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==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 London. See [[England Probate Records]] for a general description of probate records in England.
== Getting Started  ==


===1858 to the Present===
Probate is the legal court process by which the estate of a deceased person is distributed to his/her heirs. 


From 1858, the [[Principal Probate Registry|Principal Probate Registry]] has been the authority for proving Wills, and granting probate (to Executors in the case of valid wills) and administration of the estate (to Administrators where the deceased had died intestate). Click on the link to learn more.
In order to find a probate record for your ancestor, you must answer two questions:


====Online Records====
#When did your ancestor die?
#Where did your ancestor live or own property?


*'''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
A key date is 1858, when probate authority was taken from the ecclesiatical courts of the Church of England and given to the civil government.   


===Before 1858===
*If your ancestor died before 1858, his/her probate would have been proven by an ecclesiatical court and it is important to know where he/she lived, as that will determine which courts had jurisdiction. 
*If you know where your ancestor lived before 1858, you should go to the '''Court Jurisdictions''' section below to determine what courts had jurisdiction over your ancestor's place of residence. 
*Beginning in 1858, probate authority was vested in the '''Principal Probate Registry''' system.  For more information, scroll to the '''Post-1857 Probate Records''' section at the bottom of the page.


Before 1858, Church of England ecclesiastical courts had authority for this process. To search for a pre-1858 probate record in London, follow these steps:
Once you have answered the two questions and determined the courts, look for indexes.&nbsp; Indexes will be found on the individual court pages (when you click on a court name) or in the '''Probate Indexes''' section below.<br>


====Step 1. Search Indexes====
<br>
 
== London Probate Courts  ==
 
The following courts had some probate jurisdiction over London before 1858.  
 
*[[Consistory Court of London|Court of Husting]]
*[[Archdeaconry Court of London]]
*[[The Court of Arches of the Archbishop of Canterbury]]
*[[Court of the Bishop of London (Episcopal Consistory)]]
*[[Court of the Commissary of the Bishop of London (London Division)]]
*[[Court of the Peculiar of the Dean and Chapter of Westminster (Abbey)]]
*[[Deanery of the Arches of London, Croydon, Shoreham (Peculiar of the Archbishop of Canterbury)]]
*[[Court of the Commissary of the Bishop of London (Essex & Hertfordshire Division)]]
*[[Court of the Peculiar of the Dean and Chapter of St Paul's Cathedral]]
*[[Royal Peculiar Court of St Katherine's by the Tower]]
 
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, people who died outside of the country but had property in England, and Naval personnel often had their estates proven through the Archbishop's court.
 
=== Appeals Courts  ===
 
Any probate that was disputed and could not be settled by the county courts could be sent to these higher appeals courts:


First search each index which you will find listed under the name of the particular probate court jurisdiction (see the "London Probate Courts" listed above) to help you more quickly find the will, writing down all details cited in the indexed entry. Here are some online indexes to probate records that include individuals who lived in London. Search these indexes first:
*[[Court of Arches]]
*[[High Court of Delegates]]
*[[Doctor's Common]]


*[http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=1704 London, England, Wills and Probate, 1507-1858] at Ancestry (£). Includes probate records from Consistory Court of London, Commissary Court of London, Archdeaconry Court of London, Archdeaconry Court of Middlesex, Peculiar Court of the Dean and Chapter of St Paul’s, Archdeaconry Court of Surrey, and Commissary Court of Bishop of Winchester.  These are only partial records. '''Much more in the complete collection that is not indexed.''' This group of Probate Records is listed on the Catalog through FamilySearch {{FSC|283866|item|disp=Probate records, 1374-1857}}
The [[Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury]] also served as an appeals court.


