to nominate curators to take charge of the property of the deceased...without interference...’. The implication was that the curator appointed would see to the establishment of the person's assets, the payment of any debts and the rendering of the balance of goods and capital to the next of kin.

Possibly because there were consulate records that have not survived, the details of people who died intestate, and the names of their curators, principally exist for the years 1859 to 1886. This list is presented here, complete with the details contained in the legal registers.