Suffolk Probate Records: Difference between revisions

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[[England]] [[Image:Gotoarrow.png]] [[Suffolk]] [[Image:Gotoarrow.png]]  
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<br>The following article is about probate records in the county of Suffolk. For an explanation of probate records in England, click [[England Probate Records|here.]]<br>
== Getting Started  ==


== Description  ==
''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 Suffolk. See [[England Probate Records]] for a general description of probate records in England.


''Probate'' is the legal court process by which the estate of a deceased person is distributed to his or her heirs. The term ''probate'' refers to a collection of documents, including [[W genealogical glossary terms|wills]], [[A genealogical glossary terms|administrations]] (also called admons), [[I genealogical glossary terms|inventories]], and [[A genealogical glossary terms|act books]]. The Church of England ecclesiastical courts had authority for this process until to 1858. This article explains about probates and how to get started to search for a will.
=== 1858 to the Present  ===


Beginning in 1858, authority over probate matters was taken from ecclesiastical courts and put under the civil authority of the Principal Probate Registry. The '''Probates After 1857'''&nbsp;section below has a link to an article about probates after 1857.<br>
Beginning in 1858, the [[Principal Probate Registry|Principal Probate Registry]] had the authority for probating estates. Click on the link to learn more.


== Getting Started  ==
==== Online Records ====


''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 Probates After 1857 section below contains links to additional information about the records of this court.
*'''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


To look for a probate record before 1858:<br>
=== Before 1858 ===


#Discover when and where your ancestor died. If you don’t know, use the approximate date and place where they lived. <br>
Before 1858, Church of England ecclesiastical courts had authority for this process. To search for a pre-1858 probate record in Suffolk, follow these steps:
#Go to the Court Jurisdictions by Parish 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>


== Court Jurisdictions by Parish<br> ==
==== Step 1. Search Indexes ====


Before 1858, every town and parish in Suffolk was under the probate jurisdiction of a primary ecclesiastical court and one or more secondary ecclesiastical courts.&nbsp; To see a list of Suffolk places and the pre-1858 courts that had probate jurisdiction over them, click on a letter for the name of a place:  
Here are some online indexes to probate records that include individuals who lived in Suffolk. Search these indexes first:  


{| width="403" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1"
*[http://www.norfolksources.norfolk.gov.uk/ Probate Indexes 1800-1857] This index contains 12,000 plus entries for Suffolk county under the probate search. Norfolk Sources is a collection of images of archive material supplied by the Norfolk Record Office and the Norfolk Heritage Centre (part of Norfolk Libraries and Information Service
|-
*[http://www.findmypast.co.uk/other-records-collection-search-start.action?event=O Suffolk Probate Indexes 1847-1857].  The Testator index records 1,124 wills and the people who made them. The Beneficiary index records 10,698 people, or other entities, who will benefit from those wills.
| &nbsp; &nbsp; [[Suffolk Probate Jurisdictions, Parishes beginning with A|A]]
| &nbsp;&nbsp; [[Suffolk Probate Jurisdictions Parishes B|B]]
| &nbsp;&nbsp; [[Suffolk Probate Jurisdictions Parishes C through E|C-E]]
| &nbsp;[[Suffolk Probate Jurisdictions Parishes F through G|&nbsp;F-G]]
| &nbsp;[[Suffolk Probate Jurisdictions Parishes H through K|H-K]]
| &nbsp;[[Suffolk Probate Jurisdictions Parishes L through Q|L-Q]]
| &nbsp;[[Suffolk Probate Jurisdictions Parishes R through S|R-S]]
| &nbsp;[[Suffolk Probate Jurisdictions Parishes T through Z|T-Z]]
|}


The following indexes to probate records are available on [http://www.ancestry.com www.ancestry.com] under the category of "England Court, Land, Wills &amp; Financial".


*Ipswich Probate Inventories, 1583-1631
*Sudbury Archdeaconry Wills, 1439-1638
*Wills of the Archdeaconry of Sudbury, 1439-1461
*Wills of the Archdeaconry of Suffolk, 1620-1624
*Wills of the Archdeaconry of Suffolk, 1625-1626
*[http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=1904 National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1861-1941. ]<br>


== Suffolk Probate Courts  ==
Did you find a reference to a probate record?
 
*If ''yes'', go to '''Step 4''' below.
*If ''no'', go to '''Step 2''' below.


The following ecclesiastical courts had some probate jurisdiction over the county of Cumberland prior to 1858. Click on a court name to learn more about its records, indexes and finding a probate for your ancestor. To determine which court, go to the [https://wiki.familysearch.org/en/Cumberland_Probate_Records#Court_Jurisdictions Court Jurisdictions] section below.<br>
==== Step 2. Identify when and where your ancestor died  ====


*[[Court of the Archdeaconry of Suffolk]]
Determine ''when'' your ancestor died. If you aren't sure, use an approximate date. 
*[[Court of the Archdeaconry of Sudbury]]
*[[Court of the Archdeaconry of Norfolk (Episcopal Consistory)]]
*[[Court of the Bishop (Episcopal Consistory) of Norwich]]
*[[Court of the Bishop of Ely (Episcopal Consistory)]]
*[[Court of the Commissary of the Bishop of St Edmunds]]
*[[Court of the Commissary of the Sacrist of St Edmunds]]
*[[Court of the Peculiar of the Archbishop of Canterbury in the Peculiar Deanery of Bocking]]
*[[Court of the Peculiar of Isleham and Freckenham]]<br>


<br>In addition, the [[Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury]] had jurisdiction over the whole of England and specifically in the following cases.&lt;br&gt;<br><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:


*Wealthy individuals&lt;br&gt;
*[https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/descriptions/index.jsp Vision of Britain]
*People who owned property in more than one county&lt;br&gt;
*Military and naval personnel&lt;br&gt;
*People who lived or owned property outside England&lt;br&gt;


<br>
The gazetteer will either tell you:


==== Appeals Courts  ====
*A place is a parish, or
*What parish it is a part of, or
*What place it is near.


