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For a general explanation of probate records in England, click here.
Essex Probate Courts
The following probate courts had some jurisdiction over the county of Essex prior to 1858:
- Court of the Archdeaconry of Essex
- Court of the Archdeaconry of Colchester
- Court of the Commissary of the Bishop of London (Essex & Hertfordshire Division)
- Court of the Archdeacon of Middlesex (Essex & Hertfordshire Division)
- Court of the Bishop of London
- Court of the Peculiar of the Deanery of Bocking
- Court of the Peculiar of Good Easter
- Court of the Peculiar of Writtle with Roxwell
- Court of the Peculiar of the Liberty of the Sokens
- Court of the Peculiar of the Dean and Chapter of Westminster (Abbey)
- Court of the Peculiar of the Dean and Chapter of St Paul's Cathedral
- Court of the Peculiar of Havering-atte-Bower - records available
- Prerogative Court of Canterbury
Some Explanatory Notes on the Courts in Essex
Probate records for the Court of the Commissary of the Bishop of London (Essex & Hertfordshire division), the Court of the Archdeaconry of Colchester, Court of the Archdeacon of Essex, Court of the Archdeacon of Middlesex (Essex & Hertfordshire division), Court of the Bishop of London, Court of the Peculiar of the Deanery of Bocking, Court of the Peculiar of the Sokens, and the Courts of the Peculiars of the Deanery of Good Easter, and Writtle with Roxwell are at the Essex Record Office.
Essex Parishes and Their Probate Jurisdictions
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.
| A | B | C | D-F | G | H-K | L | M-N | O-R | S | T-V | W-Z |
Probate Indexes
Before looking for a will, you should search an index.
Printed Indexes
If the indexes on the Internet do not produce possible wills for your ancestors, look in the published indexes listed here.
In the 1960s, The Essex County Record Office, under the direction of F.G. Emmison, compiled a complete surname index covering wills and administrations from the first nine Essex County probate court jurisdictions listed above (trough .
The links are to their listings in the Family History Library Catalog:
| Index Call # | Title of Index | Court and Type of record indexed | Index relates to | Notes | |
| 942 B4b vol 78, 79 & 84. microfilm #962739 item 2 & #962740 | [Index] to Wills at Chelmsford" [Archdeaconry Court of Essex], 1400-1857 . | Court of the Archdeaconry of Essex | Index to copy and registered wills on film beginning with film # 091281 | - | |
| 942 B4b vol 78-79; 84. microfilm #962739 item 2; microfiche #6073797-6073798 & 6073802 | [Index] to Wills at Chelmsford [Archdeaconry Court of Colchester, county of Essex], 1400-1857 . | Court of the Archdeaconry of Colchester | Registered wills on film beginning with film # 091248 | - | |
| 942 B4b vols 78-79; 84. microfilm #962739 item 2; microfilm #1513138-1513139; #1239055-1239057; #990489-990491; #990480 | [Index] to Wills at Chelmsford [Archdeaconry Court of Middlesex, Essex & Hertfordshire Division, 1538-1858: index to original wills; | Court of the Archdeaconry Court of Middlesex, Essex & Hertfordshire Division | Registered wills on film beginning with film #094738 | - Also Abstracts of copy wills, registered wills in the Commissary Court of London [London division], 1750-1857 on microfilm #1513138-1513139;1239055-1239057; 990489-990491; 990480. | - |
|
942 B4b vols 78-79; 84. microfiche #6073797-6073798; 6073802; microfilm #962739 item 2 & 962740 |
Commissary Court of the Bishop of London, Essex & Hertfordshire Division, 1400-1858 | Commissary Court of the Bishop of London, Essex & Hertfordshire Division | Registered wills on film beginning with film # 094337 | - | |
| 942 B4b vols 78-79; 84. microfilm #962739 item 2; microfilm #1513138-1513139; #1239055-1239057; #990489-990491; #990480 | Consistory Court of the Bishop of London,1400-1858 | Consistory Court of the Bishop of London | Copy wills, Registered copy wills and registered wills on film beginning with film # 094456 | - | |
| 942 B4b vols 78-79; 84. microfilm #962739 item 2; microfilm #1513138-1513139; #1239055-1239057; #990489-990491; #990480 | [Index of]Wills at Chelmsford; 1400-1858 | Peculiar of the Dean & Chapter of Westminster Royal and Court of the Bishop of Canterbury | Registered wills on film beginning with film # [# 094437 | ||
| 942 B4b vol. 78-79; 84; microfilm #962739 item 2; microfilm #1513138-1513139; #1239055-1239057; #990489-990491; #990480] | [Index of] at Chelmsford of Copy and Registered Wills; 1400-1858 | Peculiar of the Dean and Chapter of St Paul's Cathedral | Peculiar of the Dean and Chapter of St Paul's Cathedral Index to Original Wills on film #1594951 | Also Index to Original Wills 1535-1857 on microfilm #1594951 item 4 | |
