Yorkshire Probate Records: Difference between revisions

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The following text has information about probate records in the county of Cumberland. To read general information English probate records click [[England Probate Records|here]].


== Getting Started  ==
== Getting Started in Probate Records<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 Yorkshire. See [[England Probate Records]] for a general description of probate records in England.
== Yorkshire&nbsp;Probate Courts  ==


=== 1858 to the Present  ===
'''&lt;This section is under construction&gt;'''


Beginning in 1858, the [[Principal Probate Registry|Principal Probate Registry]] had the authority for probating estates. Click on the link to learn more.
Yorkshire is geographically the largest county in England and contains more than 1,00 parishes. More than 60 courts have jurisdiction over probate matters. The highest court was the Exchequer and Prerogative Courts of the Archbishop of York.<br>


==== Online Records ====
To find the names of the courts over a specific place, click on a letter or span of letters below to go to the jurisdiction tables.<br> [[Yorkshire Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with B|B]] [[Yorkshire Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with C|C]] [[Yorkshire Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with D|D]] [[Yorkshire Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with E and F|E-F]] [[Yorkshire Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with G|G]] [[Yorkshire Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with H|H]] [[Yorkshire Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with I through K|I-K]] [[Yorkshire Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with L|L]] [[Yorkshire Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with M and N|M-N]] [[Yorkshire Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with O through P|O-P]] [[Yorkshire Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with Q and R|Q-R]] [[Yorkshire Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with S|S]] [[Yorkshire Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with T and U|T-U]] [[Yorkshire Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with W|W]] [[Yorkshire Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with Y|Y]].


* '''1858-1957''' [https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/2451051 England and Wales, National Index of Wills and Administrations, 1858-1957] at FamilySearch - [[England and Wales, National Index of Wills and Administrations - FamilySearch Historical Records|How to Use this Collection]]; index & images
<br> '''&lt;What should the text say about the list of links to the jurisdiction tables?&gt;'''
* '''1858-1995''' [https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1904 England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1995] at Ancestry($); index
* '''1858-2019''' [https://search.findmypast.com/search-world-records/england-and-wales-government-probate-death-index-1858-2019 England & Wales Government Probate Death Index 1858-2019] at Findmypast($); index


=== Before 1858 ===
== Some Explanatory Notes on the Yorkshire Probate Courts ==


Before 1858, Church of England ecclesiastical courts had authority for this process. To search for a pre-1858 probate record in Yorkshire, follow these steps:
== Court Jurisdictions by Parish  ==


==== Step 1. Search Indexes  ====
Before 1858, every town and parish in Yorkshire fell under the probate jurisdiction of a primary court and several secondary courts.&nbsp; For&nbsp;an authoritative treatise on&nbsp;each Yorkshire probate court and the parishes&nbsp;comprising them in pre-1858, see Anthony J. Camp's publication,&nbsp;''Wills and Their Whereabouts,'' also available at&nbsp;the Family History Library, FHL&nbsp;book [http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=titledetails&titleno=413992&disp=Wills+and+their+whereabouts%20%20&columns=*,0,0 #942 S2wa].&nbsp;


Here are some online indexes to probate records that include individuals who lived in Yorkshire. Search these indexes first:
When looking for the will of an ancestor, you should search the courts in the order given.&nbsp; Search indexes first.&nbsp; For indexes, click on the court name links [soon to be constructed].


*[[Exchequer and Prerogative Courts of the Archbishop of York|'''Prerogative Court of York''']]
Here is a list of Yorkshire parishes beginning with the letter A and the pre-1858 courts that had probate jurisdiction over them.&nbsp; For other parishes, click on a letter to link to the another table.  
*'''York Peculiars Probate Index''' covers over 25,000 wills proved in the fifty-four peculiar courts of the Province of York in the five-hundred year period from 1383 to 1883. Available at [http://search.findmypast.co.uk/search-world-Records/york-peculiars-probate-index-1383-1883?_ga=1.19087288.141134231.1415381737 Findmypast (£)]. See Step 3 below to identify if the parish you're researching was in a peculiar court.
*[https://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/YKS/#ProbateRecords Colin Blanshard Withers] has produced a list of all known Indexes and Calendars relating to Yorkshire Probate. This is available in both Microsoft Word format (.doc) and plain text format (.txt) from his site.


Did you find a reference to a probate record?
<br>


*If ''yes'', go to '''Step 4''' below.
== Probate Indexes Online  ==
*If ''no'', go to '''Step 2''' below.


==== Step 2. Identify when and where your ancestor died  ====
Before looking for a will, you should search an index. <br>[http://www.uclan.ac.uk/ahss/education_social_sciences/history/probate_index.php http://www.uclan.ac.uk/ahss/education_social_sciences/history/probate_index.php]


Determine ''when'' your ancestor died. If you aren't sure, use an approximate date.
An index of wills and related documents covering Lancashire north of the Ribble, and parts of Cumberland, Westmorland and Yorkshire, 1748-1858.  


