Sussex Probate Records: Difference between revisions

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Probate Records

Online Resources[edit | edit source]

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. Probate records include wills and administrations. This article is about probate records in Sussex. See England Probate Records for a general description of probate records in England.

1858 to the Present[edit | edit source]

Beginning in 1858, the Principal Probate Registry had the authority for probating estates. Click on the link to learn more.

Online Records[edit | edit source]

1858-1957 England and Wales, National Index of Wills and Administrations, 1858-1957 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
1858-1995 England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1995 at Ancestry ($); index
1858-2018 England and Wales Government Probate Death Index, 1858-2018 at Findmypast ($) index

Before 1858[edit | edit source]

Before 1858, Church of England ecclesiastical courts had authority for this process. To search for a pre-1858 probate record in Sussex, follow these steps:

Step 1. Search Indexes[edit | edit source]

Wills from various parishes in Sussex have been indexed and made available online for free. See Sussex Online Parish Clerks to find these indexes.

1482-1858 West Sussex, England, Wills and Probate, 1482-1858 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
1518-1858 East Sussex, England, Wills and Probate, 1518-1858 at Ancestry — index & images ($)

https://sfhg.uk/resources/indexes/wills/names-from-wills-- compiled by the Sussex Family History Group which has transcribed the names of 12,300 individuals found in Sussex wills, including testators, executors, beneficiaries or witnesses. The information recorded includes name, date and place.
The Sussex Record Society has published four volumes of indexes to Sussex wills, and these can be viewed on their Website. They are arranged by parish then by surname.
Prerogative Court of Canterbury wills (1384-1858).

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[edit | edit source]

Determine when your ancestor died. If you aren't sure, use an approximate date.

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 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:

Vision of Britain

The gazetteer will either tell you:

A place is a parish, or
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.

Once you have identified the parish, go to Step 3.

Step 3. Identify court jurisdictions by parish[edit | edit source]

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 Sussex 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.

A

B

C

D-F

G

H-K

L-M

N-P

Q-R

S

T-Z

Step 4. Obtain a copy of the probate record[edit | edit source]

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

Sussex England Probate Records(*) at FamilySearch Catalog - some images may only be available at a FamilySearch Center or FamilySearch Affiliate Library.
Visit or contact the record office that has the original records in its collection. Sussex has two record offices, the East Sussex Record Office and the West Sussex Record Office. If you are unable to visit a record office, they both provide a research service for a fee.

Sussex Probate Courts[edit | edit source]

