Leicestershire Probate Records: Difference between revisions

From FamilySearch Wiki
No edit summary
 
(88 intermediate revisions by 20 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
For an explanation of probate records in England, click [[England Probate Records|here]].
{{Leicestershire-sidebar}}{{breadcrumb
| link1=[[England Genealogy|England]]
| link2=[[Leicestershire, England Genealogy|Leicestershire]]
| link3=
| link4=
| link5=[[Leicestershire_Probate_Records|Probate Records]]
}}


{| cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" width="95%" align="center" border="1"
== 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.
 
=== 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.
 
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/ 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 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.
 
{| width="472" border="1" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1"
|-
|-
! style="background: #ffdead" width="15%" | PARISH
| [[Leicestershire Probate Jurisdictions, Parishes A|A]]
! style="background: #ffdead" width="40%" | PRIMARY COURT
|  [[Leicestershire Probate Jurisdictions Parishes B through F|B-F]]
! style="background: #ffdead" width="40%" | SECONDARY COURTS - IN SEARCH ORDER
| [[Leicestershire Probate Jurisdictions Parishes G through M|G-M]]
|-
| [[Leicestershire Probate Jurisdictions Parishes N through Z|N-R]]
| Ab Kettleby
| [[Leicestershire Probate Jurisdictions Parishes S through Z|S-Z]]
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester  
|}
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
 
|-
<br>
| Alexton
 
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester  
If you do not know a parish, search the [[Court of the Archdeacon of Leicester|Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester]].
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
 
|-
==== Step 4. Obtain a copy of the probate record  ====
| Anstey
 
| Court of the Peculiar of Groby
Once you have found an index reference to a probate, obtain a copy of the record. Do so by one of these methods:
| 2 - Court of the Carchdeaconry of Leicester
 
3 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
*{{FSC|453780|subject_id|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>
*Visit or contact the record office that has the original records in its collection.
 
== Leicestershire Probate Courts  ==
 
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.
 
*[[Court of the Peculiar of the Manor of Evington (Commissary Court)]]
*[[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>


|-
=== Some Explanatory Notes About the Leicestershire Probate Courts  ===
| Anstey Pastures
| Search the courts of the surrounding parishes
| .
|-
| Appleby
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Arnesby
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Asfordby
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Ashby de la Zouch
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Ashby de la Zouch Holy Trinity
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Ashby Folville
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Ashby Magna
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Ashby Parva
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Aston Flamville
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Aylestone
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Bagworth
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Bardon
| Search the courts of the surrounding parishes
| .
|-
| Barkby
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Barkby Thorpe
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Barkestone
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Barlestone
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Barrow upon Soar
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Barsby
| Court of the Peculiar of the Manor of Rothley
| 2 - Court of the Carchdeaconry of Leicester
3 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury


|-
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.  
| Barwell
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester  
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Beaumont Leys
| Search the courts of the surrounding parishes
| .
|-
| Beeby
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Belgrave
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Belton
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Belvoir Castle
| Search the courts of the surrounding parishes
| .
|-
| Bescaby
| Search the courts of the surrounding parishes
| .
|-
| Billesdon
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Bilstone
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Birstall
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Bitteswell
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Blaby
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Blaston
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Bosworth, Husbands
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Bosworth, Market
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Bottesford
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Bowden, Great
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Bradgate Park
| Search the courts of the surrounding parishes
| .
|-
| Branston
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Braunstone
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Braunstone Frith
| Search the courts of the surrounding parishes
| .
|-
| Breedon on the Hill
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Bringhurst
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Brooksby
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Broughton Astley
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Broughton, Nether
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Bruntingthorpe
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Buckminster
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Burbage
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Burrough on the Hill
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Burton Overy
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Cadeby
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Carlton
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Carlton Curlieu
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Castle Donington
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Catthorpe
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Charley
| Search the courts of the surrounding parishes
| .
|-
| Clawson, Long
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Claybrooke
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Coalville
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Cole Orton
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Congerstone
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Cosby
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Cossington
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Coston
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Cotesbach
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Countesthorpe
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Cranoe
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Croft
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Croxton Kerrial
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Croxton, South
| Court of the Peculiar of the Manor of Rothley
| 2 - Court of the Carchdeaconry of Leicester
3 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury


|-
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.
| Dadlington
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Dalby, Great
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Dalby, Little
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Dalby, Old
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Desford
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Diseworth
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Dishley
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Drayton, Fenny
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Dunton Bassett
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Earl Shilton
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Easton, Great
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Eastwell
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Eaton
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester  
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Edmondthorpe
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Elmersthorpe
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Enderby
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Evington
| Court of the Peculiar of the Manor of Evington
| 2 - Court of the Carchdeaconry of Leicester
3 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury


|-
<br>
| Fleckney
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Foston
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Foxton
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Freakes Ground
| Search the courts of the surrounding parishes
| .
|-
| Freeby
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Frisby
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Frisby on the Wreak
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
|-
| Frolesworth
| Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester
| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury


|}
[[Category:Leicestershire Probate Records]]

Latest revision as of 13:50, 21 May 2024

Leicestershire Wiki Topics
File:Flag_of_Leicestershire.png
Beginning Research
Record Types
Leicestershire Background
Local Research Resources

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 Leicestershire. 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]

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 Leicestershire, follow these steps:

Step 1. Search Indexes[edit | edit source]

Online Index and Images

Leicestershire Wills and Probate Records, 1500-1939 at findmypast.

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,[1] Leicester and throu
gh the FamilySearch Library and branches. 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[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:

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 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.

A B-F G-M N-R S-Z


If you do not know a parish, search the Court of the Archdeaconry of Leicester.

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:

Leicestershire Probate Courts[edit | edit source]

Most of Leicestershire was under the pre-1858 probate jurisdiction of the 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[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.