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:  
An index of all surviving probate documents for the Western Deaneries of the Archdeaconry of Richmond, 1748-1858 has been prepared. The deaneries included are Amounderness, Copeland, Furness, Kendal and Lonsdale. <br>[http://www.originsnetwork.com/help/popup-aboutbo-yprex.htm http://www.originsnetwork.com/help/popup-aboutbo-yprex.htm]


*[https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/ Vision of Britain]
Prerogative &amp; Exchequer Courts of York Probate Index 1853-1858


The gazetteer will either tell you:  
[http://www.dserve.wyjs.org.uk/DServe.exe?dsqApp=Archive&dsqDb=Catalog&dsqCmd=Search.tcl http://www.dserve.wyjs.org.uk/DServe.exe?dsqApp=Archive&amp;dsqDb=Catalog&amp;dsqCmd=Search.tcl]


*A place is a parish, or
Welcome to the new West Yorkshire Archive Service on-line catalogue.  
*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.  
This catalogue contains brief summaries of all the collections held by the five offices within the West Yorkshire Archive Service. Some collections are also listed fully to item level. Please see the 'what's new in the catalogue' section for a summary of current listing projects and priorities.<br>Many probate records listed.  


Once you have identified the parish, go to '''Step 3'''.  
[http://www.originsnetwork.com/help/popup-aboutbo-ypec.htm http://www.originsnetwork.com/help/popup-aboutbo-ypec.htm]


==== Step 3. Identify court jurisdictions by parish  ====
York Peculiars Probate Index 1383-1883


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 Yorkshire 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.  
[http://www.originsnetwork.com/help/popup-aboutbo-ymed.htm http://www.originsnetwork.com/help/popup-aboutbo-ymed.htm]


{| width="444" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1" border="1" style="width: 444px; height: 66px;"
This index covers over 10,000 wills proved in the Prerogative &amp; Exchequer Courts of York in the period 1267 to 1500. Wills are one of the most important sources for the family historian, and the originals of all the wills indexed here are held at the Borthwick Institute for Archives. Copies of these wills can be ordered online, via the index.
|-
|    [[Yorkshire Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with A|A]]
|    [[Yorkshire Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with C|C]]   
|    [[Yorkshire Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with F|F]]
|  [[Yorkshire Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with Ho-Hy|Ho-Hy]]
|    [[Yorkshire Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with L|L]]
|    [[Yorkshire Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with N|N]]
|  [[Yorkshire Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with S|Sa-Sk]]
|  [[Yorkshire Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with W|Wa-We]]
|-
|  [[Yorkshire Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with B|Ba-Bl]]
|    [[Yorkshire Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with D|D]]
|    [[Yorkshire Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with G|G]]
|    [[Yorkshire Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with I|I]]
|  [[Yorkshire Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with Ma through Me|Ma-Me]]
|  [[Yorkshire Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with O through P|O-P]]
|  [[Yorkshire Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with Sl through Sy|Sl-Sy]]
|  [[Yorkshire Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with Wh through Wy|Wh-Wy]]
|-
|  [[Yorkshire Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with Bo through By|Bo-By]]
|    [[Yorkshire Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with E|E]]
|  [[Yorkshire Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with H|Ha-Hi]]
|    [[Yorkshire Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with K|K]]
|  [[Yorkshire Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with Mi through My|Mi-My]]
|  [[Yorkshire Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with Q and R|Q-R]]
|  [[Yorkshire Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with T and U|T-U]]
|    [[Yorkshire Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with Y|Y]]
|}


<br>
[http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/YKS/#ProbateRecords http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/YKS/#ProbateRecords]


==== Step 4. Obtain a copy of the probate record  ====
Colin Blanshard Withers has produced a list of all known Indexes and Calendars relating to Yorkshire Probate. This is available in both MS Word format (.doc) and plain text format (.txt) from his site. <br>


Once you have found an index reference to a probate, obtain a copy of the record. Do so by one of these methods:
== Post-1857 Probate Records  ==


*{{FSC|England, Yorkshire - Probate records|subject|subject-id=1423658071|disp=Yorkshire England Probate Records}}(*) at FamilySearch Catalog - some images may only be available at a [https://www.familysearch.org/centers/locations/ FamilySearch Center or FamilySearch Affiliate Library.]<br>
Beginning in 1858, the government took over the&nbsp;settlement of estates and all&nbsp;wills are now probated through the Principal Probate Registry system.&nbsp; The system consists of 11 district registry offices and&nbsp;18 sub-district registries, located throughout England and Wales, and&nbsp;the principal registry&nbsp;office located in London.&nbsp; The records are available through the office of Her Majesty's Courts Service.&nbsp; To learn more, go to the [http://www.hmcourts-service.gov.uk/infoabout/civil/probate/index.htm HMCS website].  
*Visit or contact the record office that has the original records in its collection.
 
== Yorkshire Probate Courts  ==
 
Yorkshire is the largest county in England and has more than 1,000 parishes. More than [[Yorkshire Probate Courts|'''''60 Courts''''']] had jurisdiction over Yorkshire before 1858 (click [[Yorkshire Probate Courts|'''here''']] to read about them).
 
