3,931
edits
Cloning new text
(Text amendment) |
(Cloning new text) |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
''[[England]] [[Image:Gotoarrow.png]] [[Kent]] [[Image:Gotoarrow.png]] [[Kent Probate Records]]''. | ''[[England]] [[Image:Gotoarrow.png]] [[Kent]] [[Image:Gotoarrow.png]] [[Kent Probate Records]]''. | ||
== Getting Started == | |||
''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 Kent For a general description of England probate records, click [[England Probate Records|here]]. | |||
=== 1858 to the Present === | |||
Beginning in 1858, the [[Principal Probate Registry|Principal Probate Registry]] had the authority for probating estates. Click on the link to learn more. | |||
=== Before 1858 === | |||
Before 1858, Church of England ecclesiastical courts had authority for this process. To search for a pre-1858 probate record in Kent follow these steps: | |||
==== Step 1. Search Indexes ==== | |||
Here are some online indexes to probate records that include individuals who lived in Kent. Search these indexes first: | |||
*[http://www.familyhistoryonline.net/database/SussexFHGprobate.shtml http://www.familyhistoryonline.net/database/KentFHGprobate.shtml] -- compiled by the Kent Family History Group which has transcribed the names of 12,300 individuals found in Kent wills, including testators, executors, beneficiaries or witnesses. The information recorded includes name, date and place. | |||
*The [http://sussexrecordsociety.org/home2.asp?an=&ap= Kent Record Society] has published four volumes of indexes to Kent wills, and these can be viewed on their [http://sussexrecordsociety.org/bwills1.asp?an=&ap= website]. They are arranged by parish then by surname. | |||
*[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. If you aren't sure, use an approximate date. | |||
Determine ''where'' your ancestor died. It is easier to find a probate record if you know whether the place where your ancestor lived or died is a [[P genealogical glossary terms|parish]]. To learn whether it is a parish, look it up in a gazetteer. Here is a link to the 1872 ''Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales'' online: | |||
*[http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/descriptions/index.jsp Vision of Britain] | |||
The gazetteer will either tell you: | |||
*A place is a parish, or | |||
*What parish it is a part of, or | |||
*What place it is near. | |||
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 ==== | |||
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 Kent 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><br> | |||
''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]]. <br> | ''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]]. <br> | ||
| Line 11: | Line 60: | ||
To go to another letter, click on a link: [[Kent, England Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with B|B]] [[Kent, England Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with C|C]] [[Kent, England Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with D|D]] [[Kent Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with E|E]] [[Kent Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with F and G|F-G]] [[Kent Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with H|H]] [[Kent Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with I through K|I-K]] [[Kent Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with L|L]] [[Kent Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with M and N|M-N]] [[Kent Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with O through R|O-R]] [[Kent Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with S|S]] [[Kent Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with T through V|T-V]] [[Kent Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with W through Z|W-Z]] | To go to another letter, click on a link: [[Kent, England Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with B|B]] [[Kent, England Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with C|C]] [[Kent, England Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with D|D]] [[Kent Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with E|E]] [[Kent Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with F and G|F-G]] [[Kent Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with H|H]] [[Kent Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with I through K|I-K]] [[Kent Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with L|L]] [[Kent Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with M and N|M-N]] [[Kent Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with O through R|O-R]] [[Kent Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with S|S]] [[Kent Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with T through V|T-V]] [[Kent Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with W through Z|W-Z]] | ||
The courts listed for each place are those that had jurisdiction over probating wills prior to 1858. To use this table, follow these steps. <br>1. Find the place where your ancestor lived in the first column. <br>2. Click on the court name in the second column to learn where to find the records and indexes.<br>3. Click on each name of the court in the third column if the record isn't found in the first court.<br>4. Search last the [[Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury]]. | The courts listed for each place are those that had jurisdiction over probating wills prior to 1858. To use this table, follow these steps. <br>1. Find the place where your ancestor lived in the first column. <br>2. Click on the court name in the second column to learn where to find the records and indexes.<br>3. Click on each name of the court in the third column if the record isn't found in the first court.<br>4. Search last the [[Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury]]. | ||
| | ||
If no will is found, your ancestor may not have left one.<br> | If no will is found, your ancestor may not have left one.<br> | ||