Kent, England Probate Jurisdictions: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 13:23, 10 March 2009

Probate Courts[edit | edit source]

These are the probate courts that had some jurisdiction over the county of Kent prior to 1858:

Court of the Bishop (Episcopal consistory) of Canterbury
Court of the Archdeaconry of Canterbury
Courts of the Bishop (Episcopal consistory) and Archdeaconry of Rochester
Court of the Peculiar of the Archbishop of Canterbury in the Deaneries of the Arches, Croydon and Shoreham
Court of the Peculiar of the Rector of Cliffe
Court of the Exempt Jurisdiction of Wingham
Court of the Prior and Chapter of Christ Church, Canterbury
Court of the Bishop of London
Prerogative Court of Canterbury (the highest court in the land which had final jurisdiction when necessary, such as in the case of a wealthier person who owned property in more than one area or county, or when a will was disputed.)

Appeals Courts[edit | edit source]

In addition to the above, two other courts had jurisdiction as appeals courts. You may wish to search the records of these courts if nothing can be found in the records of the above courts:

The Court of Arches was the appeals courts for the Prerogative Court of Canterbury to which disputed cases could be sent from the lower courts in the province of Canterbury.
The High Court of Delegates was the final appeals court for disputed cases from both the provinces of Canterbury and York.

Jurisdictions[edit | edit source]

Here is the list of Kent parishes beginning with the letter A, with the probate courts that had jurisdiction over each.

To go to the list for another letter, scroll to the bottom of this page.

PARISH	PRIMARY COURT	SECONDARY COURTS - IN SEARCH ORDER
Acrise	Court of the Archdeaconry of Canterbury	2 - Court of the Bishop of Canterbury (Episcopal Consistory) 3 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
Addington	Pre-1845 - Courts of the Bishop (Episcopal Consistory) and Archdeaconry of Rochester; Post-1844 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury	Pre-1845 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury Post-1844 2 - Same
Adisham	Court of the Bishop of Canterbury (Episcopal Consistory)	2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
Aldington	Court of the Bishop of Canterbury (Episcopal Consistory)	2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
Alkham	Court of the Archdeaconry of Canterbury	2 - Court of the Bishop of Canterbury (Episcopal Consistory) 3 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
Allhallows	Courts of the Bishop (Episcopal Consistory) and Archdeaconry of Rochester	2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
Allington	Pre-1845 - Courts of the Bishop (Episcopal Consistory) and Archdeaconry of Rochester; Post-1844 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury	Pre-1845 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury Post-1844 2 - Same
Appledore	Court of the Archdeaconry of Canterbury	2 - Court of the Bishop of Canterbury (Episcopal Consistory) 3 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
Ash (near Ridley)	Courts of the Bishop (Episcopal Consistory) and Archdeaconry of Rochester	2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
Ash (near Sandwich)	Pre-1547 - Court of the Exempt Jurisdiction of Wingham; Post-1546 - Court of the Bishop of Canterbury (Episcopal Consistory)	2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
Ashford	Court of the Archdeaconry of Canterbury	2 - Court of the Bishop of Canterbury (Episcopal Consistory) 3 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
Ashurst	Pre-1845 - Courts of the Bishop (Episcopal Consistory) and Archdeaconry of Rochester; Post-1844 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury	Pre-1845 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury Post-1844 2 - Same
Aylesford	Courts of the Bishop (Episcopal Consistory) and Archdeaconry of Rochester	2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury

Search an Index[edit | edit source]

Now that you have identified the courts with jurisdiction over your parish of interest, return to the list of indexes.

More Parishes[edit | edit source]

Go to parishes beginning with:

B C D E F G H I J-K L M N O P Q R S T U V X-Z

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-''[[England Genealogy|England]] [[Image:Gotoarrow.png]] [[Kent, England Genealogy|Kent]] [[Image:Gotoarrow.png]] [[Kent Probate Records]]''.
+=== Probate Courts  ===
-== Getting Started  ==
+These are the&nbsp;probate courts that had some jurisdiction over the county of Kent prior to 1858:
-''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]].  This article is about probate records in Kent.  See [[England Probate Records]] for a general description of probate records in England.
+*Court of the Bishop (Episcopal consistory) of Canterbury&nbsp;
+*Court of the Archdeaconry of Canterbury
+*Courts of the Bishop (Episcopal consistory) and Archdeaconry of Rochester
+*Court of the Peculiar of the Archbishop of Canterbury in the Deaneries of the Arches, Croydon and Shoreham
+*Court of the Peculiar of the Rector of Cliffe
+*Court of the Exempt Jurisdiction of Wingham
+*Court of the Prior and Chapter of Christ Church, Canterbury
+*Court of the Bishop of London
+*Prerogative Court of Canterbury (the highest court in the land&nbsp;which had final jurisdiction when necessary, such as in the case of a wealthier person who owned property in more than one area or county, or when a will was disputed.)
-=== 1858 to the Present  ===
+=== Appeals Courts  ===
-Beginning in 1858, the [[Principal Probate Registry|Principal Probate Registry]] had the authority for probating estates. Click on the link to learn more.
+In addition to the above, two other courts had jurisdiction as appeals courts.&nbsp; You may wish to search the records of these courts if nothing can be found in the records of the above courts:
-=== Before 1858  ===
-*Links to Kent places.  Here is the list of Kent places from A to Z  of the pre-1858 courts that had probate jurisdiction over each.
-[[Kent, England Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with A|A]]  [[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 Court of Arches was the&nbsp;appeals courts for the Prerogative Court of Canterbury to&nbsp;which&nbsp;disputed cases could be sent from the lower&nbsp;courts in the province of Canterbury.&nbsp;&nbsp;
+*The High Court of Delegates was the final appeals court for disputed cases from both the provinces of Canterbury and York.
-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:
+Read&nbsp;more&nbsp;about [[England Probate Records|probate records]].
-==== Step 1. Search Indexes  ====
+=== Jurisdictions  ===
-Here are some online indexes to probate records that include individuals who lived in Kent.  Search these indexes first:
+Here is the list of Kent parishes beginning with the letter A, with the probate courts that had jurisdiction over each.
-*The [http://www.kfhs.org.uk/ Kent Record Society] has published four volumes of indexes to Kent wills.
-*[http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/wills-and-probate.htm Prerogative Court of Canterbury wills (1384-1858)].
-==== Step 2. Identify when and where your ancestor died  ====
+To go to the list for another letter,&nbsp;scroll to the bottom of this page.
-Determine ''when'' your ancestor died. If you aren't sure, use an approximate date.
+{| cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" width="95%" align="center" border="1"
+|-
+! style="background: #ffdead" width="15%" | PARISH
+! style="background: #ffdead" width="40%" | PRIMARY COURT
+! style="background: #ffdead" width="40%" | SECONDARY COURTS - IN SEARCH ORDER
+|-
+| Acrise
+| Court of the Archdeaconry of Canterbury
+|
+- Court of the Bishop of Canterbury (Episcopal Consistory)
-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 [http://archive.org/details/imperialgazettee02wils 1872 ''Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales''] online:
+- Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
-*[https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/descriptions/index.jsp Vision of Britain]
+|-
+| Addington
+| Pre-1845 - Courts of the Bishop (Episcopal Consistory) and Archdeaconry of Rochester; Post-1844 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
+| <u>Pre-1845 </u>
+- Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
-The gazetteer will either tell you:
+<u>Post-1844</u>
-*A place is a parish, or
+-&nbsp;Same&nbsp;
-*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.
+|-
+| Adisham
+| Court of the Bishop of Canterbury (Episcopal Consistory)
+|
+- Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
-Once you have identified the parish, go to '''Step 3'''.
+|-
+| Aldington
+| Court of the Bishop of Canterbury (Episcopal Consistory)
+|
+- Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
-==== Step 3. Identify court jurisdictions by parish  ====
+|-
+| Alkham
+| Court of the Archdeaconry of Canterbury
+| &nbsp;2 - Court of the Bishop of Canterbury (Episcopal Consistory)
+- Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
-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.
+|-
-If no will is found, your ancestor may not have left one.
+| Allhallows
+| Courts of the Bishop (Episcopal Consistory) and Archdeaconry of Rochester
+| &nbsp;2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
+|-
+| Allington
+| Pre-1845 - Courts of the Bishop (Episcopal Consistory) and Archdeaconry of Rochester; Post-1844 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
+| <u>Pre-1845</u>
+- Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
+<u>Post-1844</u>
-[[Category:Kent Probate Records]]
+- Same
+|-
+| Appledore
+| Court of the Archdeaconry of Canterbury
+| &nbsp;2 - Court of the Bishop of Canterbury (Episcopal Consistory)
+- Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
+|-
+| Ash (near Ridley)
+| Courts of the Bishop (Episcopal Consistory) and Archdeaconry of Rochester
+| &nbsp;2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
+|-
+| Ash (near Sandwich)
+| Pre-1547 - Court of the Exempt Jurisdiction of Wingham; Post-1546 - Court of the Bishop of Canterbury (Episcopal Consistory)
+| &nbsp;2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
+|-
+| Ashford
+| Court of the Archdeaconry of Canterbury
+| &nbsp;2 - Court of the Bishop of Canterbury (Episcopal Consistory)
+- Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
+|-
+| Ashurst
+| Pre-1845 - Courts of the Bishop (Episcopal Consistory) and Archdeaconry of Rochester; Post-1844 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
+| <u>Pre-1845 </u>
+- Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
+<u>Post-1844</u>
+- Same
+|-
+| Aylesford
+| Courts of the Bishop (Episcopal Consistory) and Archdeaconry of Rochester
+| &nbsp;2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
+|}
+<br>
+=== Search an Index  ===
+Now that you have identified the courts with jurisdiction over your parish of interest, return to the [[Kent, England Probate|list of indexes]].
+=== More Parishes  ===
+Go to parishes beginning with:
+[[Kent, England Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with B|B]]&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [[Kent, England Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with C|C]]&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [[Kent, England Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with D|D]]&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; E&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; F&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; G&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; H&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; J-K&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; L&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; M&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; N&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; O&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; P&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Q&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; R&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; S&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; T&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; U&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; V&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; X-Z
+<br>