==== Some Explanatory Notes on the Yorkshire Probate Courts  ====
 
When an estate was solely within the Diocese (excluding Peculiars) it was usual for the local Rural Dean, acting by commission from the Exchequer Court of York, to make the grant of probate or administration. The records were then returned to the Exchequer Court and filed; separate Act Books being kept for each deanery. When an estate was solely within the Diocese of Richmond (excluding Peculiars) the same procedure took place; the deans acting by commission from the Commissary of the Archdeaconry returned the Eastern Deanery records to Richmond and the Western Deanery records to Lancaster. There are, however, some Western Deanery grants at Richmond, as all grants passed by decree of the Court anywhere within the Archdeaconry were returned there.<ref>Camp, Anthony J. Wills and Their Whereabouts. London: published by author, 1974; page 152. Punctuation revised.</ref><br>
 
It should be remembered that abstracts of the relevant parts of wills affecting real estate in Yorkshire are recorded from 1704 onwards at the Registry of Deeds for the appropriate Riding: at Wakefield for the West Riding, at Beverley for the East Riding, and at Northallerton for the North Riding.<ref>Camp, Anthony J. Wills and Their Whereabouts. London: published by author, 1974; page 153. Punctuation revised.</ref>
 
<br>


{{Reflist}}
A&nbsp;country-wide surname index to the records is available, so it is much easier to look for post-1857 wills.&nbsp; The [http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=titledetails&titleno=208102&disp=Calendar+of+the+grants+of+probate+and+le%20%20&columns=*,0,0 indexes] for 1858-1957 and the records for 1858-1925 are available on microfilm at the Family History Library.<br>


[[Category:Yorkshire Probate Records]]
[[Category:England]] [[Category:Yorkshire]]

Revision as of 11:54, 7 May 2009

England Gotoarrow.png Yorkshire

The following text has information about probate records in the county of Cumberland. To read general information English probate records click here.

Getting Started in Probate Records
[edit | edit source]

Yorkshire Probate Courts[edit | edit source]

<This section is under construction>

Yorkshire is geographically the largest county in England and contains more than 1,00 parishes. More than 60 courts have jurisdiction over probate matters. The highest court was the Exchequer and Prerogative Courts of the Archbishop of York.

To find the names of the courts over a specific place, click on a letter or span of letters below to go to the jurisdiction tables.
B C D E-F G H I-K L M-N O-P Q-R S T-U W Y.


<What should the text say about the list of links to the jurisdiction tables?>

Some Explanatory Notes on the Yorkshire Probate Courts[edit | edit source]

Court Jurisdictions by Parish[edit | edit source]

Before 1858, every town and parish in Yorkshire fell under the probate jurisdiction of a primary court and several secondary courts.  For an authoritative treatise on each Yorkshire probate court and the parishes comprising them in pre-1858, see Anthony J. Camp's publication, Wills and Their Whereabouts, also available at the Family History Library, FHL book #942 S2wa. 

When looking for the will of an ancestor, you should search the courts in the order given.  Search indexes first.  For indexes, click on the court name links [soon to be constructed].

Here is a list of Yorkshire parishes beginning with the letter A and the pre-1858 courts that had probate jurisdiction over them.  For other parishes, click on a letter to link to the another table.


Probate Indexes Online[edit | edit source]

Before looking for a will, you should search an index.
http://www.uclan.ac.uk/ahss/education_social_sciences/history/probate_index.php

An index of wills and related documents covering Lancashire north of the Ribble, and parts of Cumberland, Westmorland and Yorkshire, 1748-1858.

An index of all surviving probate documents for the Western Deaneries of the Archdeaconry of Richmond, 1748-1858 has been prepared. The deaneries included are Amounderness, Copeland, Furness, Kendal and Lonsdale.
http://www.originsnetwork.com/help/popup-aboutbo-yprex.htm

Prerogative & Exchequer Courts of York Probate Index 1853-1858

http://www.dserve.wyjs.org.uk/DServe.exe?dsqApp=Archive&dsqDb=Catalog&dsqCmd=Search.tcl

Welcome to the new West Yorkshire Archive Service on-line catalogue.

This catalogue contains brief summaries of all the collections held by the five offices within the West Yorkshire Archive Service. Some collections are also listed fully to item level. Please see the 'what's new in the catalogue' section for a summary of current listing projects and priorities.
Many probate records listed.

http://www.originsnetwork.com/help/popup-aboutbo-ypec.htm

York Peculiars Probate Index 1383-1883

http://www.originsnetwork.com/help/popup-aboutbo-ymed.htm

This index covers over 10,000 wills proved in the Prerogative & Exchequer Courts of York in the period 1267 to 1500. Wills are one of the most important sources for the family historian, and the originals of all the wills indexed here are held at the Borthwick Institute for Archives. Copies of these wills can be ordered online, via the index.

http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/YKS/#ProbateRecords

Colin Blanshard Withers has produced a list of all known Indexes and Calendars relating to Yorkshire Probate. This is available in both MS Word format (.doc) and plain text format (.txt) from his site.

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 1858-1925 are available on microfilm at the Family History Library.

Family History Library (FHL); now called, FamilySearch Library (FSL)

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