Northumberland Probate Records: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 11:36, 18 May 2009

England Northumberland Northumberland Probate Records

For an explanation of probate records in England, click here.

Getting Started[edit | edit source]

Probate is the legal court process by which the estate of a deceased person is distributed to his or her heirs. The Church of England ecclesiastical courts had authority for this process until to 1858. Beginning in 1858, authority over probate matters was taken from ecclesiastical courts and put under the civil authority of the Principal Probate Registry. The Post-1857 Probate Records section below contains links to additional information about the records of this court.

To look for a probate record before 1858:

Discover when and where your ancestor died. If you don’t know, use the approximate date and place where they lived.
Go to Court Jurisdictions section below.
Click a letter or span of letters for your place name. This opens a jurisdictions table.
Follow the instructions on the jurisdictions table page.

Northumberland Probate Courts[edit | edit source]

The following ecclesiastical courts had some probate jurisdiction over the towns and parishes of Northumberland 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 Northumberland Probate Courts[edit | edit source]

Court Jurisdictions[edit | edit source]

Before 1858, every town and parish in Northumberland was under the probate jurisdiction of a primary court and several secondary courts. When looking for the will of an ancestor, search the courts in the order given. Search indexes first. For indexes, click on the court name links above.

To see a list of Northumberland places and the pre-1858 ecclesiastical courts that jurisdiction over them, click on a letter link: A, B-C, D-J, K-R, S-Z

