Essex Probate Records

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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:

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&nbsp.	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&nbsp.	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]

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.