Durham Probate Records: Difference between revisions
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The following probate courts had some jurisdiction over County Durham before 1858: | The following probate courts had some jurisdiction over County Durham before 1858: | ||
*[[Court of the Bishop of Durham | *[[Court of the Bishop of Durham (Episcopal Consistory)]] | ||
<br>In addition, the [[Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury]] had jurisdiction over the whole of England. Wealthier individuals, people who owned property in more than one county or lower court's jurisdiction, and Naval personnel often had their estates proven through the Archbishop's court. | <br>In addition, the [[Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury]] had jurisdiction over the whole of England. Wealthier individuals, people who owned property in more than one county or lower court's jurisdiction, and Naval personnel often had their estates proven through the Archbishop's court. | ||
Revision as of 12:56, 27 April 2009
For an explanation of probate records in England, click here.
Durham Probate Courts[edit | edit source]
The following probate courts had some jurisdiction over County Durham before 1858:
In addition, the Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury had jurisdiction over the whole of England. Wealthier individuals, people who owned property in more than one county or lower court's jurisdiction, and Naval personnel often had their estates proven through the Archbishop's court.
Appeals Courts[edit | edit source]
Any probate that was disputed and could not be settled by the county courts could be sent to these higher appeals courts:
Some Explanatory Notes on the Courts of Durham[edit | edit source]
Court Jurisdictions[edit | edit source]
The whole of the county of Durham was under the primary jurisdiction of the Court of the Bishop of Durham also known as the Episcopal Consistory Court of Durham (see above). This court should be searched first when looking for the probate of a deceased person who lived or owned property in County Durham.
The other courts listed above had secondary jurisdiction over County Durham. If you do not find a probate listed in the indexes to the Court of the Bishop of Durham, then you should try the secondary courts.
The last courts to search would be the appeals courts (see the main England Probate Records page for an explanation of the appeals courts).
Probate Indexes Online[edit | edit source]
Before looking for a will, you should search an index.
http://familyrecords.dur.ac.uk/nei/
Durham and Northumberland probate records, 1527-1857
Planned completion date: summer 2009.
Post-1857 Probate Records[edit | edit source]
Beginning in 1858, the government took over the settlement of estates and all wills are now probated through the Principal Probate Registry system. The system consists of 11 district registry offices and 18 sub-district registries, located throughout England and Wales, and the principal registry office located in London. The records are available through the office of Her Majesty's Courts Service. To learn more, go to the HMCS website.
A country-wide surname index to the records is available, so it is much easier to look for post-1857 wills. The indexes for 1858-1957 and the records for the Principal Registry and the District Registries for 1858-1925 are available on microfilm at the Family History Library.