Custom taxonomies are used to assign “terms” or “key data” to wills and individual bequests.

For wills two taxonomies are used:

• Occupation: The occupation or status of the testator. More than one term can be assigned.
• Location: The place of residence of the testator. This taxonomy is hierarchical so that the place of residence can be defined to an individual house as in Oxfordshire -> Henley upon Thames -> Duke Street -> Queens Arms.

For Bequests three taxonomies are available:

• Bequest Type: More than one term can be assigned. Types include property, land, household goods, etc and also can be used to identify bequests that are made in trust or are codicils.
• Location: Used only for property or land and shared with wills.
• Names: Used to identify legatees and any other persons mentioned in the bequest.

When a will or bequest is displayed, the “terms” assigned are listed as links on the right side of the display. Clicking a link will retrieve a list of all wills and/or bequests that have been assigned that particular “term”. For example, if an occupation of “Malster” is assigned to a testator, clicking that term will retrieve a list of wills of all Malsters in the database. Similarly, if the location “New Street” is assigned to a bequest of property, clicking that term will retrieve a list of property in New Street bequeathed in other wills, with the possibility of following the ownership of property over time.