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== Description == | |||
''Probate'' is the legal court process by which the estate of a deceased person is distributed to his or her heirs. The term ''probate'' refers to a collection of documents, including [[W genealogical glossary terms|wills]], [[A genealogical glossary terms|administrations]] (also called admons), [[I genealogical glossary terms|inventories]], and [[A genealogical glossary terms|act books]]. The Church of England ecclesiastical courts had authority for this process until to 1858. This article explains about probates and how to get started to search for a will. | |||
Beginning in 1858, authority over probate matters was taken from ecclesiastical courts and put under the civil authority of the Principal Probate Registry. The '''Probates After 1857''' section below has a link to an article about probates after 1857. | |||
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== Getting Started == | == Getting Started == | ||
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*[[High Court of Delegates]] | *[[High Court of Delegates]] | ||
The [[Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury]] also served as an appeals court. | The [[Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury]] also served as an appeals court. | ||
== Some Explanatory Notes on the Oxfordshire Probate Courts == | == Some Explanatory Notes on the Oxfordshire Probate Courts == |
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