Wiltshire Probate Records: Difference between revisions

Wiltshire Probate Records (view source)

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 == Getting Started  ==
-Follow these steps to look for a probate record before 1858:<br>
+''Probate'' is the legal court process by which the estate of a deceased person is distributed to his or her heirs. Probate records include [[W genealogical glossary terms|wills]] and [[A genealogical glossary terms|administrations]]. This article is about probate records in Wiltshire. For a general description of England probate records, click [[England Probate Records|here]].
-#Discover when and where your ancestor died. If you don’t know, use the approximate date and place where they lived. <br>
+=== 1858 to the Present  ===
-#Go to the Court Jurisdictions section below.<br>
-#Click a letter or span of letters for your place. This opens an article showing a table of places and the courts that had jurisdiction over them.<br>
+Beginning in 1858, the [[Principal Probate Registry|Principal Probate Registry]] had the authority for probating estates. Click on the link to learn more.
-#Follow the steps at the top of the table to search for a will.<br><br>
+=== Before 1858  ===
+Before 1858, Church of England ecclesiastical courts had authority for this process. To search for a pre-1858 probate record in Wiltshire, follow these steps:
+==== Step 1. Search Indexes  ====
+Here are some online indexes to probate records that include individuals who lived in Wiltshire.&nbsp;Search these indexes first:
+*[http://www.familyhistoryonline.net/database/WiltshireFHGprobate.shtml http://www.familyhistoryonline.net/database/WiltshireFHGprobate.shtml]&nbsp;-- compiled by the Wiltshire Family History Group which has transcribed the names of 12,300 individuals found in Wiltshire wills, including testators, executors, beneficiaries or witnesses.&nbsp;The information recorded includes name, date&nbsp;and place.
+*The [http://wiltshirerecordsociety.org/home2.asp?an=&ap= Sussex Record Society] has&nbsp;published four volumes of indexes to Wiltshire wills, and these&nbsp;can be viewed on&nbsp;their [http://sussexrecordsociety.org/bwills1.asp?an=&ap= website]. They are arranged by parish then by surname.&nbsp;
+*[http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/wills.asp?WT.hp=Wills Prerogative Court of Canterbury wills (1384-1858)].
+Did you find a reference to a probate record?
+*If ''yes'', go to '''Step 4''' below.
+*If ''no'', go to '''Step 2''' below.
+==== Step 2. Identify when and where your ancestor died  ====
+Determine ''when'' your ancestor died.&nbsp;If you aren't sure, use an approximate date.&nbsp;
+Determine ''where'' your ancestor died.&nbsp;It is easier to find a probate record if&nbsp;you know&nbsp;whether the place where your ancestor lived or died is a [[P genealogical glossary terms|parish]]. To learn whether it is a parish,&nbsp;look it up in&nbsp;a gazetteer. Here&nbsp;is a&nbsp;link to&nbsp;the 1872&nbsp;''Imperial Gazetteer of&nbsp;England and Wales''&nbsp;online:
+*[http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/descriptions/index.jsp Vision of Britain]
+The gazetteer will either&nbsp;tell you:
+*A&nbsp;place is&nbsp;a parish, or
+*What parish it is a part of, or
+*What place it is near.&nbsp;
+If the latter, look that place up in the gazetteer and see if it is a parish.
+Once you have identified the parish, go to '''Step 3'''.
+==== Step 3. Identify court jurisdictions by parish&nbsp;  ====
+Once you have identified the parish where your ancestor lived or died, learn which courts had jurisdiction over it then search indexes for those courts. Every town and parish in Wiltshire fell under the probate jurisdiction of a primary court and several secondary courts. Click on a link below for the letter the parish begins with.
+<br>
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