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For an explanation of probate records in England, click [[England Probate Records|here]]. | For an explanation of probate records in England, click [[England Probate Records|here]]. | ||
== Getting Started == | |||
Probate is the legal court process by which the estate of a deceased person is distributed to his/her heirs. | |||
In order to find a probate record for your ancestor, you must answer two questions: | |||
#When did your ancestor die? | |||
#Where did your ancestor live or own property? | |||
A key date is 1858, when probate authority was taken from the ecclesiatical courts of the Church of England and given to the civil government. | |||
*If your ancestor died before 1858, his/her probate would have been proven by an ecclesiatical court and it is important to know where he/she lived, as that will determine which courts had jurisdiction. | |||
*If you know where your ancestor lived before 1858, you should go to the '''Court Jurisdictions''' section below to determine what courts had jurisdiction over your ancestor's place of residence. | |||
*Beginning in 1858, probate authority was vested in the '''Principal Probate Registry''' system. For more information, scroll to the '''Post-1857 Probate Records''' section at the bottom of the page. | |||
Once you have answered the two questions and determined the courts, look for indexes. Indexes will be found on the individual court pages (when you click on a court name) or in the '''Probate Indexes''' section below.<br><br> | |||
== Cornwall Probate Courts == | == Cornwall Probate Courts == | ||
The following probate courts had some jurisdiction over the county of Cornwall prior to 1858: | The following probate courts had some jurisdiction over the county of Cornwall prior to 1858: | ||
*[[Court of the Archdeaconry of Cornwall|Court of the Archdeaconry of Cornwall]] | *[[Court of the Archdeaconry of Cornwall|Court of the Archdeaconry of Cornwall]] | ||
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*[[Court of the Peculiar of the Dean of St. Buryan|Court of the Peculiar of the Dean of St. Buryan]] | *[[Court of the Peculiar of the Dean of St. Buryan|Court of the Peculiar of the Dean of St. Buryan]] | ||
<br> | <br> | ||
=== Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury === | === Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury === | ||
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Here is a list of the Cornwall parishes beginning with letters A and the pre-1858 courts that had jurisdiction over them. For other parishes, click on the link for the first letter of the parish name: [[Cornwall Probate Jurisdictions Parishes B|B]], [[Cornwall Probate Jurisdictions 'C' Parishes|C]], [[Cornwall Probate Jurisdictions, Parishes D-K|D-K]], [[Cornwall Probate Jurisdictions, 'L' Parishes|L]], [[Cornwall Probate Jurisdictions, Parishes M-O|M-O]], [[Cornwall Probate Jurisdictions, Parishes P-R|P-R]], [[Cornwall Probate Jurisdictions, 'S' Parishes|S]], [[Cornwall Probate Jurisdictions, Parishes T-Z|T-Z]]. | Here is a list of the Cornwall parishes beginning with letters A and the pre-1858 courts that had jurisdiction over them. For other parishes, click on the link for the first letter of the parish name: [[Cornwall Probate Jurisdictions Parishes B|B]], [[Cornwall Probate Jurisdictions 'C' Parishes|C]], [[Cornwall Probate Jurisdictions, Parishes D-K|D-K]], [[Cornwall Probate Jurisdictions, 'L' Parishes|L]], [[Cornwall Probate Jurisdictions, Parishes M-O|M-O]], [[Cornwall Probate Jurisdictions, Parishes P-R|P-R]], [[Cornwall Probate Jurisdictions, 'S' Parishes|S]], [[Cornwall Probate Jurisdictions, Parishes T-Z|T-Z]]. | ||
{| cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" | {| cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" border="1" align="center" width="95%" | ||
|- | |- | ||
! style="background: | ! width="15%" style="background: rgb(255, 222, 173) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" | PARISH | ||
! width="40%" style="background: rgb(255, 222, 173) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" | PRIMARY COURT | |||
! width="40%" style="background: rgb(255, 222, 173) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" | SECONDARY COURTS - IN SEARCH ORDER | |||
