Norfolk Probate Records

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:

When did your ancestor die?
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.

Norfolk Probate Courts

These courts had some pre-1858 jurisdiction over the county of Norfolk. Click on a court name for more information. See also the Indexes section below. Click on a court name to learn more about the records available and how to find the probate of your ancestor in the court's records.

In addition, the Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury had jurisdiction over the whole of England. Wealthier individuals, people who owned property in more than one county or lower court's jurisdiction, and Naval personnel often had their estates proven through the Archbishop's court.

Appeals Courts

Any probate that was disputed and could not be settled by the county courts could be sent to these higher appeals courts:

The Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury also served as an appeals court.

Some Explanatory Notes on the Norfolk Probate Courts

Court Jurisdictions

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

To see a list of Norfolk places and the pre-1858 courts that had probate jurisdiction over them, click on a letter link:

A, B, C-F, G-H, I-N, O-S, T-Z

Probate Indexes Online

Before looking for a will, you should search an index.

http://www.norfolksources.norfolk.gov.uk/ (Probate records for 1800–1857)

Probate Indexes

Church of England. Archdeaconry of Norfolk. Wills and administrations, 1459-1857[1]

Index of wills proved in the Norfolk Archdeaconry Court Contents: v. 3.1453-1542 -- v. 5.1542-1560 -- v. 10.1560- 1603/4[2]

England, Norfolk - Probate records - Indexes [3]

Wills and administrations, 1469-1857 Church of England. Archdeaconry of Norwich.[4] Court
Index of wills proved in the Consistory Court of Norwich and now preserved in the District Probate Registry at Norwich, 1604-1686 [5]
Index of wills proved in the Consistory Court of Norwich, 1687-1750 [6]
Index of wills proved in the Consistory Court of Norwich, 1751-1818 [7]
Index of wills proved in the Consistory Court of Norwich, 1819-1857 [8]

Index to Norfolk (England) wills, 1838-1858[9]

Norfolk peculiar jurisdictions Contents: Index to probate records, 1416-1857[10]

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 1796-1903 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.