Hampshire Probate Records: Difference between revisions

The major probate court for Hampshire was called the [[Courts of the Bishop (Episcopal Consistory) and Archdeaconry of Winchester]] which held jurisdiction over most of the county prior to 1858. But the county also had numerous concurrent smaller jurisdictions called "peculiars" courts as well (see the "Hampshire Parishes and Their Probate Jurisdictions" section below to determine the correct court jurisdiction for the parish you want to search). There were close to seventy of these smaller, peculiar court jurisdictions.  

To search for an administration (when a person died intestate or, that is, without naming an executor to the estate) in one of the peculiar courts, a search must be conducted in the above Episcopal Consistory Court.  

When looking up a parish in the "Hampshire Courts and Their Jurisdictions" section below, be certain to search the records of each court jurisdictions as presented in the order indicated for each parish:  

In addition, the [[Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury]] held jurisdiction over England including both the provinces of York and Canterbury. Mostly the wealthy but occasionally from among even those of modest means who owned property in more than one diocese or smaller court jurisdictions, as well as Royal Naval personnel--often had their estates proven through one of the Archbishop's court.