Cumberland Probate Records: Difference between revisions

m (→‎Step 4. Obtain a copy of the probate record: Corrected link per Danielle)
 
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==== Online Records ====
==== Online Records ====


*'''1858-1957''' {{RecordSearch|2451051|England and Wales, National Index of Wills and Administrations, 1858-1957}} at [https://familysearch.org/search FamilySearch]- [[England and Wales, National Index of Wills and Administrations - FamilySearch Historical Records|How to Use this Collection]]; index
*'''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
* '''1858-1995''' [https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1904/ England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1995] at Ancestry($); index
* '''1858-2019''' [https://search.findmypast.com/search-world-records/england-and-wales-government-probate-death-index-1858-2019 England & Wales Government Probate Death Index 1858-2019] at Findmypast($); index


=== Before 1858  ===
=== Before 1858  ===
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Before looking for a will, you should search a probate index. It will save time and give a reference to finding a copy of a will. A few indexes are mentioned here. Others indexes, especially if they only index the wills for one court, are mentioned on each court page.<br>  
Before looking for a will, you should search a probate index. It will save time and give a reference to finding a copy of a will. A few indexes are mentioned here. Others indexes, especially if they only index the wills for one court, are mentioned on each court page.<br>  


*[http://www.origins.net/help/aboutNWI-procoll.aspx Index to the Wills Proved in the Consistory Court of Carlisle 1661-1750]. Part of the National Wills Index.
*[https://www.findmypast.com/articles/england-and-wales-published-wills-and-probate-indexes-1300-1858-volumes-available/cumberland/index-to-the-wills-proved-in-the-consistory-court-of-carlisle-1661-1750-introduction-to-original-volume Index to the Wills Proved in the Consistory Court of Carlisle 1661-1750] at Findmypast - index ($).


Indexes are found in archives and in the FamilySearch Library. Click here to see a list of the library's holdings for {{FSC|506247|subject-id|disp=indexes}} and {{FSC|453504|subject-id|disp=wills}}. Films can be viewed in the library or in a [https://www.familysearch.org/en/centers/about FamilySearch center]. <br>  
Indexes are found in archives and in the FamilySearch Library. Click here to see a list of the library's holdings for {{FSC|506247|subject-id|disp=indexes}} and {{FSC|453504|subject-id|disp=wills}}. Films can be viewed in the Library or in a [https://www.familysearch.org/en/centers/about FamilySearch Center]. <br>  


Did you find a reference to a will?  
Did you find a reference to a will?  
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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:  
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:  


*[http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/descriptions/index.jsp Vision of Britain]
*[https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/ Vision of Britain]


The gazetteer will either tell you:  
The gazetteer will either tell you:  
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== Cumberland Probate Courts  ==
== Cumberland Probate Courts  ==


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 Court_Jurisdictions Court Jurisdictions section above.<br>
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 Court Jurisdictions section above.<br>


*[[Court of the Bishop of Carlisle (Episcopal Consistory)]]  
*[[Court of the Bishop of Carlisle (Episcopal Consistory)]]  
*[[Court of the Archdeaconry of Richmond Western Deaneries - Copeland]]  
*[[Court of the Archdeaconry of Richmond Western Deaneries - Copeland]]  
*[[Court of the Bishop of Durham (Episcopal Consistory)]]  
*[[Court of the Bishop of Durham (Episcopal Consistory)]]  
*[[Exchequer and Prerogative Courts of the Archbishop of York]]<br>
*[[Exchequer and Prerogative Courts of the Archbishop of York]]
*[[Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury]] &gt;
*[[Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury]]  


<br>
<br>


== Some Explanatory Notes on the Cumberland Probate Courts<br> ==
== Some Explanatory Notes on the Cumberland Probate Courts ==


The original probate records are housed in one of four record offices in the following cities: Barrow, Kendall, Carlisle, and Whitehaven. Links to these offices are found on the [http://www.cumbria.gov.uk/archives/recordoffices/default.asp Cumbria Archive Service] site.  
The original probate records are housed in one of four record offices in the following cities: Barrow, Kendall, Carlisle, and Whitehaven. Links to these offices are found on the [http://www.cumbria.gov.uk/archives/recordoffices/default.asp Cumbria Archive Service] site.  

Latest revision as of 11:04, 21 May 2024

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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 Cumberland. 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 Cumberland, follow these steps:

Step 1. Search Indexes

Before looking for a will, you should search a probate index. It will save time and give a reference to finding a copy of a will. A few indexes are mentioned here. Others indexes, especially if they only index the wills for one court, are mentioned on each court page.

Indexes are found in archives and in the FamilySearch Library. Click here to see a list of the library's holdings for indexes and wills. Films can be viewed in the Library or in a FamilySearch Center.

Did you find a reference to a will?

  • 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 Cumberland 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 D-H I-N O-T U-Z


Step 4. Obtain a copy of the probate record

Once you have found an index reference to a will or other probate record, obtain a copy of the record. Do so by one of these methods:

Cumberland Probate Courts

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 Court Jurisdictions section above.


Some Explanatory Notes on the Cumberland Probate Courts

The original probate records are housed in one of four record offices in the following cities: Barrow, Kendall, Carlisle, and Whitehaven. Links to these offices are found on the Cumbria Archive Service site.