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Northamptonshire Probate Records (view source)
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''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. | ''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. | 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.<br><br> | ||
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== Getting Started == | == Getting Started == | ||
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#Click a letter or span of letters for your place. This opens a jurisdictions table.<br> | #Click a letter or span of letters for your place. This opens a jurisdictions table.<br> | ||
#Follow the instructions on the jurisdictions table page.<br> | #Follow the instructions on the jurisdictions table page.<br> | ||
== Court Jurisdictions by Parish<br> == | |||
Before 1858, every town and parish in Northamptonshire fell under the jurisdiction of a primary probate court and several secondary courts. When looking for the probate of the estate of an ancestor, you should search the primary court first then move on to the secondary courts in the order given. Search indexes first. Indexes are found by clicking on the court name above. | |||
To see a list of the Northamptonshire parishes and the pre-1858 courts that had probate jurisdiction over them, click on the letter the parish name begins with: | |||
[[Northamptonshire Probate Jurisdictions Parishes A|A]] [[Northamptonshire Probate Jurisdictions Parishes B|B]] [[Northamptonshire Probate Jurisdictions Parishes C|C]] [[Northamptonshire Probate Jurisdictions Parishes D through F|D-F]] [[Northamptonshire Probate Jurisdictions Parishes G through H|G-H]] [[Northamptonshire Probate Jurisdictions Parishes I through M|I-M]] [[Northamptonshire Probate Jurisdictions Parishes N through P|N-P]] [[Northamptonshire Probate Jurisdictions Parishes Q through S|Q-S]] [[Northamptonshire Probate Jurisdictions Parishes T through Z|T-Z]] | |||
== Northamptonshire Probate Courts == | == Northamptonshire Probate Courts == | ||
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*Military and naval personnel | *Military and naval personnel | ||
*People who lived or owned property outside England | *People who lived or owned property outside England | ||
== Probate Indexes Online == | == Probate Indexes Online == | ||
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*[http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=titledetails&titleno=213406&disp=A+Calendar+of+wills+relating+to+the+coun%20%20&columns=*,0,0 A Calendar of wills relating to the counties of Northampton and Rutland : proved in the court of the Archdeacon of Northampton, 1510 to 1652.] | *[http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=titledetails&titleno=213406&disp=A+Calendar+of+wills+relating+to+the+coun%20%20&columns=*,0,0 A Calendar of wills relating to the counties of Northampton and Rutland : proved in the court of the Archdeacon of Northampton, 1510 to 1652.] | ||
*Administrations in the Archdeaconry of Northampton : now preserved in the District Probate Registry at Birmingham Contents: [pt. 1]. 1667-1710 -- pt. 2. 1711-1800 [http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=titledetails&titleno=203000&disp=Administrations+in+the+Archdeaconry+of+N%20%20&columns=*,0,0] | *Administrations in the Archdeaconry of Northampton : now preserved in the District Probate Registry at Birmingham Contents: [pt. 1]. 1667-1710 -- pt. 2. 1711-1800 [http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=titledetails&titleno=203000&disp=Administrations+in+the+Archdeaconry+of+N%20%20&columns=*,0,0] | ||
== Some Explanatory Notes on the courts in Northamptonshire == | |||
Since civil and ecclesiastical boundaries were not necessarily one and the same, it is important in pre-1858 probate searches to consider nearby courts including those situated across county boundaries. Also, ecclesiastical boundaries and rights were not always observed or may have been changed over the years. | |||
Many peculiar courts closed before 1858. When this occurred jurisdiction reverted to the local archdeaconry and/or diocesan courts. | |||
Before 1541 Northamptonshire was in the diocese of Lincoln, and from 1541 to 1858 (except for peculiars) was in the diocese of Peterborough. It appears that from 1541 to 1598 the court of the Bishop of Peterborough and the Court of the Archeacon of Northampton exercised concurrent Jurisdiction in the county. | |||
The rolls of the Burgess Court of Higham Ferrers contain the texts of many wills which were registered in respect of property there (See ''Historical Manuscripts Commission Report xii,'' appendix part 9, page 530), but the wills were actually proved in the Archdeaconry of Northampton and are found in the records of that court. | |||
The original records of the Court of the Bishop of Peterborough and the Court of the Archdeacon of Northampton are at the Northampton Record Office, Delapre Abbey, Northampton. Those for the Courts of the Peculiar Parishes of Gretton and Nassington are at the Lincolnshire Archive Office, The Castle, Lincoln. | |||
== Estate Duty Records<br> == | == Estate Duty Records<br> == | ||