| 942 B4b vol. 78-79; 84; microfilm #962739 item 2; microfilm #1513138-1513139; #1239055-1239057; #990489-990491; #990480] | [Index of] Wills at Chelmsford; Commissary Court of the Bishop of London, London Division 1400-1857 | Commissary Court of the Bishop of London, London Division | Commissary Court of the Bishop of London, London Division wills #1751846] [http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=titledetails&titleno=283866&disp=Probate+records%20%20&columns=*,0,0 | - #094090] | |
| 942.23 B4ka vol. 9 microfilm number 973304 it. 2 & microfiche #6072893 (3 fiche) | Index of Wills Proved in Rochester Consistory Court 1440-1561 | Court of the Consistory of Rochester | Wills and administrations on film beginning with film # 188771 | - | |
| Microfilm #1544549 items 13 | Kent Index to Prerogative Court of Canterbury Wills 1701-1900 | Prerogative Court of Canterbury | Wills on film beginning with film # 91890 | - | |
| Microfiche #6341867 (5 fiche) and 6341868 (2fiche) | KAO--index to wills, administrations, inventories and bonds of the Archbishops Peculiar Deaneries of Arches (London), Shoreham and Croydon | Peculiar Deaneries of Arches (London), Shoreham and Croydon | Wills, administrations, inventories and bonds on film beginning with film # 91789 | - | |
| Microfilm #1544549 items 13 | Kent Index to Prerogative Court of Canterbury Wills 1701-1900 | Prerogative Court of Canterbury | Wills on film beginning with film # 91890 | - | |
| Microfilm #1544555 its. 30-31 & 1544588 it. 1 | Notebooks containing lists of wills, searches and depositions for Kent families, dating from 1560-1857 | various | various | - | |
| 942.23 B4ka vol. 3 microfilm #874099 item 3 & microfiche #6072887 (2 fiche) | Sede vacante wills : a calendar of wills proved before the commissary of the prior and chapter of Christ Church, Canterbury, during vacancies in the primacy, with an appendix containing transcripts of archiepiscopal and other wills of importance | various | various | - | |
| 942.23 H25k no. 9, 13, 20, 21 | Weald of East Kent : will abstracts from the Archdeaconry Court of Canterbury, Kent | Court of the Archdeaconry of Canterbury | Wills on film beginning with film # 1042603 | v. 1. Parish of Benenden, will numbers 1-159 -- v. 2. Parish of Bethersden, will numbers 160-323 -- v. 3. Parish of Biddenden, will numbers 324-471 -- v. 4. Parish of Cranbrook, will numbers 472-663 | |
| Microfiche #6341166 | The Weald of East Kent : will abstracts from the archdeaconry court of Canterbury, Kent, volumes 21-50 (KAO : PRC 17), index of will abstracts | Court of the Archdeaconry of Canterbury | Wills on film beginning with film # 1042603 | Contains a surname index (A-Y) of all persons cited in the Kentish will abstracts (1536-1597) in the parishes of Benenden, Bethersden, Biddenden, Cranbrook, Frittenden, Goudhurst, Halden, Hawkhurst, Headcorn, Marden, Newenden, Rolvenden, Sandhurst, Smarden, Staplehurst, Tenterden, Wittersham and Woodchurch. | |
| CD-ROM no. 3251 | The West Kent probate index : wills and administrations for all courts and peculiars in the Diocese of Rochester 1750-1858 | Court of the Archdeaconry of Rochester; Court of the Consistory of Rochester; Court of the Peculiar of the Deanery of Shoreham; Court of the Peculiar of the Rector of Cliffe | various films; Consistory of Rochester wills on film beginning with film # 189131; Archdeaconry of Rochester wills on film beginning with film # 994318; Peculiar of Shoreham wills on film beginning with film # 91791; Peculiar of the Rector of Cliffe wills on film beginning with film # 727286 | This can be accessed from the Family History Library Catalog if accessing computers in the Family History Library | |
| Microfiche #6204480 | Will and register abstracts of families and people, mostly of Kent, letter A | - | - | Will and parish register abstracts for individuals whose surname begins with the letter "A". |
Post-1857 Probate Records
Beginning in 1858, the government took over the settlement of estates and all wills are now probated through the Principal Probate Registry system. The system consists of 11 district registry offices and 18 sub-district registries, located throughout England and Wales, and the principal registry office located in London. The records are available through the office of Her Majesty's Courts Service. To learn more, go to the HMCS website.
A country-wide surname index to the records is available, so it is much easier to look for post-1857 wills. The indexes for 1858-1957 and the records for 1858-1925 are available on microfilm at the Family History Library.