*[https://search.findmypast.co.uk/search-world-Records/london-archdeaconry-court-of-london-wills-index-1700-1807 Archdeaconry Court of London Wills Index 1750-1800]
== Historical Background  ==


*[https://search.lma.gov.uk/ Wills for London, Middlesex and Surrey before 1858] - Until 1858 wills and probate related matters were administered by the church. Most of the wills held by LMA (London Metropolitan Archives) pertain mostly to the ancient counties of Middlesex and Surrey, part of the City of London and part of the ancient county of Kent. For detailed contents of this collection, search the [https://search.lma.gov.uk/ London Metropolitan Archives] for Research Guide 6.
Probate records of the City of London commence from as early as 1374 up to&nbsp;1857.&nbsp;There are several&nbsp;probate court&nbsp;jurisdictions for&nbsp;the City of London, some of which hold extensive&nbsp;probate record coverage for the city&nbsp; and there are a few smaller court jurisdictions which only pertain to a small handful of parishes.  
*[https://search.findmypast.co.uk/search-world-Records/surrey-and-south-london-wills-and-probate-index-1470-1856 Surrey &amp; South London - Will Abstracts 1470-1856]. This extraordinary collection is one of the most valuable on British Origins. It contains fully indexed abstracts of every Surrey will known to still exist, over 28,000 of them, dating from the 15th to 19th centuries; nearly all the originals are held at the London Metropolitan Archives. The abstracts include all personal names (testator, beneficiaries, executors, witnesses, overseers, and others) with their relationships, place names, occupations, monetary and other bequests, and descriptions of lands. The indexes include the names of every person mentioned - over a half of a million names - places mentioned (many outside Surrey), subjects (eg occupations) mentioned in the wills, and of dates.


*[http://www.history.ac.uk/gh/invent.htm Guildhall Library Manuscripts Section Indexes to Probate Inventories of the Peculiar Court of the Dean and Chapter of St Paul's Cathedral] - The probate inventories of the Peculiar Court of the Dean and Chapter of St. Paul's date from 1660 to 1725. They are arranged in yearly (mostly) and half-yearly bundles. Within each bundle they are arranged chronologically by the date they were exhibited in the court. There are 77 bundles now numbered as Guildhall Library Ms 19504/1-77.  There is no online index.
If you&nbsp;know&nbsp;in which parish your ancestor may have died or lived,&nbsp;go to the "London Parishes and Their Probate Jurisdictions" section&nbsp;(below) and search by parish name&nbsp;in order to determine&nbsp;the&nbsp;correct or most likely&nbsp;probate court&nbsp;to search, first.  


*[http://www.history.ac.uk/gh/probate.htm Probate Records (wills and administrations) at Guildhall Library]
Next, see the above links to each London probate court jurisdictions in order to obtain further information for researching in the prime probate court&nbsp;for a will.  


*[https://search.lma.gov.uk/SCRIPTS/MWIMAIN.DLL/282903328/2/6/7829?RECORD&UNION=Y&URLMARKER=STARTREQUEST Diocese of London Consistory Court Wills index] - This index contains 31,000 entries of wills and letters of administration (granting authority to an executor when a person died intestate) compiled from the London Diocesan Court registers (DL/C/354-416). Near complete coverage is provided for the years 1514-1858 (please note there are no registers for the years 1521-1539 and 1642-1670).
If a search in the most likely&nbsp;probate court jurisidiction proves unsuccessful, then search the next court as&nbsp;listed in ranked order, i.e. "no. 2", and etc.  


*[https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C12122 Prerogative Court of Canterbury wills (1384-1858)].
== Starting Your Search in Indexes  ==


*[http://search.lma.gov.uk/LMA_DOC/CLA_002.PDF Rolled Inventories in Court of Orphans (Common Serjeant) 1500s-1700s]. Inventories of freemen of London, often names relatives, number of orphans, etc.
1. First search each index&nbsp;which you will find listed under the name of&nbsp;the particular probate court jurisdiction (see the "London Probate Courts" listed above) to help you more quickly find the will, writing down all&nbsp;details cited in the indexed entry.  


*[https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/records/item/265847-indexes-to-the-ancient-testamentary-records-of-westminster-1228-1700?offset=1 ''Indexes to the Ancient Testamentary Records of Westminster''] (1913) by Arthur Meredyth Burke. The extant testamentary records of Westminster indexed in this book consist of the testamentary records of the Peculiar Court, 1504-1700, the Westminster wills and administrations preserved amongst the records of the Consistory Court of London, 1540-1556, and the miscellaneous testamentary records preserved in the Muniment Chamber of Westminster Abbey, 1228-1700.
2. Once you have found the name of an ancestor and the probate jurisdiction in which a will or administration (admon) was probated, next proceed to the&nbsp;"Probate Records of This Court" (appears below this section) to determine what original probate records exist for this court and years appertaining.  


