Kent, England Probate Jurisdictions: Difference between revisions

From FamilySearch Wiki
m (Text replacement - " " to " ")
(deleted the PCC from third court place)
(37 intermediate revisions by 8 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
''[[England Genealogy|England]] [[Image:Gotoarrow.png]] [[Kent, England Genealogy|Kent]] [[Image:Gotoarrow.png]] [[Kent Probate Records]]''.  
[[England]] > [[Kent]] > [[Kent, England Probate|Kent Probate Records]].  


== Getting Started  ==
<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]]. This article is about probate records in Kent.  See [[England Probate Records]] for a general description of probate records in England.
=== Court Jurisdictions ===


=== 1858 to the Present  ===
Here is the list of Kent towns and parishes beginning with the letter A,&nbsp;and&nbsp;the pre-1858&nbsp;courts that had probate jurisdiction over each.


Beginning in 1858, the [[Principal Probate Registry|Principal Probate Registry]] had the authority for probating estates. Click on the link to learn more.
To go to another letter, click on a link: &nbsp;[[Kent, England Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with B|B]]&nbsp;&nbsp; [[Kent, England Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with C|C]]&nbsp;&nbsp; [[Kent, England Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with D|D]]&nbsp;&nbsp; [[Kent Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with E|E]]&nbsp;&nbsp; [[Kent Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with F and G|F-G]]&nbsp;&nbsp; [[Kent Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with H|H]]&nbsp;&nbsp;[[Kent Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with I through K|I-K]]&nbsp;&nbsp; [[Kent Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with L|L]]&nbsp;&nbsp; [[Kent Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with M and N|M-N]]&nbsp;&nbsp; [[Kent Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with O through R|O-R]]&nbsp;&nbsp; [[Kent Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with S|S]]&nbsp;&nbsp; [[Kent Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with T through V|T-V]]&nbsp;&nbsp; [[Kent Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with W through Z|W-Z]]  
=== 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]].
{| cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" width="95%" align="center" border="1"
|-
! style="background: rgb(255,222,173) 0% 50%; moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial" width="15%" | PARISH
! style="background: rgb(255,222,173) 0% 50%; moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial" width="40%" | PRIMARY COURT
! style="background: rgb(255,222,173) 0% 50%; moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial" width="40%" | SECONDARY COURTS - IN SEARCH ORDER
|-
| Acrise
| [[Court of the Archdeaconry of Canterbury]]
|
2 - [[Court of the Bishop of Canterbury]] (Episcopal Consistory)


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:
|-
| 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>
2 - [[Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury]]


==== Step 1. Search Indexes  ====
<u>Post-1844</u>


Here are some online indexes to probate records that include individuals who lived in Kent.  Search these indexes first:
2 -&nbsp;Same&nbsp;
*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  ====
|-
| Adisham
| [[Court of the Bishop of Canterbury]]&#124; [[Court of the Bishop of Canterbury]] (Episcopal Consistory)
|
2 - [[Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury]]


Determine ''when'' your ancestor died. If you aren't sure, use an approximate date. 
|-
| Aldington
| [[Court of the Bishop of Canterbury]]&#124; [[Court of the Bishop of Canterbury]] (Episcopal Consistory)
|
2 - [[Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury]]


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:
|-
| Alkham
| [[Court of the Archdeaconry of Canterbury]]
| &nbsp;2 - [[Court of the Bishop of Canterbury]] (Episcopal Consistory)
|-
| 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>
2 - [[Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury]]  


*[https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/descriptions/index.jsp Vision of Britain]
<u>Post-1844</u>


The gazetteer will either tell you:
2 - Same


*A place is a parish, or
|-
*What parish it is a part of, or
| Appledore
*What place it is near.
| [[Court of the Archdeaconry of Canterbury]]
| &nbsp;2 - [[Court of the Bishop of Canterbury]] (Episcopal Consistory)
|-
| 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)
|-
| 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>
2 - [[Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury]]


If the latter, look that place up in the gazetteer and see if it is a parish.
<u>Post-1844</u>


Once you have identified the parish, go to '''Step 3'''.
2 - Same


==== Step 3. Identify court jurisdictions by parish  ====
|-
| Aylesford
| [[Courts of the Bishop (Episcopal Consistory) and Archdeaconry of Rochester]]
| &nbsp;2 - [[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.
<br>
If no will is found, your ancestor may not have left one.


=== Search an Index  ===


[[Category:Kent Probate Records]]
Now that you have identified the courts with jurisdiction over your parish of interest, return to the [[Kent, England Probate|list of indexes]].
 
<br><br>

Revision as of 10:14, 28 April 2009

England > Kent > Kent Probate Records.


Court Jurisdictions[edit | edit source]

Here is the list of Kent towns and parishes beginning with the letter A, and the pre-1858 courts that had probate jurisdiction over each.

To go to another letter, click on a link:  B   C   D   E   F-G   H  I-K   L   M-N   O-R   S   T-V   W-Z

PARISH PRIMARY COURT SECONDARY COURTS - IN SEARCH ORDER
Acrise Court of the Archdeaconry of Canterbury

2 - Court of the Bishop of Canterbury (Episcopal Consistory)

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| Court of the Bishop of Canterbury (Episcopal Consistory)

2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury

Aldington Court of the Bishop of Canterbury| 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)
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)
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)
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.