Leicestershire Probate Records: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 10:22, 29 May 2009

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:

When did your ancestor die?
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.

Leicestershire Probate Courts
[edit | edit source]

Court of the Manor of Evington

Court of the Peculiar of Groby

Court of the Peculiar of Old Dalby

Court of the Manor of Merevale

Court of the Manor of Rothley

Court of the Peculiar of St. Margaret in Leicester

Court of the Archdeacon of Leicester

Court of the Dean and Chapter of Lincoln (Cathedral)

Court of the Bishop of Lincoln

Court of the Bishop of Lichfield

Some Explanatory Notes About the Leicestershire Probate Courts[edit | edit source]

The Archdeaconry of Leicester is not technically a superior jurisdiction of the other courts, but as the largest court of original jurisdiction in the county it will often contain probate records of persons who resided in the other jurisdictions.

Since there are no known records for the Court of the Peculiar of Old Dalby, it should be treated as though it belonged to the Court of the Archdeacon of Leicester.

Probate Court Jurisdictions[edit | edit source]

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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-{{Leicestershire-sidebar}}{{breadcrumb
+[[England]]&nbsp;[[Image:Gotoarrow.png]] [[Leicestershire]]
-| link1=[[England Genealogy|England]]
-| link2=[[Leicestershire, England Genealogy|Leicestershire]]
+For an explanation of probate records in England, click [[England Probate Records|here]].
-| link3=
-| link4=
-| link5=[[Leicestershire_Probate_Records|Probate Records]]
-}}
 == Getting Started  ==
-''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 Leicestershire. See [[England Probate Records]] for a general description of probate records in England.
+Probate is the legal court process by which the estate of a deceased person is distributed to his/her&nbsp;heirs.&nbsp;
-=== 1858 to the Present  ===
-Beginning in 1858, the [[Principal Probate Registry|Principal Probate Registry]] had the authority for probating estates. Click on the link to learn more.
-==== Online Records ====
-*'''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
-*'''1858-1995''' [https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1904/ England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1995] at Ancestry ($)
-*'''1858-2019''' [https://search.findmypast.co.uk/search-world-records/england-and-wales-government-probate-death-index-1858-2019 England & Wales Government Probate Death Index 1858-2019] at Findmypast ($)
-=== Before 1858  ===
-Before 1858, Church of England ecclesiastical courts had authority for this process. To search for a pre-1858 probate record in Leicestershire, follow these steps:
-==== Step 1. Search Indexes  ====
-'''Online Index and Images'''
-[http://search.findmypast.co.uk/search-world-Records/leicestershire-wills-and-probate-records-1500-1939 Leicestershire Wills and Probate Records, 1500-1939] at findmypast.
-[http://books.google.com/books?id=Jj8EAAAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_similarbooks_r&cad=2 Calendars of wills and administrations relating to the county of Leicester], proved in the Archdeaconry Court of Leicester, 1495-1649 : and in the Peculiars of St. Margaret Leicester, Rothley, Groby, Evington, and the unproved wills, etc., previous to 1801.
-'''Record Office'''
-Card index to probated wills, Leicestershire, 1750-1929 Microreproduction of cards housed at the Leicestershire Record Office,[http://www.leics.gov.uk/record_office.htm] Leicester and throu<br>gh the FamilySearch Library and branches. {{FSC|548482|title-id|disp=FS Library Collection}}
-Did you find a reference to a probate record?
-*If ''yes'', go to '''Step 4''' below.
-*If ''no'', go to '''Step 2''' below.
-==== Step 2. Identify when and where your ancestor died  ====
-Determine ''when'' your ancestor died. If you aren't sure, use an approximate date.
+In order to find a probate record for your ancestor, you must answer two questions:
-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:
+#When did your ancestor die?
+#Where did your ancestor live or own property?
-*[https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/ Vision of Britain]
+A key date is 1858, when probate authority was taken from the ecclesiatical courts of the Church of England and given to&nbsp;the civil government.&nbsp;
-The gazetteer will either tell you:
+*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.&nbsp;
