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Nottinghamshire Probate Records: Difference between revisions

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''[[England]] [[Image:Gotoarrow.png]] [[Nottinghamshire|Nottinghamshire]]''
{{Nottinghamshire-sidebar}}{{breadcrumb
| link1=[[England Genealogy|England]]
| link2=[[Nottinghamshire, England Genealogy|Nottinghamshire]]
| link3=
| link4=
| link5=[[Nottinghamshire_Probate_Records|Probate Records]]
}}


For an explanation of probate records in England, click [[England Probate Records|here]].  
== 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 Nottinghamshire. 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 Nottinghamshire, follow these steps:
 
==== Step 1. Search Indexes  ====
 
Add here online indexes to Nottinghamshire wills.
 
 
 
Did you find a reference to a probate record?


== Getting Started  ==
*If ''yes'', go to '''Step 4''' below.
*If ''no'', go to '''Step 2''' below.


''Probate'' is the legal court process by which the estate of a deceased person is distributed to his or her heirs. The Church of England ecclesiastical courts had authority for this process until to 1858. Beginning in 1858, authority over probate matters was taken from ecclesiastical courts and put under the civil authority of the Principal Probate Registry. The Post-1857 Probate Records section below contains links to additional information about the records of this court.
==== Step 2. Identify when and where your ancestor died  ====


To look for a probate record before 1858:<br>
Determine ''when'' your ancestor died. If you aren't sure, use an approximate date. 


#Discover when and where your ancestor died. If you don’t know, use the approximate date and place where they lived. <br>
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:
#Go to [https://wiki.familysearch.org/en/Nottinghamshire_Probate_Records#Court_Jurisdictions Court Jurisdictions] section below.<br>
#Click a letter or span of letters for your place name. This opens a jurisdictions table.<br>
#Follow the instructions on the jurisdictions table page.<br><br><br>


== Nottinghamshire Probate Courts  ==
*[https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/descriptions/index.jsp Vision of Britain]


== Some Explanatory Notes on the Nottinghamshire Probate Courts  ==
The gazetteer will either tell you:


== Court Jurisdictions  ==
*A place is a parish, or
*What parish it is a part of, or
*What place it is near.


Before 1858, every town and parish in Nottinghamshire was under the probate jurisdiction of a primary court and several secondary courts.&nbsp; Search the courts in the order given.&nbsp; Search indexes first.&nbsp; For indexes, click on a court name.  
If the latter, look that place up in the gazetteer and see if it is a parish.  


Here is a list of Nottinghamshire towns and parishes beginning with A and the pre-1858 courts that had probate jurisdiction over them.&nbsp;
Once you have identified the parish, go to '''Step 3'''.  


For other places, click on a link:&nbsp; [[Nottinghamshire Probate Jurisdictions Parishes B through H|B-H]], [[Nottinghamshire Probate Jurisdictions Parishes K through Z|K-Z]]. <br>
==== Step 3. Identify court jurisdictions by parish  ====


{| cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" border="1" align="center" width="95%"
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 Nottinghamshire 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:<br>
{| width="472" border="1" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1"
|-
|-
! width="15%" style="background: rgb(255, 222, 173) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" | PARISH
| [[Nottinghamshire Probate Jurisdictions, Parishes A|A]]
! width="40%" style="background: rgb(255, 222, 173) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" | PRIMARY COURT
| [[Nottinghamshire Probate Jurisdictions, Parishes B-D|B-D]]
! width="40%" style="background: rgb(255, 222, 173) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" | SECONDARY COURTS - IN SEARCH ORDER
| [[Nottinghamshire Probate Jurisdictions, Parishes E -H|E-H]]
|-
| [[Nottinghamshire Probate Jurisdictions, Parishes K-N|K-N]]
| Annesley
| [[Nottinghamshire Probate Jurisdictions, Parishes O-S|O-S]]
| [[Exchequer and Prerogative Courts of the Archbishop of York]]  
| [[Nottinghamshire Probate Jurisdictions, Parishes T -Z|T-Z]]
| 2 - [[Chancery Court of the Archbishop of York]]  
|}
3 - [[Court of the Peculiar of the Dean and Chapter of York]]  


|-
==== Step 4. Obtain a copy of the probate record  ====
| Arnold
| [[Exchequer and Prerogative Courts of the Archbishop of York]]
| 2 - [[Chancery Court of the Archbishop of York]]
3 - [[Court of the Peculiar of the Dean and Chapter of York]]