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

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-{{Northumberland-sidebar}}{{breadcrumb
+[[England]]&nbsp;[[Image:Gotoarrow.png]] [[Northumberland]]&nbsp;[[Image:Gotoarrow.png]] [[Northumberland Probate Records]]
-| link1=[[England Genealogy|England]]
-| link2=[[Northumberland, England Genealogy|Northumberland]]
-| link3=
-| link4=
-| link5=[[Northumberland_Probate_Records|Probate Records]]
-}}
-== Getting Started  ==
+For an explanation of probate records in England, click [[England Probate Records|here]].
-''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 Northumberland. See [[England Probate Records]] for a general description of probate records in England.
+<br>
-=== 1858 to the Present  ===
+== Getting Started  ==
-Beginning in 1858, the [[Principal Probate Registry|Principal Probate Registry]] had the authority for probating estates. Click on the link to learn more.
+''Probate'' is the legal court process by which the estate of a deceased person is distributed to his or her heirs. The Church of England ecclesiastical courts had authority for this process until to 1858. Beginning in 1858, authority over probate matters was taken from ecclesiastical courts and put under the civil authority of the Principal Probate Registry. The Post-1857 Probate Records section below contains links to additional information about the records of this court.
-==== Online Records ====
+To look for a probate record before 1858:<br>
-*'''1858-1957''' {{RecordSearch|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
+#Discover when and where your ancestor died. If you don’t know, use the approximate date and place where they lived. <br>
-*'''1858-1995''' [https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1904/ England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1995] at Ancestry
+#Go to [https://wiki.familysearch.org/en/Cumberland_Probate_Records#Court_Jurisdictions Court Jurisdictions] section below.<br>
-*'''1858-2019''' [https://search.findmypast.co.uk/search-world-records/england-and-wales-government-probate-death-index-1858-2019 England & Wales Government Probate Death Index 1858-2019] at Findmypast
+#Click a letter or span of letters for your place name. This opens a jurisdictions table.<br>
+#Follow the instructions on the jurisdictions table page.<br>
-=== Before 1858  ===
+<br>
-Before 1858, Church of England ecclesiastical courts had authority for this process. To search for a pre-1858 probate record in Northumberland, follow these steps:
+== Northumberland Probate Courts  ==
-==== Step 1. Search Indexes  ====
+The following ecclesiastical courts had some probate jurisdiction over the towns and parishes of Northumberland before 1858:&nbsp;
-Here are some online indexes to probate records that include individuals who lived in Northumberland. Search these indexes first:
+*[[Court of the Bishop (Episcopal Consistory) of Durham|Court of the Bishop of Durham]] (Episcopal Consistory)
+*[[Court of the Chancery of the Archbishop of York]]
-*[https://search.findmypast.co.uk/search-world-records/york-peculiars-probate-index-1383-1883 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.
+*[[Exchequer and Prerogative Courts of the Archbishop of York]]
-*[https://search.findmypast.co.uk/search-world-records/prerogative-and-exchequer-courts-of-york-probate-index-1688-1858 Prerogative &amp; Exchequer Courts of York Probate Index 1842-1858] [http://www.originsnetwork.com/help/popup-aboutbo-ypec.htm <br>]
+*[[Court of the Peculiar of the Dean and Chapter of York]]
-*An index covering [https://search.findmypast.co.uk/search-world-records/york-medieval-probate-index-1267-1500 1267 to 1500] includes 10,000 wills proved in the Prerogative &amp; Exchequer Courts of York.
+*[[Court of the Peculiar of the Archbishop of York in Hexham and Hexhamshire]]
-*The [https://familyrecords.awh.durham.ac.uk/nei/ Durham and Northumberland probate records, 1527-1857.] The digital images will be searchable by name, place, occupation or date.
+*[[Court of the Predendary of Thockrington]]
-**[https://familyrecords.awh.durham.ac.uk/nei/data/advanced.php North East Inheritance database (pre-1858 Durham Probate Records).] To learn more about the project and search the index.
-Did you find a reference to a probate record?
+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.
-*If ''yes'', go to '''Step 4''' below.
+=== Appeals Courts  ===
-*If ''no'', go to '''Step 2''' below.
-==== Step 2. Identify when and where your ancestor died  ====
+Any probate that was disputed and could not be settled by the county courts could be sent to these higher appeals courts:
-Determine ''when'' your ancestor died. If you aren't sure, use an approximate date.
+*[[Court of Arches]]
+*[[High Court of Delegates]]
-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:
+== Some Explanatory Notes on the Northumberland Probate Courts  ==
-*[https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/maps/ Vision of Britain]
+== Court Jurisdictions  ==
-The gazetteer will either tell you:
+Before 1858, every town and parish in Northumberland was under the probate jurisdiction of a primary court and several secondary courts. When looking for the will of an ancestor, search the courts in the order given. Search indexes first. For indexes, click on the court name links above.
-*A place is a parish, or
+To see&nbsp;a list of Northumberland&nbsp;places and the pre-1858 ecclesiastical courts that jurisdiction over them, click on a letter link:&nbsp; [[Northumberland Probate Jurisdictions, Parishes A|A]], [[Northumberland Probate Jurisdictions for Places Beginning with B and C|B-C]], [[Northumberland Probate Jurisdictions for Places Beginning with D through J|D-J]], [[Northumberland Probate Jurisdictions for Places Beginning with K through R|K-R]], [[Northumberland Probate Jurisdictions for Places Beginning with S through Z|S-Z]]
-*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.
+<br>
-Once you have identified the parish, go to '''Step 3'''.
+== Probate Indexes Online  ==
-==== Step 3. Identify court jurisdictions by parish  ====
+Before looking for a will, you should search an index.
-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 Northumberland 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://familyrecords.dur.ac.uk/nei/ http://familyrecords.dur.ac.uk/nei/]
-To see a list of Northumberland places and the pre-1858 ecclesiastical courts that jurisdiction over them, click on a letter link:
+Durham and Northumberland probate records, 1527-1857<br>Planned completion date: summer 2009.
-[[Northumberland Probate Jurisdictions, Parishes A|A]],  [[Northumberland Probate Jurisdictions for Places Beginning with B and C|B-C]],  [[Northumberland Probate Jurisdictions for Places Beginning with D through J|D-J]],  [[Northumberland Probate Jurisdictions for Places Beginning with K through R|K-R]],  [[Northumberland Probate Jurisdictions for Places Beginning with S through Z|S-Z]]<br>
+<br>
-==== Step 4. Obtain a copy of the probate record  ====
+== Post-1857 Probate Records  ==
-Once you have found an index reference to a probate, obtain a copy of the record. Do so by one of these methods:
+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].
-*{{FSC|England, Northumberland - Probate records|subject|subject-id=505228740|disp=Northumberland 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>
-*Visit or contact the record office that has the original records in its collection.
-== Northumberland Probate Courts  ==
-The following ecclesiastical courts had some probate jurisdiction over the towns and parishes of Northumberland before 1858:
-*[[Court of the Bishop of Durham (Episcopal Consistory)|Court of the Bishop of Durham (Episcopal Consistory)]]
-*[[Court of the Chancery of the Archbishop of York]]
-*[[Exchequer and Prerogative Courts of the Archbishop of York]]
-*[[Court of the Peculiar of the Dean and Chapter of York]]
-*[[Court of the Peculiar of the Archbishop of York in Hexham and Hexhamshire]]
-*[[Court of the Peculiar of the Prebend of Thockrington]]
-*[[Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury]]
-{{Template:Pros-NEE}}<br>
+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 [http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=authordetails&authorno=301365&name=Great+Britain%2E+Principal+Probate+Registry&columns=*,0,0 records] for 1858-1925 are available on microfilm at the Family History Library.<br>
-[[Category:Northumberland Probate Records]]
+[[Category:England|England]]