Wiltshire Probate Records: Difference between revisions

VisualWikitext

Latest revision as of 13:00, 1 February 2024

Wiltshire Wiki Topics

Beginning Research

Record Types

Wiltshire Background

Local Research Resources

England

Wiltshire

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

1858 to the Present

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

Online Records

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
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 Wiltshire, follow these steps:

Step 1. Search Indexes

Here are some online indexes to probate records that include individuals who lived in Wiltshire. Search these indexes first:

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

1. Wiltshire Wills and Probate Index 1530-1881 at Findmypast.com.

2. Wiltshire, England, Wills and Probate, 1530-1858 at Ancestry.com.

3. Wiltshire Wills Project

This catalogue gives access to wills and other probate records of the diocese of Salisbury which used to cover not only Wiltshire but also Berkshire (under certain circumstances) and parts of Dorset and Devon. You can search for people by name, place, occupation and date. The collection covers 1540-1858. Searching the catalogue is FREE. In addition there are digital images for some of the documents (just over 25%) which can be viewed following on-line payment or free of charge by people visiting the Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre.

3. Wills at Salisbury 1464-1858 online at Findmypast.com; also FS Library Books
4. http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/BRKwills/

Collection of about 1000 abstracts of probate documents relating to people residing in the neighbourhood of the towns of Hungerford and Wantage in Berkshire. Since Hungerford is on the county boundary there is some spread into Wiltshire and to a lesser extent into Hampshire and Oxfordshire. These wills cover from about 1500 up to 1858. Names of all persons mentioned in the abstracts have been indexed and amount to over 6000 references.

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.

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

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 Wiltshire 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-G

H-K

L-M

N-R

S

T-V

W-Z

Search the courts in the order given. Search indexes first. For indexes covering more than one court, see below. For court-specific indexes, click on the name of a court above.

If you do not know where in Wiltshire your ancestor lived or owned property, search the indexes to each court if necessary. Lastly, search the index to the Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Step 4. Obtain a copy of the probate record

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

Wiltshire 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.

Wiltshire Probate Courts

These courts had some probate jurisdiction in Wiltshire prior to 1858:

Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury

Some Explanatory Notes Wiltshire Courts

All prebends of Salisbury Cathedral were inhibited for six months triennially by the Court of the Peculiar of the Dean of Salisbury Cathedral.

The Court of Arches of Canterbury was a court of appeal fo r the province of Canterbury. However, the royal peculiars and the peculiars of the Archbishop were exempt.