|-
Once you have found an index reference to a probate, obtain a copy of the record. Do so by one of these methods:
| Askham
| [[Court of the Peculiar of the Dean and Chapter of York]]
| 2 - [[Exchequer and Prerogative Courts of the Archbishop of York]]
|-
| Attenborough
| [[Exchequer and Prerogative Courts of the Archbishop of York]]
| 2 - [[Chancery Court of the Archbishop of York]]
3 - [[Court of the Peculiar of the Dean and Chapter of York]]


|-
*{{FSC|374306|subject_id|disp=Nottinghamshire 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>
| Averham with Kelham
*Visit or contact the record office that has the original records in its collection.
| [[Exchequer and Prerogative Courts of the Archbishop of York]]
| 2 - [[Chancery Court of the Archbishop of York]]  
3 - [[Court of the Peculiar of the Dean and Chapter of York]]


|-
== Nottinghamshire Probate Courts ==
| Awsworth
| [[Exchequer and Prerogative Courts of the Archbishop of York]]
| 2 - [[Chancery Court of the Archbishop of York]]
3 - [[Court of the Peculiar of the Dean and Chapter of York]]


|}
Here is a list of the ecclesiastical courts that had some pre-1858 probate jurisdiction over Nottinghamshire.  Click on a court name to learn more.


<br>
*[[Exchequer and Prerogative Courts of the Archbishop of York]]
*[[Chancery Court of the Archbishop of York]]
*[[Court of the Peculiar of the Prebendal of Apesthorpe|Court of the Peculiar of the Prebendal of Apesthorpe]]
*[[Court of the Peculiar of the Prebendal of Bole|Court of the Peculiar of the Prebendal of Bole]]
*[[Court of the Peculiar of the Dean and Chapter of York]]
*[[Court of the Manor of Edwinstowe]]
*[[Court of the Manor of Gringley-on-the-Hill or Bawtry]]
*[[Court of the Peculiar of Kinoulton]]
*[[Court of the Manor of Mansfield]]
*[[Court of the Manor of Rufford Abbey]]
*[[Court of the Manor of St John of Jerusalem or Shelford St Johns]]
*[[Court of the Manor of Skegby and Teversal]]
*[[Court of the Peculiar of Southwell]]
*[[Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury]]


== Post-1857 Probate Records ==
=== Some Explanatory Notes on the Nottinghamshire Probate Courts ===


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].
Nottinghamshire was an Archdeaconry in the Diocese of York until transferred to the Diocese of Lincoln in 1837.  The original wills, bonds, and inventories of the Archdeaconry were transferred from York to Nottingham in 1972, but the registered copies of Nottinghamshire wills are still at York, as are the Nottinghamshire rural deanery probate act books and those Nottinghamshire wills proved in the Prerogative Court of York, the Chancery Court of York and the Court of the Dean and Chapter of York. There are no probate records for Nottinghamshire at Lincoln. Some stray wills, inventories, etc. c. 1607-1819, are amongst the Southwell Peculiar records.<ref>Camp, Anthony J. Wills and Their Whereabouts. London: published by author, 1974; page 101.</ref><br>


A 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 the [http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=titledetails&titleno=517092&disp=Record+copy+wills%2C+1858%2D1925%20%20&columns=*,0,0 Principal Registry] and the [http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=titledetails&titleno=517092&disp=Record+copy+wills%2C+1858%2D1925%20%20&columns=*,0,0 District Registries] for 1858-1925 are available on microfilm at the Family History Library. <br>
{{reflist}}


[[Category:England|England]]
[[Category:Nottinghamshire Probate Records]]

Latest revision as of 10:46, 21 May 2024

Nottinghamshire Wiki Topics
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Beginning Research
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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 Nottinghamshire. 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

Before 1858

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

Step 1. Search Indexes

Add here online indexes to Nottinghamshire wills.


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:

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 Nottinghamshire 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-D E-H K-N O-S T-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:

Nottinghamshire Probate Courts

Here is a list of the ecclesiastical courts that had some pre-1858 probate jurisdiction over Nottinghamshire. Click on a court name to learn more.

Some Explanatory Notes on the Nottinghamshire Probate Courts

Nottinghamshire was an Archdeaconry in the Diocese of York until transferred to the Diocese of Lincoln in 1837. The original wills, bonds, and inventories of the Archdeaconry were transferred from York to Nottingham in 1972, but the registered copies of Nottinghamshire wills are still at York, as are the Nottinghamshire rural deanery probate act books and those Nottinghamshire wills proved in the Prerogative Court of York, the Chancery Court of York and the Court of the Dean and Chapter of York. There are no probate records for Nottinghamshire at Lincoln. Some stray wills, inventories, etc. c. 1607-1819, are amongst the Southwell Peculiar records.[1]


  1. ↑ Camp, Anthony J. Wills and Their Whereabouts. London: published by author, 1974; page 101.
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