''Also check indexed abstracts:''
3. You can also contact or visit the&nbsp;particualr London archives where the original records are held, or, hire a professional record searcher to view these records on your behalf. Officials may send upon written request a list of record searchers.


*[https://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/Wills/Wills1 Commissary Court of London Will Abstracts Volume 26 (1629-1634)] - free.
4. Visit The Family History Library, or, one of its 4,500 satellite family history centers worldwide and search indexes to probate records. Then with the information obtained from the index[es] you can&nbsp;more quickly locate the original wills and admons which are&nbsp;on microfilm, via any family history [http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/FHC/frameset_fhc.asp centers]&nbsp;near you.  


*[https://search.findmypast.co.uk/search-world-Records/london-and-middlesex-will-abstracts-1700-1704 London &amp; Middlesex Will Abstracts 1700-1704] at Origins.net (£). Includes 2042 abstracts of original wills proved in the Archdeaconry Court of Middlesex, Archdeaconry Court of London, Commissary Court of London, Consistory Court of London and Peculiar Court of the Dean and Chapter of St Paul's Cathedral.
== Some Explanatory Notes on the London Court ==


Did you find a reference to a probate record?
== London Parishes and Their Court Jurisdictions  ==


*If ''yes'', go to '''Step 4''' below.
Here is a list of London parishes (see the Table below) from A to Z and the pre-1858 courts that had probate jurisdiction over them (click on the letter links).  
*If ''no'', go to '''Step 2''' below.<br>


====Step 2. Identify when and where your ancestor died====
Before 1858, every parish was under the probate jurisdiction of a primary court and several secondary courts.&nbsp; For an alphabetical list of London City&nbsp;parishes and the courts that had jurisdiction over them, click on the link for the letter that a parish name begins with:


Determine ''when'' your ancestor died. If you aren't sure, use an approximate date. 
{| cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1" width="300" border="1"
|-
| &nbsp;[[London Probate Jurisdictions Parishes A-F|A-F]]
| &nbsp;[[London Probate Jurisdictions Parishes G-R|G-R]]
| &nbsp;[[London Probate Jurisdictions Parishes S- St A-C|S-St A-C]]
| &nbsp;[[London Probate Jurisdictions Parishes St D-H|St D-H]]
| &nbsp;[[London Probate Jurisdictions Parishes St I-S|St I-S]]
| &nbsp;[[London Probate Jurisdictions Parishes St T-Z|St T-Z]]
|}


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:
<br>


*[https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/ Vision of Britain]
== Probate Indexes Online  ==


The gazetteer will either tell you:
Before looking for a will, you should search an index. <br>


*A place is a parish, or
[http://www.originsnetwork.com/help/popup-aboutbo-acl2.htm http://www.originsnetwork.com/help/popup-aboutbo-acl2.htm]
*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.
Archdeaconry Court of London Wills Index 1750-1800<br>


Once you have identified the parish, go to '''Step 3'''.
[http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/Corporation/applications/wills/index.htm http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/Corporation/applications/wills/index.htm]


====Step 3. Identify court jurisdictions by parish====
London Signatures currently includes 10,000 Archdeaconry Court of Middlesex Wills (AM/PW), covering the period 1609 -1810, and 23,500 Diocese of Winchester, Commissary for the Archdeaconry of Surrey marriage bonds (DW/MP), for the period 1673 - 1850.  


