Kent Probate Records

Probate Courts

The probate courts that have some jurisdiction over the county of Kent prior to 1858 are:

• The Consistory Court of Canterbury
• The Archdeaconry Court of Canterbury
• The Episcopal Consistory Court of Rochester
• The Archdeaconry Court of Rochester
• The Peculiar Jurisdiction of the Archbishop of Canterbury in the Deaneries of the Arches, Croydon and Shoreham
• The Peculiar of the Rector of Cliffe
• The Exempt Jurisdiction of Wingham
• The Court of the Prior and Chapter of Christ Church, Canterbury
• The Consistory Court of London
• The Prerogative Court of Canterbury

Some explanatory notes on the courts in Kent:

The Court of the Archdeacon of Canterbury, the Court of the Episcopal consistory of Canterbury, and the Court of the Bishop and the Archdeacon of Rochester technically did not have jurisdiction over the Peculiar of Wingham, the Peculiar of the Archbishop of Canterbury, and the Episcopal Consistory and Archdeaconry of Rochester, but as the larger courts of original jurisdiction in the county they will often contain probate records of persons who resided in the other jurisdictions.
In 1846 the diocese of Rochester was reduced in area. Some parishes were transferred to the diocese of Canterbury and others to the diocese of London.

In the diocese of Canterbury, the Commissary-General exercised probate jurisdiction within the diocese. He also exercised the Archbishop’s prerogative throughout the diocese, and prerogative probate records exist from 1397 to about 1759 in the records of the Court of the Episcopal Consistory of Canterbury.
The Court of the Provost of the College of Wingham was closed in 1547. After that date wills of residents living in the parishes of this jurisdiction are found in the records of the Court of the Episcopal Consistory of Canterbury.

Probate Indexes:

Once you know the court that has jurisdiction over the parish where your ancestor died, then look for indexes for Kent wills on the Internet. If the indexes on the Internet do not produce possible wills, look in the published indexes listed here:

Index Call #	Title of Index	Court and Type of record indexed	Index to film	Notes
942.23 P22bgl 4 vols. microfiche #6026693-6026696	Archdeaconry Court of Canterbury, county of Kent, 1449-1712 : index of wills, listed alphabetically by surnames	Archdeaconry Court of Canterbury/registered wills	films beginning with #0188913
942.23 P22bg 4 vols. microfiche #6026697-6026700	Archdeaconry Court of Canterbury, county of Kent, 1449-1712 : index of wills, listed alphabetically by location	Archdeaconry Court of Canterbury/registered wills	films beginning with #0188913
942.23 P22bgm 2 vols. microfilm #1559403	Archdeaconry Court of Canterbury, county of Kent, 1449-1958: original wills	Archdeaconry Court of Canterbury/original wills	films beginning with #1042603
942.23 P22bgo 2 vols. microfiche #6035798-799	Archdeaconry Court of Canterbury, county of Kent, 1713-1858: index alphabetical by locality	Archdeaconry Court of Canterbury/registered wills	films beginning with #0188913
942.23 P22bgp 2 vols. microfiche #6035796-6035797	Archdeaconry Court of Canterbury, county of Kent,1713-1858: index of wills, listed alphabetically by surname	Archdeaconry Court of Canterbury/registered wills	films beginning with #0188913