Oxfordshire Probate Records: Difference between revisions

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Latest revision as of 16:36, 19 July 2023

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Probate Records

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 Oxfordshire. 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]

1858-1957 England and Wales, National Index of Wills and Administrations, 1858-1957 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images

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 Oxfordshire, follow these steps:

Step 1. Search Indexes[edit | edit source]

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

Oxfordshire Wills Index 1516-1857 at Findmypast (£)
Oxfordshire Transcribed Wills by the Oxfordshire Family History Society

Also check:

Prerogative Court of Canterbury wills (1384 - 1858)

See also indexes on the individual court pages. 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:

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[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 Oxfordshire 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-C

D-K

L-R

S-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:

Oxfordshire 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.

Oxfordshire Probate Courts[edit | edit source]

Most of Oxfordshire was under the pre-1858 probate jurisdiction of the combined Courts of the Bishop (Episcopal Consistory) and Archdeaconry of Oxford. The majority of probate searches will be in the records of this court and its superior courts. However, the following courts also had some pre-1858 jurisdiction within the county. Click on a court name to learn about records and indexes.

The Origins Network has an index to Oxfordshire Peculiars for 1547-1856.

The Oxfordshire Family Society has transcribed wills online on their website.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-''[[England]]&nbsp;[[Image:Gotoarrow.png]] [[Oxfordshire]]''
+{{Oxfordshire-sidebar}}{{breadcrumb
+| link1=[[England Genealogy|England]]
+| link2=[[Oxfordshire, England Genealogy|Oxfordshire]]
+| link3=
+| link4=
+| link5=[[Oxfordshire_Probate_Records|Probate Records]]
+}}
-The following article is about probate records in the county of Cumberland. For general information about English probate records, 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 Oxfordshire. 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 & images
-<br>
+=== Before 1858  ===
+Before 1858, Church of England ecclesiastical courts had authority for this process. To search for a pre-1858 probate record in Oxfordshire, follow these steps:
+==== Step 1. Search Indexes  ====
+Here are some online indexes to probate records that include individuals who lived in Oxfordshire. Search these indexes first:
+*[http://search.findmypast.co.uk/search-world-Records/oxfordshire-wills-index-1516-1857?_ga=1.208941586.141134231.1415381737 Oxfordshire Wills Index 1516-1857] at Findmypast (£)
+*[http://wills.oxfordshirefhs.org.uk/ Oxfordshire Transcribed Wills] by the Oxfordshire Family History Society
+Also check:
+*[https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/wills-or-administrations-before-1858/%7C Prerogative Court of Canterbury wills (1384 - 1858)]
+See also indexes on the individual court pages. Did you find a reference to a probate record?
+*If ''yes'', go to '''Step 4''' below.
+*If ''no'', go to '''Step 2''' below.
-== Description  ==
+==== Step 2. Identify when and where your ancestor died  ====
-''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.
+Determine ''when'' your ancestor died.&nbsp;If you aren't sure, use an approximate date.&nbsp;
-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.
+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:
-<br><br>
+*[https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/descriptions/index.jsp Vision of Britain]
-== Getting Started  ==
+The gazetteer will either tell you:
-''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.
+*A place is a parish, or
+*What parish it is a part of, or
+*What place it is near.
-To look for a probate record before 1858:<br>
+If the latter, look that place up in the gazetteer and see if it is a parish.
-#Discover when and where your ancestor died. If you don’t know, use the approximate date and place where they lived.
+Once you have identified the parish, go to '''Step 3'''.
-#Go to [https://wiki.familysearch.org/en/Oxfordshire_Probate_Records#Court_Jurisdictions Court Jurisdictions] section below.
-#Click a letter or span of letters for your place name. This opens a jurisdictions table.
-#Follow the instructions on the jurisdictions table page.<br>
