Surrey Probate Records: Difference between revisions

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Latest revision as of 16:42, 19 July 2023

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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. This article is about probate records in the county of Surrey. For general information about English probate records, click here.

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

Before 1858

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

Step 1. Search indexes

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

Surrey & South London Will Abstracts 1470-1856. This collection, on both findmypast and the Origins website, contains fully indexed abstracts of every Surrey will known to still exist, over 28,000 of them, dating from the 15th to 19th centuries. These area subscription websites.
The Surrey Plus Wills Index. This website provides an index to names of all people appearing in the wills of testators residing in the county of Surrey (and nine other neighboring counties). Links are provided to transcripts of wills, where available.
Prerogative Court of Canterbury wills (1384 - 1858)

Did you find a reference to a probate records?

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 Surrey was under the probate jurisdiction of a primary court and one or more secondary courts. Click on a link below for the letter the parish begins with:

A

B

C

D-F

G-K

L-N

O-R

S-U

V-Z

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:

Surrey 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.

Surrey Probate Courts

These courts had some probate jurisdiction over Surrey before 1858. For more information, click on a court name.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-For an explantion of probate records in England, click [[England Probate Records|here.]]
+{{Surrey-sidebar}}{{breadcrumb
+| link1=[[England Genealogy|England]]
+| link2=[[Surrey, England Genealogy|Surrey]]
+| link3=
+| link4=
+| link5=[[Surrey_Probate_Records|Probate Records]]
+}}
-{| cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" width="95%" align="center" border="1"
+<br>
-|-
-! style="background: #ffdead" width="15%" | PARISH
-! style="background: #ffdead" width="40%" | PRIMARY COURT
-! style="background: #ffdead" width="40%" | SECONDARY COURTS - IN SEARCH ORDER
-|-
-| Abinger
-| Court of the Archdeaconry of Surrey
-| Pre-1662
-- Court of the Bishop of Winchester (Episcopal Consistory)
-- Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
+== Getting Started  ==
-Post-1661
+''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 the county of Surrey. For general information about English probate records, click [[England Probate Records|here]].<br>
-- Court of the Commissary of the Bishop of Winchester in the Archdeaconry of Surrey
+=== 1858 to the Present  ===
-- Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
+Beginning in 1858, the [[Principal Probate Registry|Principal Probate Registry]] had the authority&nbsp;for probating estates. Click on the link to learn more.
-|-
+==== Online Records ====
-| Addington
-| Pre-1846 - Court of the Peculiar of the Archbishop of Canterbury in the Deaneries of Arches, Croydon, and Shoreham;
-Post-1845 - Court of the Bishop of Canterbury (Episcopal Consistory)
-| 2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
+*'''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
-|-
-| Addlestone
-| Court of the Archdeaconry of Surrey
-| Pre-1662
-- Court of the Bishop of Winchester (Episcopal Consistory)
-- Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
+=== Before 1858  ===
-Post-1661
+Before 1858, Church of England ecclesiastical courts had authority for this process. To search for a pre-1858 probate record in Surrey, follow these steps;
-- Court of the Commissary of the Bishop of Winchester in the Archdeaconry of Surrey
+==== Step 1. Search indexes  ====
-- Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
+Here are some online indexes to probate records that include individuals who lived in Surrey. Search these indexes first:
-|-
+*'''Surrey &amp; South London Will Abstracts 1470-1856'''. This collection, on both [http://search.findmypast.co.uk/search-world-Records/surrey-and-south-london-will-abstracts-1470-1856?_ga=1.205155344.104314983.1415224096 findmypast] and the [http://www.originsnetwork.com/help/popup-aboutbo-surrwills.htm Origins website], contains fully indexed abstracts of every Surrey will known to still exist, over 28,000 of them, dating from the 15th to 19th centuries. These area subscription websites.