Here is a list of all of the pre-1858 ecclesiastical courts that had probate jurisdiction over Sussex. For more information, click on a court name.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-''[[England]]&nbsp;[[Image:Gotoarrow.png]] [[Sussex]]''
+{{Sussex-sidebar}}{{breadcrumb
+| link1=[[England Genealogy|England]]
+| link2=[[Sussex, England Genealogy|Sussex]]
+| link3=
+| link4=
+| link5=[[Sussex_Probate_Records|Probate Records]]
+}}
+==Online Resources==
+*
 == Getting Started  ==
-''Probate'' is the legal court process by which the estate of a deceased person is distributed to his or her heirs. This article is about probate records in Sussex. For a general description of England probate records, 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 Sussex. See [[England Probate Records]] for a general description of probate records in England.
 === 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 ($); index
+*'''1858-2018''' [https://search.findmypast.com/search-world-records/england-and-wales-government-probate-death-index-1858-2019 England and Wales Government Probate Death Index, 1858-2018] at Findmypast ($) index
 === Before 1858  ===
@@ Line 15: / Line 30: @@
 ==== Step 1. Search Indexes  ====
-Here are some online indexes to probate records that include invididuals who lived in Sussex.&nbsp;Search these indexes first:
+Wills from various parishes in Sussex have been indexed and made available online for free. See [http://www.sussex-opc.org/ Sussex Online Parish Clerks] to find these indexes.
-*[http://www.familyhistoryonline.net/database/SussexFHGprobate.shtml http://www.familyhistoryonline.net/database/SussexFHGprobate.shtml]&nbsp;-- compiled by the Sussex Family History Group which has transcribed the names of 12,300 individuals found in Sussex wills, including testators, executors, beneficiaries or witnesses.&nbsp;The information recorded includes name, date&nbsp;and place.
+*'''1482-1858''' [https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/62214/ West Sussex, England, Wills and Probate, 1482-1858] at Ancestry — index & images ($)
-*The [http://sussexrecordsociety.org/home2.asp?an=&ap= Sussex Record Society] has&nbsp;published four volumes of indexes to Sussex wills, and these&nbsp;can be viewed on&nbsp;their [http://sussexrecordsociety.org/bwills1.asp?an=&ap= website]. They are arranged by parish then by surname.&nbsp;
+*'''1518-1858''' [https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/62213/ East Sussex, England, Wills and Probate, 1518-1858] at Ancestry — index & images ($)
-*[http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/wills.asp?WT.hp=Wills Prerogative Court of Canterbury wills (1384 - 1858)].
-Did you find a reference to a probate record?
+*https://sfhg.uk/resources/indexes/wills/names-from-wills<nowiki/>-- compiled by the Sussex Family History Group which has transcribed the names of 12,300 individuals found in Sussex wills, including testators, executors, beneficiaries or witnesses. The information recorded includes name, date and place.
+*The [https://www.sussexrecordsociety.org/ Sussex Record Society] has published four volumes of indexes to Sussex wills, and these can be viewed on their [https://www.sussexrecordsociety.org/?s=Wills+index Website]. They are arranged by parish then by surname.
+*[https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C12122 Prerogative Court of Canterbury wills (1384-1858)].
-*If ''yes'', go to '''Step 4''' below.
+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.&nbsp;If you aren't sure, use an approximate date.&nbsp;
+Determine ''when'' your ancestor died. If you aren't sure, use an approximate date.
+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:
+*[https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/descriptions/index.jsp Vision of Britain]
-Determine ''where'' your ancestor died.&nbsp;It is easier to find a probate record if&nbsp;you know&nbsp;whether the place where your ancestor lived or died is a [[P_genealogical_glossary_terms|parish]]. To learn whether it is a parish,&nbsp;look it up in&nbsp;a gazetteer. Here are links to gazetteers online.
+The gazetteer will either tell you:
-*Vision of Britain
+*A place is a parish, or
+*What parish it is a part of, or
+*What place it is near.
-Once you have identified the parish, go to '''Step 3'''.
+If the latter, look that place up in the gazetteer and see if it is a parish.
-==== Step 3. Identify court jurisdictions by parish&nbsp;  ====
+Once you have identified the parish, go to '''Step 3'''.
-Before 1858, every town and parish in Sussex&nbsp;fell under the probate jurisdiction of a primary court and several secondary or superior courts.&nbsp; If you do not find reference to a probate record for your ancestor in&nbsp;the above&nbsp;indexes, you should search a court-specific index, but to do that you must identify the courts that had jurisdiction over the place where your ancestor lived.&nbsp;Click on the letter the name of your place begins with, then follow the steps found&nbsp;there.
+==== Step 3. Identify court jurisdictions by parish  ====
+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 Sussex 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.
 {| style="width: 660px; height: 25px" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1" width="660" border="1"