Prior to the year 1858, every town and parish in London fell under the probate jurisdiction of a primary court and several secondary courts. Identify the parish in which your ancestor lived or died. This enables you to learn which court[s] had jurisdiction over the parish so that you may then search for indexes and the actual probate records (i.e. wills) for those courts. Click on a link below for the letter the parish begins with. When you find the name of the parish, click the right-hand column[s] court links to obtain and search the original probate records of the pertinent probate court[s]:
[http://www.originsnetwork.com/help/popup-aboutbo-surrwills.htm http://www.originsnetwork.com/help/popup-aboutbo-surrwills.htm]  


{| width="400" cellspacing="2" cellpadding="1" border="1"
Surrey &amp; South London Will Abstracts1470-1856<br>This extraordinary collection is one of the most valuable on British Origins. It contains fully indexed abstracts of every Surrey will known to still exist, over 28,000 of them, dating from the 15th to 19th centuries; nearly all the originals are held at the London Metropolitan Archives.  
|-
| [[London Probate Jurisdictions Parishes A-F|A-F]]
| [[London Probate Jurisdictions Parishes G-R|G-R]]
| [[London Probate Jurisdictions Parishes S through St. Clement|S-St C]]
| [[London Probate Jurisdictions Parishes St D-H|St D-H]]
| [[London Probate Jurisdictions Parishes St I-S|St I-S]]
| [[London Probate Jurisdictions Parishes St T-Z|St T-Z]]
|}


<br>
The abstracts include all personal names (testator, beneficiaries, executors, witnesses, overseers, and others) with their relationships, place names, occupations, monetary and other bequests, and descriptions of lands. The indexes include the names of every person mentioned - over a half of a million names - places mentioned (many outside Surrey), subjects (eg occupations) mentioned in the wills, and of dates.


This list does not include parishes in the county of Middlesex. For those parishes, go to [[Middlesex Probate Records|Middlesex Probate Records]].
[http://www.history.ac.uk/gh/invent.htm http://www.history.ac.uk/gh/invent.htm]  


====Step 4. Obtain a copy of the probate record====
Guildhall Library Manuscripts Section<br>Indexes to Probate Inventories of the Peculiar Court of the Dean and Chapter of St Paul's Cathedral<br>


Once you have found an index reference to a probate, obtain a copy of the record. Do so by one of these methods:
The probate inventories of the Peculiar Court of the Dean and Chapter of St. Paul's date from 1660 to 1725. They are arranged in yearly (mostly) and half-yearly bundles. Within each bundle they are arranged chronologically by the date they were exhibited in the court. There are 77 bundles now numbered as Guildhall Library Ms 19504/1-77.


*{{FSC|England, London - Probate records|subject|subject-id=133148703|disp=London 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>
[http://www.history.ac.uk/gh/probate.htm http://www.history.ac.uk/gh/probate.htm]  
*Visit or contact the record office that has the original records in its collection.


==London Probate Courts==
PROBATE RECORDS (WILLS AND ADMINISTRATIONS) AT GUILDHALL LIBRARY


The following courts had some probate jurisdiction over London before 1858.  
[http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/07261AAF-7E1D-49F6-B92A-F4319EB6AB59/0/wills.PDF http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/07261AAF-7E1D-49F6-B92A-F4319EB6AB59/0/wills.PDF]


*[[Court of Husting]]
WILLS IN LONDON METROPOLITAN ARCHIVES AND ELSEWHERE
*[[Court of the Archdeaconry of London]]
*[[The Court of Arches of the Archbishop of Canterbury]]
*[[Court of the Bishop of London (Episcopal Consistory)]]
*[[Court of the Commissary of the Bishop of London (London Division)]]
*[[Court of the Peculiar of the Dean and Chapter of Westminster (Abbey)]]
*[[Court of the Deanery of the Arches of London, Croydon, Shoreham (Peculiar of the Archbishop of Canterbury)]]
*[[Court of the Peculiar of the Dean and Chapter of St Paul's Cathedral]]
*[[Royal Peculiar Court of St Katherine's by the Tower]]
*[[Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury]]


==Historical Background==
[http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/Corporation/LGNL_Services/Leisure_and_culture/Records_and_archives/About_LMA/Volunteers.htm http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/Corporation/LGNL_Services/Leisure_and_culture/]


Probate records of the City of London commence from as early as 1374 up to 1857. There are several probate court jurisdictions for the City of London, some of which hold extensive probate record coverage for the city  and there are a few smaller court jurisdictions which only pertain to a small handful of parishes.  
[http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/Corporation/LGNL_Services/Leisure_and_culture/Records_and_archives/About_LMA/Volunteers.htm Records_and_archives/About_LMA/Volunteers.htm]