The Court of Delegates was also a court of appeal for the provinces of Canterbury and York, including their peculiars, royal peculiars, and the Irish probate courts.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-For an explanation of probate records in England, click [[England_Probate_Records|here.]]
+{{Wiltshire-sidebar}}{{breadcrumb
+| link1=[[England Genealogy|England]]
+| link2=[[Wiltshire, England Genealogy|Wiltshire]]
+| link3=
+| link4=
+| link5=[[Wiltshire_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 Wiltshire 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
+*'''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 Wiltshire, follow these steps:
+==== Step 1. Search Indexes  ====
+Here are some online indexes to probate records that include individuals who lived in Wiltshire. Search these indexes first:
+Before looking for a will, you should search an index. <br><br>1. [https://search.findmypast.com/search-world-records/wiltshire-wills-and-probate-index-1530-1881 Wiltshire Wills and Probate Index 1530-1881] at Findmypast.com.
+. [https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/61333/ Wiltshire, England, Wills and Probate, 1530-1858] at Ancestry.com.
+. [https://wshc.org.uk/wiltshire-wills-project.html Wiltshire Wills Project]
+:This catalogue gives access to wills and other probate records of the diocese of Salisbury which used to cover not only Wiltshire but also Berkshire (under certain circumstances) and parts of Dorset and Devon. You can search for people by name, place, occupation and date. The collection covers 1540-1858. Searching the catalogue is FREE. In addition there are digital images for some of the documents (just over 25%) which can be viewed following on-line payment or free of charge by people visiting the Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre.
+<br>3. [https://search.findmypast.co.uk/search-world-records/wiltshire-salisbury-wills-index-1464-1858 Wills at Salisbury 1464-1858 online] at Findmypast.com; also {{FSC|1647597|title-id|disp=FS Library Books}}<br>4. http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/BRKwills/ <br>
+Collection of about 1000 abstracts of probate documents relating to people residing in the neighbourhood of the towns of Hungerford and Wantage in Berkshire. Since Hungerford is on the county boundary there is some spread into Wiltshire and to a lesser extent into Hampshire and Oxfordshire. These wills&nbsp;cover from about 1500 up to&nbsp;1858. Names of all persons mentioned in the abstracts have been indexed and amount to over 6000 references.
+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 ''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]
+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  ====
+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 Wiltshire 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.
+{| cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1" width="472" border="1"
+|-
+| &nbsp;[[Wiltshire Probate Jurisdictions, Parishes A|A]]
+| &nbsp;[[Wiltshire Probate Jurisdictions, Parishes B|B]]
+| &nbsp;[[Wiltshire Probate Jurisdictions, Parishes C|C]]
+| &nbsp;[[Wiltshire Probate Jurisdictions, Parishes D-G|D-G]]
+| &nbsp;[[Wiltshire Probate Jurisdictions, Parishes H-K|H-K]]
+| &nbsp;[[Wiltshire Probate Jurisdictions, Parishes L-M|L-M]]
+| &nbsp;[[Wiltshire Probate Jurisdictions, Parishes N-R|N-R]]
+| &nbsp;[[Wiltshire Probate Jurisdictions, Parishes S|S]]
+| &nbsp;[[Wiltshire Probate Jurisdictions, Parishes T-V|T-V]]
+| &nbsp;[[Wiltshire Probate Jurisdictions, Parishes W-Z|W-Z]]
+|}
+<br>Search the courts in the order given.&nbsp; Search indexes first.&nbsp; For indexes covering more than one court, see below.&nbsp; For court-specific indexes, click on the name of a court above. <br><br>If you do not know where in&nbsp;Wiltshire your ancestor lived or owned property, search the indexes to&nbsp;each court if necessary.&nbsp; Lastly, search the index to the [[Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury|Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury]].
+==== Step 4. Obtain a copy of the probate record  ====
+Once you have found an index reference to a probate, obtain a copy of the record. Do so by one of these methods:
+*{{FSC|467107|subject_id|disp=Wiltshire 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.
+== Wiltshire Probate Courts  ==
+These courts had some probate jurisdiction in Wiltshire prior to 1858:
+*[[Court of the Archdeaconry of Salisbury|Court of the Archdeaconry of Salisbury]]
+*[[Court of the Archdeaconry of the Sub-Dean of Salisbury]]
+*[[Court of the Archdeaconry of Wiltshire|Court of the Archdeaconry of Wiltshire]]
+*[[Court of the Bishop of Salisbury (Episcopal Consistory)]]
+*[[Courts of the Bishop (Episcopal Consistory) and Archdeaconry of Winchester|Courts of the Bishop (Episcopal Consistory) and Archdeaconry of Winchester]]
+*[[Court of the Bishop of Gloucester (Episcopal Consistory)|Court of the Bishop of Gloucester (Episcopal Consistory)]]
+*[[Court of the Bishop of Hereford (Episcopal Consistory)|Court of the Bishop of Hereford (Episcopal Consistory)]]&nbsp;
+*[[Court of the Bishop of Worcester (Episcopal Consistory)|Court of the Bishop of Worcester (Episcopal Consistory)]]
+*[[Court of the Peculiar of the Prebendal of Bishopstone]]
+*[[Court of the Peculiar of the Treasurer of Salisbury in the Prebendal of Calne|Court of the Peculiar of the Treasurer of Salisbury in the Prebendal of Calne]]&nbsp;
+*[[Court of the Peculiar of Castle Combe]]
+*[[Court of the Peculiar of the Prebendal of Chute and Chisenbury|Court of the Peculiar&nbsp;of the Prebendal&nbsp;of Chute and Chisenbury]]&nbsp;
+*[[Court of the Peculiar of the Prebendal of Coombe and Harnham|Court of the Peculiar&nbsp;of the Prebendal&nbsp;of Coombe and Harnham]]
+*[[Court of the Peculiar of the Perpetual Vicar of Corsham]]
+*[[Court of the Peculiar of the Prebendal of Durnford|Court of the Peculiar&nbsp;of the Prebendal&nbsp;of Durnford]]&nbsp;
+*[[Court of the Peculiar of the Prebendal of Highworth|Court of the Peculiar&nbsp;of the Prebendal&nbsp;of Highworth]]&nbsp;
+*[[Court of the Peculiar of the Prebendal of Hurstbourne and Burbage|Court of the Peculiar&nbsp;of the Prebendal&nbsp;of Hurstbourne and Burbage]]&nbsp;
+*[[Court of the Peculiar of the Prebendal of Netheravon|Court of the Peculiar&nbsp;of the Prebendal&nbsp;of Netheravon]]
+*[[Court of the Peculiar of the Dean of Salisbury|Court of the Peculiar of the Dean of Salisbury]]
+*[[Court of the Peculiar of the Dean and Chapter of Salisbury|Court of the Peculiar of the Dean and Chapter of Salisbury]]
+*[[Court of the Peculiar of the Precentor of Salisbury|Court of the Peculiar of the Precentor of Salisbury]]
+*[[Court of the Peculiar of the Lord Wardon of Savernake Forest|Court of the Peculiar of the Lord Wardon of Savernake Forest]]
+*[[Court of the Peculiar of the Prebendal of Wilsford and Woodford|Court of the Peculiar of the Prebendal of Wilsford and Woodford]]
+*[[Court of the Peculiar of the Dean and Canons of Windsor in Wantage|Court of the Peculiar of the Dean and Canons of Windsor in Wantage]]
+*[[Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury]] <br>
+== Some Explanatory Notes Wiltshire Courts  ==
+All prebends of Salisbury Cathedral were inhibited for six months triennially by the Court of the Peculiar of the Dean of Salisbury Cathedral.
+The Court of Arches of Canterbury was a court of appeal fo r the province of Canterbury. However, the royal peculiars and the peculiars of the Archbishop were exempt.
+The Court of Delegates was also a court of appeal for the provinces of Canterbury and York, including their peculiars, royal peculiars, and the Irish probate courts.
+<br>
+[[Category:Wiltshire Probate Records|Probate]]