-== Court Jurisdictions by Parish  ==
+==== Step 3. Identify court jurisdictions by parish  ====
-Before 1858, every parish was under the probate jurisdiction of a primary and several secondary courts. To see an alphabetical list of Oxfordshire parishes and the courts that had jurisdiction over them, click on the link for the letter that a parish name begins with:
+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&nbsp;Oxfordshire 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.
-{| style="width: 201px; height: 24px" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1" width="201" border="1"
+{| style="width: 201px; height: 24px" border="1" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1" width="201"
 |-
-| &nbsp;[[Oxfordshire Probate Jurisdictions, Parishes beginning with A|A]]&nbsp;
+| &nbsp;[[Oxfordshire Probate Jurisdictions Parishes A through C|A-C]]
-| &nbsp;[[Oxfordshire Probate Jurisdictions Parishes B through K|B-C]]
 | &nbsp;[[Oxfordshire Probate Jurisdictions Parishes D through K|D-K]]
 | &nbsp;[[Oxfordshire Probate Jurisdictions Parishes L through R|L-R]]
-| &nbsp;[[Oxfordshire Probate Jurisdictions Parishes L through Z|L-Z]]
+| &nbsp;[[Oxfordshire Probate Jurisdictions Parishes S through Z|S-Z]]
 |}
 <br>
+==== 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|438968|subject_id|disp=Oxfordshire 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.
 == Oxfordshire Probate Courts  ==
-Most of&nbsp;Oxfordshire was under the pre-1858 probate jurisdiction of the [[Courts of the Bishop (Episcopal Consistory) and Archdeaconry of Oxford]]. The majority of probate searches will be in the records of this court and its superior courts. However, the following courts also had some pre-1858 jurisdiction within the county. Click on a court name to learn about records and indexes.
+Most of&nbsp;Oxfordshire was under the pre-1858 probate jurisdiction of the combined&nbsp;[[Courts of the Bishop (Episcopal Consistory) and Archdeaconry of Oxford]]. The majority of probate searches will be in the records of this court and its superior courts. However, the following courts also had some pre-1858 jurisdiction within the county. Click on a court name to learn about records and indexes.
 *[[Court of the Archdeaconry of Buckingham|Court of the Archdeaconry of Buckingham]]
@@ Line 55: / Line 94: @@
 *[[Court of the Peculiar of the Dean and Chapter of Lincoln]]
 *[[Court of the Manor of Sibford|Court of the Manor of Sibford]]
 *[[Court of the Chancellor of the University of Oxford|Court of the Chancellor of the University of Oxford]]
+*[[Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury]]
-In addition, the [[Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury]] had jurisdiction over the whole of England and specifically in the following cases.<br>
-*Wealthy individuals<br>
-*People who owned property in more than one county<br>
-*Military and naval personnel<br>
-*People who lived or owned property outside England<br>
-=== Appeals Courts  ===
-Any probate that was disputed and could not be settled by the county courts could be sent to these higher appeals courts:
-*[[Court of Arches]]
-*[[High Court of Delegates]]
-The [[Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury]] also served as an appeals court.
-<br>
-== Probate Indexes Online  ==
-Before looking for a will, you should search an index.<br>
-*[http://users.ox.ac.uk/%7Emalcolm/genuki/big/eng/OXF/probate/1550-90.txt| Index of Probate Inventories, Oxfordshire 1550-1590] -- three files, based upon an original document "Household And Farm Inventories In Oxfordshire, 1550-1590" published by the Historical Manuscript Society &amp; H.M.S.O. (Editing By Dr. W. O. Hassall. Original transcription by M.A.Havinden, D.G.Vaisey &amp; Jane E. Sayers. Computer transcription by M.Brewerton (c) Copyright 1994.)
-*[http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/browse-refine.asp?CatID=6&searchType=browserefine&pagenumber=1&query=*&queryType=1| Prerogative Court of Canterbury wills (1384 - 1858)]
-See also indexes on the individual court pages.
-<br>
-== Some Explanatory Notes on the Oxfordshire Probate Courts  ==
-== Estate Duty Records<br> ==
-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>
-<br>
-== Probates After 1857  ==
+The [http://www.origins.net/help/helpNWI-oxf.aspx Origins Network] has an index to Oxfordshire Peculiars for 1547-1856.<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]].<br>
+[[Category:Oxfordshire Probate Records|Probate]]
-[[Category:Oxfordshire]]
+The Oxfordshire Family&nbsp; Society has [http://wills.oxfordshirefhs.org.uk/index.html transcribed wills ]online on their website.