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[[England|<span id="fck_dom_range_temp_1261522788618_143" />England]] [[Image:Gotoarrow.png]] [[Essex]] | [[England|<span id="fck_dom_range_temp_1261522788618_143" />England]] [[Image:Gotoarrow.png]] [[Essex]] | ||
== 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 Essex. For a general description of England probate records, click [[England Probate Records|here]]. | |||
=== 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. | |||
=== Before 1858 === | |||
Before 1858, Church of England ecclesiastical courts had authority for this process. To search for a pre-1858 probate record in Essex, follow these steps: | |||
==== Step 1. Search Indexes ==== | |||
Here are some online indexes to probate records that include individuals who lived in Essex. Search these indexes first: | |||
*[http://www.familyhistoryonline.net/database/SussexFHGprobate.shtml http://www.familyhistoryonline.net/database/SussexFHGprobate.shtml] -- compiled by the Sussex Family History Group which has transcribed the names of 12,300 individuals found in Sussex wills, including testators, executors, beneficiaries or witnesses. The information recorded includes name, date and place. | |||
*The [http://sussexrecordsociety.org/home2.asp?an=&ap= Sussex Record Society] has published four volumes of indexes to Sussex wills, and these can be viewed on their [http://sussexrecordsociety.org/bwills1.asp?an=&ap= website]. They are arranged by parish then by surname. | |||
*[http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/wills.asp?WT.hp=Wills Prerogative Court of Canterbury wills (1384-1858)]. | |||
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 ==== | |||
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 [[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] | |||
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 ==== | ||
Here are links to an alphabetical list of Essex parishes containing a prioritized list of courts with jurisdiction over each. To see which courts to search for probates of persons living in or owning property in particular parish, click on the letter the 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 Sussex 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. Here are links to an alphabetical list of Essex parishes containing a prioritized list of courts with jurisdiction over each. To see which courts to search for probates of persons living in or owning property in particular parish, click on the letter the parish name begins with. | ||
Below is a list of Essex parishes beginning with the letter 'B' and the ecclesiastical courts with pre-1858 probate jurisdiction over them. Once you have identified a court of interest, search [[ | Below is a list of Essex parishes beginning with the letter 'B' and the ecclesiastical courts with pre-1858 probate jurisdiction over them. Once you have identified a court of interest, search [[Essex_Probate_Records|indexes]]. Search the courts in the order given. Click on a court name for more information about the court. | ||
To see a list of Essex parishes, click on a letter link: | To see a list of Essex parishes, click on a letter link: | ||
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*[[High Court of Delegates]] | *[[High Court of Delegates]] | ||
The [[Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury]] also served as an appeals court. | The [[Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury]] also served as an appeals court. | ||
== Probate Indexes == | == Probate Indexes == | ||
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*Essex County Record Office's outstanding wills index from [http://seax.essexcc.gov.uk/default.asp early to 1857] consolidates into one single index, the county's wills. | *Essex County Record Office's outstanding wills index from [http://seax.essexcc.gov.uk/default.asp early to 1857] consolidates into one single index, the county's wills. | ||
The following site has transcriptions of a few Essex will from various probate court jurisdictions at <br>[http://linux02.lib.cam.ac.uk/earlscolne/probate/index.htm http://linux02.lib.cam.ac.uk/earlscolne/probate/index.htm]. | The following site has transcriptions of a few Essex will from various probate court jurisdictions at <br>[http://linux02.lib.cam.ac.uk/earlscolne/probate/index.htm http://linux02.lib.cam.ac.uk/earlscolne/probate/index.htm]. | ||
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Always re-visit these websites as new, updated data may periodically be posted online. | Always re-visit these websites as new, updated data may periodically be posted online. | ||
=== Printed Indexes === | === Printed Indexes === | ||