Andrew Millard's Genealogy

Recent Indexes to English and Scottish Probate Records

WARNING: The information here should be read in conjunction with the fifth edition of Probate Jurisdictions: where to look for wills by Jeremy Gibson and Else Churchill (Federation of Family History Societies, Bury, 2002). It is designed to supplement that publication and probably can't be understood fully without it.

This is intended to be a listing of indexes to English, Welsh and Scottish probate indexes which have been produced since the publication of Gibson & Churchill's book. Many other indexes are listed in that volume and should also be consulted by genealogists seeking probate records. I'd be interested to hear of other new indexes, but I do not intend to list those mentioned in Gibson & Churchill unless they appear in a new version, so please check there first before telling me about anything published before 2001.

It should also be noted that Ancestry have scanned and indexed many of the printed volumes of indexes, especially the earlier ones. The volumes covered for a particular county can be found by going to the Parish and Probate Records for that county, but they don't list the publisher, volume number in a series, the editor or publication date, so it is difficult to make comparisons with the statements about accuracy and coverage in Gibson and Churchill, which are mostly by publisher and volume number only. Some of the titles listed on Ancestry do not correspond exactly to those on the BRS list, which further hampers comparisons. Chris Phillips' site Some Notes on Medieval Genealogy provides a list which attempts to correlate the records on Ancestry with the published book titles. They are not listed here.

A partial index to wills and adminstrations 1796-1811 is provided by The National Archives index to the Death Duty Registers (1796-1811). This covers courts other than PCC for this period, but liability for duties affected only about 25% of estates coming before the courts from 1796 to 1805 and about 75% from 1805 to 1815.

Prerogative Court of Canterbury

All wills are covered by the National Archives DocumentsOnline service. This does not, however, cover administrations.

Prerogative Court of York

Medieval records are covered by Origins Network's online York Medieval Probate Index 1267-1500, which includes many types of probate documents. Later records are being indexed and released in reverse chronological order as the Prerogative & Exchequer Courts of York Probate Index. As of July 2009 the period May 1731 to January 1858 is covered.

Brigham Young University library's Family History Archives has placed online scans of some of the printed indexes in the Yorkshire Archaeological Society Record Series:

See also Colin Blanshard Withers' book Yorkshire Probate described below under Yorkshire.

Bedfordshire

Berkshire

Buckinghamshire

Archdeaconry of Buckingham wills and some administrations 1483-1858 have been indexed in a project by The Centre for Buckinghamshire Studies, in partnership with Buckinghamshire Family History Society.

Cambridgeshire

For the Archdeaconry of Sudbury, in additon to British Record Society volumes 95 and 96 for 1354-1700, there is also now volume 118 for 1801-1858.

Cheshire

The Cheshire Record Office Wills Database covers all probate documents proved at Chester, 1492-1940. It should therefore cover all areas within the jurisdiction of the Consistory Court of Chester until 1858.

Cornwall

Cumberland and Westmorland

For that part of Cumberland falling within the jurisdiction of the Palatine and Consistory Court of Durham, see under Durham.

Derbyshire

- see Staffordshire

Devon

The records of the Exeter Probate Registry were destroyed in the Blitz, so there has been an ongoing process of trying to identify alternative sources. These are well described on the GENUKI Devon page, including online sources.

Dorset

Durham and Northumberland

The Palatine and Consistory Court of Durham covered almost all of these two counties, and the North East Inheritance project is underway to re-index and scan all wills and make them available to download. A printed version of the index will be produced by the British Record Society. The manuscript calendars are available on microfilm at the NDFHS Library at Bolbec Hall, Newcastle.

Origins Network has indexed all the records of the Peculiar of the Archbishop of York in Hexham and Hexhamshire 1593-1602, and the Peculiar of the Prebend of Tockerington 1741-1744 in it's York Peculiars Probate Index 1383-1883. These were the only peculiars in Northumberland, and there were none in Durham.

Essex

The Essex Record Office online service SEAX includes wills from their collection, both from the London Commissary Court (Essex and Hertfordshire Division) and peculiars. The documentation on what is included is minimal, but browsing the catalogue suggests an almost complete run of the wills is indexed and many original wills are freely available as scans. Whether this index includes register copy wills or just originals is not clear. Grants of administration and other probate documents are not included. To find wills amongst the other documents in the catalogue search on the surname or place and the word 'will': there is guidance some way down the family history guidance page.