+*If you know where your ancestor lived before 1858, you should go to the '''Court Jurisdictions'''&nbsp;section below&nbsp;to determine what courts had jurisdiction over your ancestor's place of residence.&nbsp;
+*Beginning in 1858, probate authority was&nbsp;vested in&nbsp;the '''Principal Probate Registry''' system.&nbsp; For more information, scroll to the '''Post-1857 Probate Records''' section at the bottom of the page.
-*A place is a parish, or
+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.<br><br>
-*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.
+== Leicestershire Probate Courts<br> ==
-Once you have identified the parish, go to '''Step 3'''.
+Court of the Manor of Evington
-==== Step 3. Identify court jurisdictions by parish  ====
+Court of the Peculiar of Groby
-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 Leicestershire 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.
+Court of the Peculiar of Old Dalby
-{| width="472" border="1" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1"
+Court of the Manor of Merevale
-|-
-|  [[Leicestershire Probate Jurisdictions, Parishes A|A]]
-|  [[Leicestershire Probate Jurisdictions Parishes B through F|B-F]]
-|  [[Leicestershire Probate Jurisdictions Parishes G through M|G-M]]
-|  [[Leicestershire Probate Jurisdictions Parishes N through Z|N-R]]
-|  [[Leicestershire Probate Jurisdictions Parishes S through Z|S-Z]]
-|}
-<br>
+Court of the Manor of Rothley
-If you do not know a parish, search the [[Court of the Archdeacon of Leicester|Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester]].
+Court of the Peculiar of St. Margaret in Leicester
-==== Step 4. Obtain a copy of the probate record  ====
+Court of the Archdeacon of Leicester
-Once you have found an index reference to a probate, obtain a copy of the record. Do so by one of these methods:
+Court of the Dean and Chapter of Lincoln (Cathedral)
-*{{FSC|England, Leicestershire - Probate records|subject|subject-id=1713769746|disp=Leicestershire 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>
+Court of the Bishop of Lincoln
-*Visit or contact the record office that has the original records in its collection.
-== Leicestershire Probate Courts  ==
+Court of the Bishop of Lichfield
-Most of Leicestershire was under the pre-1858 probate jurisdiction of the [[Court of the Archdeacon of Leicester|Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester]]. The majority of probate searches will be in the records of this court and its superior courts. However, the following smaller courts also had some pre-1858 jurisdiction within the county. Click on a court name to learn about records and indexes.
+== Some Explanatory Notes About the Leicestershire Probate Courts  ==
-*[[Court of the Peculiar of the Manor of Evington (Commissary Court)]]
+The Archdeaconry of Leicester is not technically a superior jurisdiction of the other courts, but as the largest court of original jurisdiction in the county it will often contain probate records of persons who resided in the other jurisdictions.
-*[[Court of the Peculiar of Groby (Commissary Court)|Court of the Peculiar of Groby (Commissary Court)]]
-*[[Court of the Peculiar of Old Dalby|Court of the Peculiar of Old Dalby]]
-*[[Court of the Peculiar of the Manor of Merevale]]
-*[[Court of the Peculiar of the Manor of Rothley (Commissary Court)]]
-*[[Court of the Peculiar of the Prebendal of St. Margaret in Leicester]]
-*[[Court of the Peculiar of the Dean and Chapter of Lincoln]]
-*[[Court of the Bishop of Lincoln (Episcopal Consistory)|Court of the Bishop of Lincoln]]
-*[[Court of the Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry (Episcopal Consistory)]]
-*[[Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury]]
-<br>
+Since there are no known records for the Court of the Peculiar of Old Dalby, it should be treated as though it belonged to the Court of the Archdeacon of Leicester.
-=== Some Explanatory Notes About the Leicestershire Probate Courts  ===
+== Probate Court Jurisdictions  ==
-The Archdeaconry of Leicester is not technically a superior jurisdiction of the other courts, but as the largest court of original jurisdiction in the county it will often contain probate records of persons who resided in the other jurisdictions.
+== Post-1857 Probate Records  ==
-Since there are no known records for the Court of the Peculiar of Old Dalby, it should be treated as though it belonged to the Court of the Archdeacon of Leicester.
+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].
-<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 records for 1858-1925 are available on microfilm at the Family History Library.<br>
-[[Category:Leicestershire Probate Records]]
+[[Category:England|England]]