 |-
-| &nbsp;[[Sussex Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with 'A'|A]]&nbsp;&nbsp;
+|  [[Sussex Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with 'A'|A]]
-| &nbsp;[[Sussex Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with 'B'|B]]&nbsp;&nbsp;
+|  [[Sussex Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with 'B'|B]]
-| &nbsp;[[Sussex Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with 'C'|C]]&nbsp;&nbsp;
+|  [[Sussex Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with 'C'|C]]
-| &nbsp;[[Sussex Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with 'D-F'|D-F]]&nbsp;&nbsp;
+|  [[Sussex Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with 'D-F'|D-F]]
-| &nbsp;[[Sussex Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with 'G'|G]]&nbsp;&nbsp;
+|  [[Sussex Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with 'G'|G]]
-| &nbsp;[[Sussex Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with 'H-K'|H-K]]&nbsp;&nbsp;
+|  [[Sussex Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with 'H-K'|H-K]]
-| &nbsp;[[Sussex Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with 'L-M'|L-M]]&nbsp;&nbsp;
+|  [[Sussex Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with 'L-M'|L-M]]
-| &nbsp;[[Sussex Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with 'N-P'|N-P]]&nbsp;&nbsp;
+|  [[Sussex Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with 'N-P'|N-P]]
-| &nbsp;[[Sussex Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with 'Q-R'|Q-R]]&nbsp;&nbsp;
+|  [[Sussex Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with 'Q-R'|Q-R]]
-| &nbsp;[[Sussex Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with 'S'|S]]&nbsp;&nbsp;
+|  [[Sussex Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with 'S'|S]]
-| &nbsp;[[Sussex Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with 'T-Z'|T-Z]]&nbsp; &nbsp;
+|  [[Sussex Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with 'T-Z'|T-Z]]
 |}
 <br>
-==== Step 4.&nbsp;Obtain a copy of the probate record ====
+==== Step 4. Obtain a copy of the probate record  ====
-== Sussex Probate Courts  ==
+Once you have found an index reference to a probate, obtain a copy of the record. Do so by one of these methods:
-Here&nbsp;is a comprehensive list of the courts that had pre-1858 jurisdiction in Sussex with links to information about their records and indexes.
+*{{FSC|England, Sussex - Probate records|subject|subject-id=51161404|disp=Sussex 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. Sussex has two record offices, the [https://www.eastsussex.gov.uk/leisureandtourism/localandfamilyhistory/esro/ East Sussex Record Office] and the [https://www.westsussex.gov.uk/leisure-recreation-and-community/history-and-heritage/west-sussex-record-office/ West Sussex Record Office]. If you are unable to visit a record office, they both provide a research service for a fee.
-*West Sussex: [[Court of the Bishop (Episcopal Consistory) of Chichester for the Archdeaconry of Chichester]]
+== Sussex Probate Courts  ==
-*East Sussex: [[Court of the Bishop (Episcopal Consistory) of Chichester for the Archdeaconry of Lewes]].
-The majority of probate searches will be in the records of the above&nbsp;courts and their superior courts. However, the following courts also had some pre-1858 jurisdiction within the county.
+Here is a list of all of the pre-1858 ecclesiastical courts that had probate jurisdiction over Sussex. For more information, click on a court name.
-*[[Court of the Peculiar of the Exempt Jurisdiction of the Deanery of Battle]]
+*[[Court of the Bishop (Episcopal Consistory) of Chichester for the Archdeaconry of Chichester]]
-*[[Court of the Peculiar of the Archbishop of Canterbury for the Exempt Deaneries of Pagham and Tarring|Court of the Peculiar of the&nbsp;Archbishop of Canterbury for the Exempt Deaneries of Pagham and Tarring]]
+*[[Court of the Bishop (Episcopal Consistory) of Chichester for the Archdeaconry of Lewes]]
-*[[Courts of the Bishop (Episcopal Consistory) and Archdeaconry of Winchester]]
+*[[Court of the Peculiar of the Dean of Chichester]]
+*[[Court of the Peculiar of the Archbishop of Canterbury for the Exempt Deaneries of Pagham and Tarring]]
 *[[Court of the Peculiar of the Archbishop of Canterbury for the Exempt Deanery of South Malling]]
-*[[Court of the Peculiar of the Dean of Chichester]]
+*[[Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury]]
-In addition, the [[Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury]] had jurisdiction over the whole of England.
-=== Appeals Courts  ===
-Any probate that was disputed and could not be settled by the county courts could be sent to these higher appeals courts:
-*[[Court of Arches]]
-*[[High Court of Delegates]]
-The [[Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury]] also served as an appeals court.
-<br>
-== Estate Duty Records<br> ==
-Starting in 1796, a tax or death duty was payable on estates over a certain value. Estate duty abstracts may add considerable information not found elsewhere. Estate duty indexes may help locate a will. For more information, go to [[Estate Duty Records]].<br><br>
-<br>
 {{Place|Sussex}}
-[[Category:Sussex]]
+[[Category:Sussex Probate Records|
+Probate]]