Gloucestershire and Bristol

Gloucestershire Archives provides an index of all wills proved at Gloucester between 1541 and 1858, with some some guidance notes on searching. This includes the Consistory Court of Gloucester plus peculiars, except that part of Gloucestershire covered by the Bristol Court (below).

The Bristol Wills Index 1793-1858 is a complete re-indexing of all wills held at the Bristol Record Office, covering all parishes under the jurisdiction of the Consistory Court of the Bishop of Bristol in the Deanery of Bristol.

Hampshire

The Hampshire Record Office Catalogue includes all wills proved in the courts of Winchester diocese to 1858. This therefore covers all Hampshire wills.

Herefordshire

An index to wills proved at Hereford is in preparation for publication by the British Record Society.

Hertfordshire

British Record Society volume 120 Wills at Hertford 1415-1858 edited by Beryl Crawley covers all 30,000 wills relating to Hertfordshire held at Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies.

Huntingdonshire

Kent

Lancashire

Those parts of Lancashire under the jurisdiction of the Peculiar Court of the Dean and Chapter of York should be indexed by the Origins Network in its York Peculiars Probate Index 1383-1883.

The northern part of the County was covered by the Western Deaneries of the Archdeaconary of Richmond, and the catalogue of the Lancashire Record Office holdings on Access to Archives (A2A) seems to index the names for wills, administrations and bonds.

Leicestershire

Lincolnshire

The Lincolnshire Archives have scanned the old typescript index to Lincoln Consistory Court Wills 1701-1800, and published it as a series of pdf files on their website. This complements the index published on CD and microfiche covering Wills 1800-1858 and Administrations 1801-1857 in the Lincoln Ccnsistory Court, together with Archdeaconry of Stow wills and administrations 1700-1834.

London and Middlesex

London Metropolitan Archives London Signatures provides an index to all wills in the Archdeaconry Court of Middlesex. London Consistory Court Wills index is available as a series of pdf files.

Archdeaconry Court of London wills 1750-1800 are indexed by the Origins Network's Archdeaconry Court of London Wills Index. This index does not cover administrations.

The records of the Deanery of the Arches, 1620-1845, and the Peculiar Court of the Deanery of Croydon, 1664-1841, held at Lambeth Palace Library are indexed by their catalogue on Access to Archives (A2A) under reference AA/V/H/97.

London Division of the Commissary Court of London indexes 1626-1700 are now published as British Record Society volumes 102 (A-G), 108 (H-S), and 111 (T-Z).

David Wright's London Probate Index 1750-1858 surnames A-E is now available on CD.

Norfolk

Northamptonshire and Rutland

FamilyHistoryOnline included the Northamptonshire & Rutland Probate Index. This covers all Northamptonshire and Rutland wills and administrations proved in local courts, wherever the records are held. With the closure of FHOL it is not clear where this index is now available.

Northumberland

- see Durham

Nottinghamshire

Origins Network has indexed all the records of the Peculiar Court of the Dean and Chapter of York 1583-1858, the Peculiars of the Prebend of Apesthorpe 1577-1844 and the Peculiar of the Prebend of Bole 1546-1847 in it's York Peculiars Probate Index 1383-1883.

Their York Medieval Probate Index 1267-1500 presumably indexes for 1389-1500 those records of the Archdeaconry Court of Nottingham held at the Borthwick Institute with PCY records. For later Nottinghamshire records, original documents have been transferred to Nottinghamshire Archives, so the Origins Network Prerogative & Exchequer Courts of York Probate Index is limited to indexing registered copies of wills and administration act book entries when they relate to Nottinghamshire (as of July 2009 this covered the period May 1731 to January 1858).

Oxfordshire

The Oxfordshire FHS have a section on their website which contains donations of transcribed Oxfordshire wills.

Rutland

- see Northamptonshire

Shropshire

Somerset

Staffordshire and Derbyshire

Those parts of Staffordshire within the jurisdiction of the Consistory Court of Chester should be covered by the Cheshire Record Office Wills Database

The Lichfield Wills Database indexes part of British Record Society volume 7, calendars of wills & administrations in the Lichfield Consistory Court 1516-1652, together with records of peculiars deposited at Lichfield (1529-1652), Birmingham (1675-1790) and Derby (1753-1790). Digital images of the pages from this volume are available from Eric Youle's Sheffield Local History site.

An index to wills proved at Lichfield, 1650-1700 is in preparation for publication by the British Record Society, and they also plan to index the 18th century records.

Suffolk

For the Archdeaconry of Sudbury, in additon to British Record Society volumes 95 and 96 for 1354-1700, there is also now volume 118 for 1801-1858.

