Hampshire Probate Records

Return to the Hampshire Probate Records page. 
England > Hampshire

For an explanation of probate records in England, click here.

Getting Started

Probate is the legal court process by which the estate of a deceased person is distributed to his/her heirs. 

In order to find a probate record for your ancestor, you must answer two questions:

1. When did your ancestor die?
2. Where did your ancestor live or own property?

A key date is 1858, when probate authority was taken from the ecclesiatical courts of the Church of England and given to the civil government. 

• If your ancestor died before 1858, his/her probate would have been proven by an ecclesiatical court and it is important to know where he/she lived, as that will determine which courts had jurisdiction. 
• If you know where your ancestor lived before 1858, you should go to the Court Jurisdictions section below to determine what courts had jurisdiction over your ancestor's place of residence. 
• Beginning in 1858, probate authority was vested in the Principal Probate Registry system.  For more information, scroll to the Post-1857 Probate Records section at the bottom of the page.

Once you have answered the two questions and determined the courts, look for indexes.  Indexes will be found on the individual court pages (when you click on a court name) or in the Probate Indexes section below.

Hampshire Probate Courts

The Courts of the Bishop (Episcopal Consistory) and Archdeaconry of Winchester held jurisdiction over most parishes in the county of Hampshire 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 in which you may be searching). When looking up a parish, be certain to search the court jurisdictions in the order presented:

• Courts of the Bishop (Episcopal Consistory) and Archdeaconry of Winchester
• Court of the Peculiar of Old Alresford with New Alresford and Medstead
• Court of the Peculiar of Alverstoke
• Court of the Peculiar of North Baddesley
• Court of the Peculiar of Baughurst
• Court of the Peculiar of Binstead
• Court of the Peculiar of Bishopstoke
• Court of the Peculiar of Brightone (Isle of Wight)
• Court of the Peculiar of Burghclere
• Court of the Peculiar of Cheriton with Kilmeston and Tichborne
• Court of the Peculiar of Chilbolton
• Court of the Peculiar of Chilcombe
• Court of the Peculiar of Compton
• Court of the Peculiar of Crawley with Hunton
• Court of the Peculiar of Droxford with Swanmore, Shedfield, Hill and Midlington
• Court of the Peculiar of Easton
• Court of the Peculiar of East Meon with Combe, Steep, Rasmdean, Froxfield and Oxenbourne
• Court of the Peculiar of Exton
• Court of the Peculiar of Fareham with Catisfield and Dean
• Court of the Peculiar of Fawley with Exbury, Lepe, Cadl, Ower, Holbury, Langley, Stanswood, Burash, Hardley, Stone, Hythe and Brickmerston
• Court of the Peculiar of Hambledon with Denmead
• Court of the Peculiar of Havant with Leigh and Brockhampton
• Court of the Peculiar of Highclere
• Court of the Peculiar of Houghton
• Court of the Peculiar of Hursely with Otterbourne, Merdon and Silkstead
• Court of the Peculiar of Hurstbourne Priors with St Mary Bourne
• Court of the Peculiar of Littleton
• Court of the Peculiar of Meonstoke with Soberton and Hoe
• Court of the Peculiar of West Meon with Privett
• Court of the Peculiar of Michelmersh with Brashfield
• Court of the Peculiar of Morestead
• Court of the Peculiar of Overton with Tadley and Polhampton
• Court of the Peculiar of Ovington
• Court of the Peculiar of Ringwood
• Court of the Peculiar of St. Faith or St. Cross
• Court of the Peculiar of South Stoneham and St. Mary Extra with Allington and Shamblehurst
• Court of the Peculiar of Twyford with Owslebury and Brambridge
• Court of the Peculiar of Upham with Durley
• Court of the Peculiar of Bishops Waltham with Hamble and Burseldon
• Court of the Peculiar of North Waltham
• Court of the Peculiar of Whichurch with Freefolk and Charlecott
• Court of the Peculiar of Wonston with Sutton Scotney and Cranborne
• Court of the Peculiar of East Woodhay with Ashmansworth
  

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.

Court Jurisdictions

Before 1858, every town and parish in Hampshire was under the probate jurisdiction of a primary ecclesiastical court and one or more secondary ecclesiastical courts. 

To see a list of places in Hampshire and the pre-1858 ecclesiastical courts that had probate jurisdiction over them, click on the letter that the place name begins with:

 A, B-C, D-H, I-O, P-U, V-Z.

Search the courts in the order given.  Search indexes first.  For indexes, click on a court name above, or see Probate Indexes Online below.

Probate Indexes Online

Before looking for a will, you should search an index.
http://calm.hants.gov.uk/DserveA/search.htm

Hampshire Record Office

http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/BRKwills/

This is a collection of about 1000 abstracts of probate documents relating to people residing in the neighbourhood of the towns of Hungerford and Wantage in Berkshire. Since Hungerford is on the County boundary there is some spread into Wiltshire and to a lesser extent into Hampshire and Oxfordshire.

http://history.wiltshire.gov.uk/heritage/index.php

905 probate documents under place of Hampshire
The first stage of our on-line catalogue project provides access to a detailed catalogue of wills, 1540-1858, held in the Wiltshire and Swindon Archives (also known as Wiltshire and Swindon Record Office). The catalogue also contains (for about 25% of the wills) digital images of probate records.
 

Estate Duty Records

Starting in 1796, a tax or death duty was payable on estates over a certain value. Estate duty abstracts may add considerable information not found elsewhere. Between 1813-1858 estate duty indexes may help locate a will. For more information, go to Estate Duty Records.

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.