If you know in which parish your ancestor may have died or lived, go to the "London Parishes and Their Probate Jurisdictions" section (below) and search by parish name in order to determine the correct or most likely probate court to search, first.
Diocese of London Consistory Court Wills index


Next, see the above links to each London probate court jurisdictions in order to obtain further information for researching in the prime probate court for a will.  
This index contains 31,000 entries of wills and letters of administration (granting authority to an executor when a person died intestate) compiled from the London Diocesan Court registers (DL/C/354-416). Near complete coverage is provided for the years 1514-1858 (please note there are no registers for the years 1521-1539 and 1642-1670).  


If a search in the most likely probate court jurisidiction proves unsuccessful, then search the next court as listed in ranked order, i.e. "no. 2", and etc.  
[http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/Wills/Wills1.html http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/Wills/Wills1.html]


In practice, most Londoners sent their wills to the [[Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury|Prerogative Court of Canterbury]] and the [[Court of the Bishop of London (Episcopal Consistory)|Consistory Court of London]] from the mid 1700s to 1857.
Commissary Court of London&nbsp; Will Abstracts Volume 26 (1629-1634)<br>


==Websites==
&nbsp;


*[https://search.lma.gov.uk/rg_pdf_creator/index.php?research_guide=27 Wills for London, Middlesex and Surrey Before 1858] (London Metropolitan Archives Information Leaflet)
== Post-1857 Probate Records  ==


{{Template:Pros-Lond}}
Beginning in 1858, the government took over the settlement of estates and all&nbsp;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&nbsp;office located in London. The records are available through the office of Her Majesty's Courts Service. To learn more, go to the [http://www.hmcourts-service.gov.uk/infoabout/civil/probate/index.htm HMCS website].


{{London}}
A 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 the [http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=titledetails&titleno=517092&disp=Record+copy+wills%2C+1858%2D1925%20%20&columns=*,0,0 Principal Registry] and the [http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=titledetails&titleno=517092&disp=Record+copy+wills%2C+1858%2D1925%20%20&columns=*,0,0 District Registries] for 1858-1925 are available on microfilm at the Family History Library. <br>


[[Category:London Probate Records]]
[[Category:England|England]]

Revision as of 09:45, 19 May 2009

England Gotoarrow.png London

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/her heirs. 

In order to find a probate record for your ancestor, you must answer two questions:

  1. When did your ancestor die?
  2. Where did your ancestor live or own property?

A key date is 1858, when probate authority was taken from the ecclesiatical courts of the Church of England and given to the civil government. 

  • If your ancestor died before 1858, his/her probate would have been proven by an ecclesiatical court and it is important to know where he/she lived, as that will determine which courts had jurisdiction. 
  • If you know where your ancestor lived before 1858, you should go to the Court Jurisdictions section below to determine what courts had jurisdiction over your ancestor's place of residence. 
  • Beginning in 1858, probate authority was vested in the Principal Probate Registry system.  For more information, scroll to the Post-1857 Probate Records section at the bottom of the page.

Once you have answered the two questions and determined the courts, look for indexes.  Indexes will be found on the individual court pages (when you click on a court name) or in the Probate Indexes section below.


London Probate Courts[edit | edit source]

The following courts had some probate jurisdiction over London 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, people who died outside of the country but had property in England, 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:

The Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury also served as an appeals court.

Historical Background[edit | edit source]

Probate records of the City of London commence from as early as 1374 up to 1857. There are several probate court jurisdictions for the City of London, some of which hold extensive probate record coverage for the city  and there are a few smaller court jurisdictions which only pertain to a small handful of parishes.

If you know in which parish your ancestor may have died or lived, go to the "London Parishes and Their Probate Jurisdictions" section (below) and search by parish name in order to determine the correct or most likely probate court to search, first.

Next, see the above links to each London probate court jurisdictions in order to obtain further information for researching in the prime probate court for a will.

