Court of Norwich (Episcopal Consistory)
England 
Norfolk Norfolk Probate Records
Step By Step
1. First search each index (see below) to help you more quickly find the will, writing down each detail cited in the indexed entry.
2. Proceed to "Records" (below) to determine what probate records exist for this court.
3. Contact or visit the Norfolk Record Office, or, hire a professional record searcher to view these records on your behalf. Officials may send upon request a list of record searchers.
4. Visit The Family History Library, or, one of its 4,500 satellite family history centers worldwide and search indexes (see the Family History Library's cataloged entries providing the microfilms so you can have them circulated to the center near you for searching the wills). The information obtained from the index[es] will help you more quickly search the wills and admons which can also be circulated on microfilm via any family history.
Indexes
The Court of Norwich (Episcopal Consistory) probate records have to some extent been indexed with the following ones:
Online indexes
The Norfolk Record Office has an online index to all wills for all probate courts throughout the county and you can now search these.
A general will index (partial) for this probate court covering much of the county is available online for the years 1800-1857. More years are bring added so re-visit their website regularly.
Also, Ancestry.co.uk has indexed some probate records abstracts as well.
Printed and Published Indexes
Indexes to Norfolk wills have been compiled, published, and in some cases microfilmed, and are available at the Family History Library. Those on microfilm may be circulated to Family History Centers.
They are as follows:
- Index of wills proved in the Consistory Court of Norwich 1370-1550, 1550-1603 [1]
- Index of wills proved in the Consistory Court of Norwich, 1604-1686 [2]
- Index of wills proved in the Consistory Court of Norwich, 1687-1750 [3]
- Index of wills proved in the Consistory Court of Norwich, 1751-1818 [4]
- Index of wills proved in the Consistory Court of Norwich, 1819-1857 [5]
Original Handwritten Indexes:
Calendars to this Probate court exist covering acts of Wills and Administrations (Admons) exist from 1460-1857. Calendars are a kind of index (of the first letter of each surname) to the probate records and admons (administrations).
In addition to the calendars, a majority of the original (unregistered) wills and the registered wills are alphabetically arranged at Norfolk Record Office and are likewise organized on the microfilmed probates for this court at the Family History Library. Visit The Norfolk Record Office or the Family History Library Catalog under Norfolk, England to determine availability of records.
Records
Archives Location
Norfolk Record Office
The Archive Centre
Martineau Lane
Norwich
NR1 2DQ
United Kingdom
Telephone: 01603 222599
Fax: 01603 761885
E-mail: norfrec@norfolk.gov.uk
Archive Records
Add information about the manuscript, printed and digital records in this location.
Calendar To Wills 1416-1857
Original Wills 1509-1547; 1558-1560; 1567-1568; 1575-1651; 1660-1857
Registered Copy Wills
1370-1857 (some missing years)
Administrations Act Books 1370-1857
Administration 1680-1857
Act Books 1370-1871
Inventories 1584-1849 (missing years)
Consistory Court Depositions 1499-1788
Family History Library Records
Registered Copy Wills 1370-1857 (some missing years)
Administration Act Books (some missing years)
Inventories 1553-1849 (missing years)
Consistory Court Depositions 1499-1788
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 1796-1858 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.
An annual, 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.
Jurisdiction
Probate records of the Court of Norwich (Episcopal Consistory) commence from as early as 1370 to 1857. This court held jurisdiction over all of Norfolk's parishes with the exception of Emneth Parish.
All county parishes with the exception of Emneth, came under the jurisdiction of this court. (Emneth Parish came under the jurisdiction of the Consistory Court of Ely.)
This court also had jurisdiction over the parishes of Upwell and Outwell which were at times a part of Cambridgeshire.