Any probate that was disputed and could not be settled by the county courts could be sent to these higher appeals courts:<br>
If the latter, look that place up in the gazetteer and see if it is a parish.


*&nbsp;[[Court of Arches]]
Once you have identified the parish, go to '''Step 3'''.
*[[High Court of Delegates]]


The [[Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury]] also served as an appeals court. <br>
==== Step 3. Identify court jurisdictions by parish  ====


<br>
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 Suffolk 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.


== Probate Indexes Online ==
{| width="403" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1" class="FCK__ShowTableBorders"
|-
|    [[Suffolk Probate Jurisdictions, Parishes beginning with A|A]]
|    [[Suffolk Probate Jurisdictions Parishes B|B]]
|    [[Suffolk Probate Jurisdictions Parishes C through E|C-E]]
|  [[Suffolk Probate Jurisdictions Parishes F through G| F-G]]
|  [[Suffolk Probate Jurisdictions Parishes H through K|H-K]]
| [[Suffolk Probate Jurisdictions Parishes L through Q|L-Q]]
|  [[Suffolk Probate Jurisdictions Parishes R through S|R-S]]
|  [[Suffolk Probate Jurisdictions Parishes T through Z|T-Z]]
|}


Before looking for a will, search an index. One online index is [http://www.familyhistoryonline.net/database/SFKProbate.shtml Suffolk Probate Indexes 1847-1857]. The Testator index records 1,124 wills and the people who made them. The Beneficiary index records 10,698 people, or other entities, who will benefit from those wills. The wills were proved during the years 1847-1857, that is the decade before the civil courts took over the probate of wills from the ecclesiastical courts in 1858. &nbsp;
<br>


The following indexes to probate records are available on [http://www.ancestry.com www.ancestry.com] under&nbsp;the category of "England Court, Land, Wills &amp; Financial".
==== Step 4. Obtain a copy of the probate record  ====


*Ipswich Probate Inventories, 1583-1631
Once you have found an index reference to a probate, obtain a copy of the record. Do so by one of these methods:
*Sudbury Archdeaconry Wills, 1439-1638
*Wills of the Archdeaconry of Sudbury, 1439-1461
*Wills of the Archdeaconry of Suffolk, 1620-1624
*Wills of the Archdeaconry of Suffolk, 1625-1626


== Estate Duty Records<br> ==
*{{FSC|395944|subject_id|disp=Suffolk 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.


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>
== Suffolk Probate Courts  ==


== Probates After 1857  ==
The following ecclesiastical courts had some probate jurisdiction over the county of Suffolk prior to 1858. Click on a court name to learn more about its records, indexes and finding a probate for your ancestor. To determine which court, go to the [[Cumberland_Probate_Records#Court_Jurisdictions|Court Jurisdictions]] section below.<br>


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. For more information, go to [[Principal Probate Registry]].
*[[Court of the Archdeaconry of Suffolk]]
*[[Court of the Archdeaconry of Sudbury]]
*[[Court of the Archdeaconry of Norfolk|Court of the Archdeaconry of Norfolk  ]]
*[[Court of the Bishop (Episcopal Consistory) of Norwich]]
*[[Court of the Bishop of Ely (Episcopal Consistory)]]
*[[Court of the Commissary of the Bishop of St Edmunds]]
*[[Court of the Commissary of the Sacrist of St Edmunds]]
*[[Court of the Peculiar of the Archbishop of Canterbury in the Peculiar Deanery of Bocking]]
*[[Court of the Peculiar of Isleham and Freckenham]]
*[[Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury]]


[[Category:Suffolk]]
[[Category:Suffolk_Probate Records]]

Latest revision as of 12:08, 5 January 2024

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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 Suffolk. 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 Suffolk, follow these steps:

Step 1. Search Indexes[edit | edit source]

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

  • Probate Indexes 1800-1857 This index contains 12,000 plus entries for Suffolk county under the probate search. Norfolk Sources is a collection of images of archive material supplied by the Norfolk Record Office and the Norfolk Heritage Centre (part of Norfolk Libraries and Information Service
  • Suffolk Probate Indexes 1847-1857. The Testator index records 1,124 wills and the people who made them. The Beneficiary index records 10,698 people, or other entities, who will benefit from those wills.

The following indexes to probate records are available on www.ancestry.com under the category of "England Court, Land, Wills & Financial".

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 Suffolk 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-E F-G H-K L-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:

Suffolk Probate Courts[edit | edit source]

The following ecclesiastical courts had some probate jurisdiction over the county of Suffolk prior to 1858. Click on a court name to learn more about its records, indexes and finding a probate for your ancestor. To determine which court, go to the Court Jurisdictions section below.

To access available information, first log into FamilySearch.

Due to contractual agreements, some images and/or databases on FamilySearch.org may only be viewed at a FamilySearch Center or FamilySearch Affiliate Library.

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