-| Albury
+*[http://sites.rootsweb.com/~engsurry/ The Surrey Plus Wills Index]. This website provides an index to names of all people appearing in the wills of testators residing in the county of Surrey (and nine other neighboring counties). Links are provided to transcripts of wills, where available.
-| Court of the Archdeaconry of Surrey
+*[https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/wills-or-administrations-before-1858/ Prerogative Court of Canterbury wills (1384 - 1858)]
-| Pre-1662
-- Court of the Bishop of Winchester (Episcopal Consistory)
-- Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
+Did you find a reference to a probate records?
-Post-1661
+*If ''yes'', go to '''Step 4''' below.
+*If ''no'', go to '''Step 2''' below.
-- Court of the Commissary of the Bishop of Winchester in the Archdeaconry of Surrey
+==== Step 2. Identify when and where your ancestor died  ====
-- Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
+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:
-| Alfold
-| Court of the Archdeaconry of Surrey
-| Pre-1662
-- Court of the Bishop of Winchester (Episcopal Consistory)
-- Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
+*[https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/descriptions/index.jsp Vision of Britain]
-Post-1661
+The gazetteer will either tell you:
-- Court of the Commissary of the Bishop of Winchester in the Archdeaconry of Surrey
+*A place is a parish, or
+*What parish it is a part of, or
+*What place it is near.
-- Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
+If the latter, look that place up in the gazetteer and see if it is a parish.
-|-
+<br>Once you have identified the parish, go to '''Step 3.'''
-| Ash
-| Court of the Archdeaconry of Surrey
-| Pre-1662
-- Court of the Bishop of Winchester (Episcopal Consistory)
-- Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
+==== Step 3. Identify court jurisdictions by parish  ====
-Post-1661
+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 Surrey was under the probate jurisdiction of a primary court and one or more secondary courts. Click on a link below for the letter the parish begins with:
-- Court of the Commissary of the Bishop of Winchester in the Archdeaconry of Surrey
+{| cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1" border="1" style="width: 348px; height: 24px"
+|-
+| &nbsp; [[Surrey Probate Jurisdictions, Parishes A|A]]
+| &nbsp; [[Surrey Probate Jurisdictions, Parishes beginning with B|B]]
+| &nbsp; [[Surrey Probate Jurisdictions, Parishes beginning with C|C]]
+| &nbsp; [[Surrey Probate Jurisdictions, Parishes D through F|D-F]]
+| &nbsp; [[Surrey Probate Jurisdictions, Parishes G through K|G-K]]
+| &nbsp; [[Surrey Probate Jurisdictions, Parishes L through N|L-N]]
+| &nbsp; [[Surrey Probate Jurisdictions, Parishes O through R|O-R]]
+| &nbsp; [[Surrey Probate Jurisdictions, Parishes S through U|S-U]]
+| &nbsp; [[Surrey Probate Jurisdictions, Parishes V through Z|V-Z]]
+|}
-- 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:
-| Ashtead
-| Court of the Archdeaconry of Surrey
-| Pre-1662
-- Court of the Bishop of Winchester (Episcopal Consistory)
-- Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
+*{{FSC|330406|subject_id|disp=Surrey 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.
-Post-1661
+== Surrey Probate Courts  ==
-- Court of the Commissary of the Bishop of Winchester in the Archdeaconry of Surrey
+These courts had some probate jurisdiction over Surrey before 1858.&nbsp; For more information, click on a court name.
-- Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
+*[[Court of the Archdeaconry of Surrey]]
+*[[Court of the Commissary of the Bishop of Winchester in the Archdeaconry of Surrey]]
+*[[Court of the Bishop of Winchester]] (Episcopal Consistory)
+*[[Court of the Bishop of London (Episcopal Consistory)]]
+*[[Court of the Bishop of Canterbury]] (Episcopal Consistory)
+*[[Courts of the Bishop (Episcopal Consistory) and Archdeaconry of Winchester]]
+*[[Court of the Deanery of the Arches of London, Croydon, Shoreham (Peculiar of the Archbishop of Canterbury)]]
+*[[Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury]]
+<br>
-|}
+[[Category:Surrey Probate Records|Probate]]