If a search in the most likely probate court jurisidiction proves unsuccessful, then search the next court as listed in ranked order, i.e. "no. 2", and etc.

Starting Your Search in Indexes[edit | edit source]

1. First search each index which you will find listed under the name of the particular probate court jurisdiction (see the "London Probate Courts" listed above) to help you more quickly find the will, writing down all details cited in the indexed entry.

2. Once you have found the name of an ancestor and the probate jurisdiction in which a will or administration (admon) was probated, next proceed to the "Probate Records of This Court" (appears below this section) to determine what original probate records exist for this court and years appertaining.

3. You can also contact or visit the particualr London archives where the original records are held, or, hire a professional record searcher to view these records on your behalf. Officials may send upon written request a list of record searchers.

4. Visit The Family History Library, or, one of its 4,500 satellite family history centers worldwide and search indexes to probate records. Then with the information obtained from the index[es] you can more quickly locate the original wills and admons which are on microfilm, via any family history centers near you.

Some Explanatory Notes on the London Court[edit | edit source]

London Parishes and Their Court Jurisdictions[edit | edit source]

Here is a list of London parishes (see the Table below) from A to Z and the pre-1858 courts that had probate jurisdiction over them (click on the letter links).

Before 1858, every parish was under the probate jurisdiction of a primary court and several secondary courts.  For an alphabetical list of London City parishes and the courts that had jurisdiction over them, click on the link for the letter that a parish name begins with:

 A-F  G-R  S-St A-C  St D-H  St I-S  St T-Z


Probate Indexes Online[edit | edit source]

Before looking for a will, you should search an index.

http://www.originsnetwork.com/help/popup-aboutbo-acl2.htm

Archdeaconry Court of London Wills Index 1750-1800

http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/Corporation/applications/wills/index.htm

London Signatures currently includes 10,000 Archdeaconry Court of Middlesex Wills (AM/PW), covering the period 1609 -1810, and 23,500 Diocese of Winchester, Commissary for the Archdeaconry of Surrey marriage bonds (DW/MP), for the period 1673 - 1850.

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

Surrey & South London Will Abstracts1470-1856
This extraordinary collection is one of the most valuable on British Origins. It contains fully indexed abstracts of every Surrey will known to still exist, over 28,000 of them, dating from the 15th to 19th centuries; nearly all the originals are held at the London Metropolitan Archives.

The abstracts include all personal names (testator, beneficiaries, executors, witnesses, overseers, and others) with their relationships, place names, occupations, monetary and other bequests, and descriptions of lands. The indexes include the names of every person mentioned - over a half of a million names - places mentioned (many outside Surrey), subjects (eg occupations) mentioned in the wills, and of dates.

http://www.history.ac.uk/gh/invent.htm

Guildhall Library Manuscripts Section
Indexes to Probate Inventories of the Peculiar Court of the Dean and Chapter of St Paul's Cathedral

The probate inventories of the Peculiar Court of the Dean and Chapter of St. Paul's date from 1660 to 1725. They are arranged in yearly (mostly) and half-yearly bundles. Within each bundle they are arranged chronologically by the date they were exhibited in the court. There are 77 bundles now numbered as Guildhall Library Ms 19504/1-77.

http://www.history.ac.uk/gh/probate.htm

PROBATE RECORDS (WILLS AND ADMINISTRATIONS) AT GUILDHALL LIBRARY

http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/07261AAF-7E1D-49F6-B92A-F4319EB6AB59/0/wills.PDF

WILLS IN LONDON METROPOLITAN ARCHIVES AND ELSEWHERE

http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/Corporation/LGNL_Services/Leisure_and_culture/

Records_and_archives/About_LMA/Volunteers.htm

Diocese of London Consistory Court Wills index

This index contains 31,000 entries of wills and letters of administration (granting authority to an executor when a person died intestate) compiled from the London Diocesan Court registers (DL/C/354-416). Near complete coverage is provided for the years 1514-1858 (please note there are no registers for the years 1521-1539 and 1642-1670).

http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/Wills/Wills1.html

Commissary Court of London  Will Abstracts Volume 26 (1629-1634)

 

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.

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