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Middlesex Probate Records: Difference between revisions
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''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. | ''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. | ||
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 has a link to an article about probates after 1857. | 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 has a link to an article about probates after 1857.<br> | ||
== Getting Started == | == Getting Started == | ||
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#Click a letter or span of letters for your place name. This opens a jurisdictions table.<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> | #Follow the instructions on the jurisdictions table page.<br> | ||
== Court Jurisdictions by Parish == | == Court Jurisdictions by Parish == | ||
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| [[Middlesex Probate Jurisdictions Parishes T-Z|T-Z]] | | [[Middlesex Probate Jurisdictions Parishes T-Z|T-Z]] | ||
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=== 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]] (for additional titles of records, see the above link to this court) | |||
*[[High Court of Delegates]] | |||
The [[Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury]] also served as an appeals court.<br> | |||
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==== Microfilmed Indexes at the Family History Library ==== | ==== Microfilmed Indexes at the Family History Library ==== | ||
The Family History Library has many will and admon (Administration) indexes and calendars which are available on microfilm at the Family History Library covering the years as above mentioned 1258-1858 and may be circulated to each of its satellite Family History Centers (see Court of the Archdeaconry of Essex), or go to this Family History Library Catalog page<br><br> | The Family History Library has many will and admon (Administration) indexes and calendars which are available on microfilm at the Family History Library covering the years as above mentioned 1258-1858 and may be circulated to each of its satellite Family History Centers (see Court of the Archdeaconry of Essex), or go to this Family History Library Catalog page.<br> | ||
== Some Explanatory Notes on the Middlesex Probate Courts<br> == | |||
Probate records of Middlesex, incorporating Greater London and the whole of the ancient county of Middlesex commence from as early as 1258 up to 1857. There are several Middlesex County probate court jurisdictions, some of which hold extensive probate record coverage for the greater metropolis and there are a few smaller court jurisdictions which only pertain to a small handful of parishes. | |||
The complexity of probate research in this most populous region of England resides in the fact that Greater London's layout is likewise complex, incorporating the whole of Middlesex and London counties, as well as portions of northwest Kent, northeast Surrey, parts of Essex and Hertfordshire. Several courts held concurrent jurisdiction with one another thus requiring searching multiple probate courts. | |||
If you know in which parish your ancestor may have died or lived, go to the "Middlesex Parishes and Their Probate Jurisdictions" section (below) and search by parish name in order to determine the correct or most likely probate court to search, first. | |||
Next, see the above links to each Middlesex probate court jurisdictions in order to obtain further information for researching in the prime probate court for a will. | |||
If a search in the most likely probate court jurisidiction proves unsuccessful, then search the next court as listed in ranked order, i.e. "no. 2", and etc. <br> | |||
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Beginning in 1858, the government took over the settlement of estates and all wills are now probated through the Principal Probate Registry system. For more information, go to [[Principal Probate Registry]].<br> | Beginning in 1858, the government took over the settlement of estates and all wills are now probated through the Principal Probate Registry system. For more information, go to [[Principal Probate Registry]].<br> | ||
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[[Category:Middlesex]] | [[Category:Middlesex]] | ||