Surrey

The Surrey Plus Wills Index "provides an index to names of all people appearing in the wills of testators residing in the County of Surrey", but it is not (yet) an index to all Surrey wills.

It appears that the following two resources between them do provide an index to all Surrey wills:

Wills from those parishes falling under the jurisdiction of the Peculiar of the Deanery of Croydon, 1664-1841, held at Lambeth Palace Library are indexed by testator in their catalogue on Access to Archives (A2A) under reference AA/V/H/97.

For the Archdeaconry Court of Surrey and the Commissary Court of Surrey, Origins Network have published online the Abstracts of all wills and administrations (the latter were only granted by the Commissary Court) 1470-1856, compiled by the Surrey Record Society and by Cliff Webb. This includes an index to all personal names in the wills and administrations.

Sussex

Not mentioned in Gibson & Churchill are the four volumes of Transcript of Sussex Wills by R. Garraway Rice, edited by Walter H. Godfrey, (Sussex Record Society vols. 41, 42, 43, and 45, 1935-1940). These volumes include all wills from before 1560 in all local jurisdictions, but only transcribe those parts relevant to ecclesiology. However as an index, they may nevertheless be useful genealogically.

Warwickshire

Westmorland

- see Cumberland.

Wiltshire

Those parts of Wiltshire under the jurisdiction of the Consistory Court of Gloucester should be covered by the Gloucestershire Archives index of wills proved at Gloucester between 1541 and 1858; see also the guidance notes on searching.

Those parts of Wiltshire under the jurisdiction of the Consistory Court of Winchester should be covered by the Hampshire Record Office Catalogue, which includes all wills proved in the courts of Winchester diocese to 1858.

The Wiltshire and Swindon Archive Catalogue includes an index to all Salisbury Diocese probate records 1540-1858, and digital images are gradually being added. A printed version of the index will be produced by the British Record Society.

The Society of Genealogists' Members Area includes the Wiltshire Wills Beneficiaries Index covering 28 peculiars in Wiltshire with some Dorset and Berkshire wills.

Worcestershire

Yorkshire

Yorkshire Probate by Colin Blanshard Withers is a book and CD with decriptions of the legal processes for probate as they operated in over 30 different Yorkshire probate jurisdictions, an account of the surviving records, and descriptions of all known indexes to them, as well as new indexes for many previously unindexed records, which are so extensive that they are listed separately. The book and CD are available to buy from Yorkshire Ancestors. The same author has produced a list of all previous calendars and indexes to Yorkshire probates, which are available from GENUKI Yorkshire.

Medieval records for all wills proved in the York Probate Courts are covered by Origins Network's online York Medieval Probate Index 1267-1500, which includes many types of probate documents. Later records are being indexed and released in reverse chronological order as the Prerogative & Exchequer Courts of York Probate Index. As of July 2009 the period May 1731 to January 1858 is covered. These indexes should also cover the records of the Archdeaconry Court of Nottingham held at the Borthwick Institute and relating to some parts of Yorkshire, though some original documents for these peculiars may be held at Nottinghamshire Archives and thus not included. Their York Peculiars Probate Index 1383-1883 covers 54 peculiars mostly in Yorkshire.

Brigham Young University library's Family History Archives has placed online scans of some of the printed indexes in the Yorkshire Archaeological Society Record Series:

YASRS 38: Index to wills from the Dean and Chapter's Court, 1321-1636. Appendix of original wills 1524-1724..

Early Swaledale wills are indexed in:
Berry, E.K. (ed.) Swaledale Wills and Inventories 1522-1600, Yorkshire Archaeological Society, Record Series, 152, Leeds, 1998.

An index to Marsden Peculiar Court Wills 1654-1855 was published in the Northern Genealogist volume 2, and scans of these are available on Steve Whitwam's site.

For that part of Yorkshire falling within the jurisdiction of the Palatine and Consistory Court of Durham, see under Durham.

Wales

All Welsh probate records 1521-1858 held at the National Library of Wales seem to be indexed by name in Access to Archives (A2A). Confine the search to the National Library of Wales and enter a keyword such as 'probate' or 'will' to limit the number of hits, as well entering the surname of interest as a keyword.

Those parts of Flintshire and Denbighshire falling in the jurisdiction of the Consistory Court of Chester are indexed in the Cheshire Record Office Wills Database.

Scotland

All Scottish probate records 1513-1901 are indexed and images are available online via Scotland's People.

Last updated 19 Oct 2009.

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