|- | |- | ||
| Advent | | Advent | ||
| [[Court of the Bishop (Consistory) of the Archdeaconry of Cornwall]] | | [[Court of the Bishop (Consistory) of the Archdeaconry of Cornwall]] | ||
| 2 - [[Court of the Bishop of Exeter]] (Episcopal Consistory) | | 2 - [[Court of the Bishop of Exeter]] (Episcopal Consistory) | ||
3 - [[Episcopal Principal Registry of Exeter]] | 3 - [[Episcopal Principal Registry of Exeter]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
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| [[Court of the Bishop (Consistory) of the Archdeaconry of Cornwall]] | | [[Court of the Bishop (Consistory) of the Archdeaconry of Cornwall]] | ||
| 2 - [[Court of the Bishop of Exeter]] (Episcopal Consistory) | | 2 - [[Court of the Bishop of Exeter]] (Episcopal Consistory) | ||
3 - [[Episcopal Principal Registry of Exeter]] | 3 - [[Episcopal Principal Registry of Exeter]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
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| [[Court of the Bishop (Consistory) of the Archdeaconry of Cornwall]] | | [[Court of the Bishop (Consistory) of the Archdeaconry of Cornwall]] | ||
| 2 - [[Court of the Bishop of Exeter]] (Episcopal Consistory) | | 2 - [[Court of the Bishop of Exeter]] (Episcopal Consistory) | ||
3 - [[Episcopal Principal Registry of Exeter]] | 3 - [[Episcopal Principal Registry of Exeter]] | ||
|} | |} | ||
<br> | <br> | ||
== Probate Indexes Online <br> == | == Probate Indexes Online <br> == | ||
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*[http://members.iimetro.com.au/%7erosewarne/probate2.PDF http://members.iimetro.com.au/%7erosewarne/probate2.PDF] (Cornish Probate Records, selected surnames, N – Z) | *[http://members.iimetro.com.au/%7erosewarne/probate2.PDF http://members.iimetro.com.au/%7erosewarne/probate2.PDF] (Cornish Probate Records, selected surnames, N – Z) | ||
<br> | <br> | ||
== Post-1857 Probate Records == | == Post-1857 Probate Records == | ||
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Beginning in 1858, the government took over the settlement of estates and all wills are now probated through the Principal Probate Registry system. The system consists of 11 district registry offices and 18 sub-district registries, located throughout England and Wales, and the principal registry office located in London. The records are available through the office of Her Majesty's Courts Service. To learn more, go to the [http://www.hmcourts-service.gov.uk/infoabout/civil/probate/index.htm HMCS website]. | Beginning in 1858, the government took over the settlement of estates and all wills are now probated through the Principal Probate Registry system. The system consists of 11 district registry offices and 18 sub-district registries, located throughout England and Wales, and the principal registry office located in London. The records are available through the office of Her Majesty's Courts Service. To learn more, go to the [http://www.hmcourts-service.gov.uk/infoabout/civil/probate/index.htm HMCS website]. | ||
A country-wide surname index to the records is available, so it is much easier to look for post-1857 wills. The [http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=titledetails&titleno=208102&disp=Calendar+of+the+grants+of+probate+and+le%20%20&columns=*,0,0 indexes] for 1858-1957 and the [http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=authordetails&authorno=301365&name=Great+Britain%2E+Principal+Probate+Registry&columns=*,0,0 records] for 1858-1925 are available on microfilm at the Family History Library.<br> | A country-wide surname index to the records is available, so it is much easier to look for post-1857 wills. The [http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=titledetails&titleno=208102&disp=Calendar+of+the+grants+of+probate+and+le%20%20&columns=*,0,0 indexes] for 1858-1957 and the [http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=authordetails&authorno=301365&name=Great+Britain%2E+Principal+Probate+Registry&columns=*,0,0 records] for 1858-1925 are available on microfilm at the Family History Library.<br> | ||
[[Category:England|England]] | [[Category:England|England]] | ||