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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><br> | ||
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== Getting Started == | == Getting Started == | ||
Follow these steps to look for a probate record before 1858:<br> | |||
#Discover when and where your ancestor died. If you don’t know, use the approximate date and place where they lived. | #Discover when and where your ancestor died. If you don’t know, use the approximate date and place where they lived. <br> | ||
#Go to | #Go to the Court Jurisdictions section below.<br> | ||
#Click a letter or span of letters for your place | #Click a letter or span of letters for your place. This opens an article showing a table of places and the courts that had jurisdiction over them.<br> | ||
#Follow the | #Follow the steps at the top of the table to search for a will.<br> | ||
== Court Jurisdictions by Parish == | == Court Jurisdictions by Parish == | ||