Dorset Probate Records

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

Return to the Dorset County page.

Court Jurisdictions

Before 1858, every town and parish in Dorset fell under the jurisdiction of a primary probate courts and several secondary primary courts.  When looking for the probate of the estate of an ancestor, you should search the primary court first then move on to the secondary courts in the order given.  Search indexes first.  Indexes are found by clicking on the court name above.

Below is a list of the Dorset parishes beginning with letters A-B and the pre-1858 courts that had probate jurisdiction over them.  To see other parishes, click on the letter that begins the parish name.

C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O   P   Q   R   S   T   U   V   W   X   Y   Z

PARISH	PRIMARY COURT	SECONDARY COURTS - IN SEARCH ORDER
Abbotsbury	Court of the Archdeaconry of Dorset	2 - Court of the Bishop of Bristol (Episcopal Consistory) Dorset Division 3 -Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
Affpuddle	Court of the Archdeaconry of Dorset	2 - Court of the Bishop of Bristol (Episcopal Consistory) Dorset Division 3 -Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
Alderholt	Court of the Archdeaconry of Dorset	2 - Court of the Bishop of Bristol (Episcopal Consistory) Dorset Division 3 -Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
Allington	Court of the Archdeaconry of Dorset	2 - Court of the Bishop of Bristol (Episcopal Consistory) Dorset Division 3 -Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
Almer	Court of the Archdeaconry of Dorset	2 - Court of the Bishop of Bristol (Episcopal Consistory) Dorset Division 3 -Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
Alton Pancras	Court of the Peculiar of the Dean of Salisbury	2 - Prerogatve Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
Arne	Court of the Archdeaconry of Dorset	2 - Court of the Bishop of Bristol (Episcopal Consistory) Dorset Division 3 -Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
Ashmore	Court of the Archdeaconry of Dorset	2 - Court of the Bishop of Bristol (Episcopal Consistory) Dorset Division 3 -Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
Askerswell	Court of the Archdeaconry of Dorset	2 - Court of the Bishop of Bristol (Episcopal Consistory) Dorset Division 3 -Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
Athelhampton	Court of the Archdeaconry of Dorset	2 - Court of the Bishop of Bristol (Episcopal Consistory) Dorset Division 3 -Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
Batcombe	Court of the Archdeaconry of Dorset	2 - Court of the Bishop of Bristol (Episcopal Consistory) Dorset Division 3 -Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
Beaminster	Court of the Peculiar of the Prebend of Netherbury in Ecclesia	2 - Court of the Peculiar of the Dean of Salisbury 3 -Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
Beer Hackett	Court of the Peculiar of the Dean of Salisbury	2 - Prerogatve Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
Belchalwell	Court of the Archdeaconry of Dorset	2 - Court of the Bishop of Bristol (Episcopal Consistory) Dorset Division 3 -Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
Bere Regis	Court of the Peculiar of the Dean of Salisbury	2 - Prerogatve Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
Bettiscombe	Court of the Manor and Liberty of Frampton	2 - Court of the Archdeaconry of Dorset 3 -Court of the Bishop of Bristol (Episcopal Consistory) Dorset Division 4 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
Bincombe	Court of the Manor and Liberty of Frampton	2 - Court of the Archdeaconry of Dorset 3 -Court of the Bishop of Bristol (Episcopal Consistory) Dorset Division 4 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
Blandford Forum	Court of the Archdeaconry of Dorset	2 - Court of the Bishop of Bristol (Episcopal Consistory) Dorset Division 3 -Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
Blandford St Mary	Court of the Archdeaconry of Dorset	2 - Court of the Bishop of Bristol (Episcopal Consistory) Dorset Division 3 -Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
Bloxworth	Court of the Peculiar of the Dean of Salisbury	2 - Prerogatve Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
Bothenhampton	Court of the Archdeaconry of Dorset	2 - Court of the Bishop of Bristol (Episcopal Consistory) Dorset Division 3 -Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
Bourton	Court of the Royal Peculiar of Gillingham	2 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
Bradford Abbas	Court of the Archdeaconry of Dorset	2 - Court of the Bishop of Bristol (Episcopal Consistory) Dorset Division 3 -Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
Bradford Peverell	Court of the Archdeaconry of Dorset	2 - Court of the Bishop of Bristol (Episcopal Consistory) Dorset Division 3 -Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
Bradpole	Court of the Archdeaconry of Dorset	2 - Court of the Bishop of Bristol (Episcopal Consistory) Dorset Division 3 -Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
Bredy, Long	Court of the Archdeaconry of Dorset	2 - Court of the Bishop of Bristol (Episcopal Consistory) Dorset Division 3 -Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
Bridport	Court of the Archdeaconry of Dorset	2 - Court of the Bishop of Bristol (Episcopal Consistory) Dorset Division 3 -Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
Broadmayne	Court of the Archdeaconry of Dorset	2 - Court of the Bishop of Bristol (Episcopal Consistory) Dorset Division 3 -Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
Broadway	Court of the Archdeaconry of Dorset	2 - Court of the Bishop of Bristol (Episcopal Consistory) Dorset Division 3 -Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
Broadwindsor	Court of the Archdeaconry of Dorset	2 - Court of the Bishop of Bristol (Episcopal Consistory) Dorset Division 3 -Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
Bryanston	Court of the Archdeaconry of Dorset	2 - Court of the Bishop of Bristol (Episcopal Consistory) Dorset Division 3 -Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
Buckhorn Weston	Court of the Archdeaconry of Dorset	2 - Court of the Bishop of Bristol (Episcopal Consistory) Dorset Division 3 -Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
Buckland Newton	Court of the Archdeaconry of Dorset	2 - Court of the Bishop of Bristol (Episcopal Consistory) Dorset Division 3 -Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
Buckland Ripers	Court of the Archdeaconry of Dorset	2 - Court of the Bishop of Bristol (Episcopal Consistory) Dorset Division 3 -Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
Burleston	Court of the Archdeaconry of Dorset	2 - Court of the Bishop of Bristol (Episcopal Consistory) Dorset Division 3 -Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
Burstock	Court of the Archdeaconry of Dorset	2 - Court of the Bishop of Bristol (Episcopal Consistory) Dorset Division 3 -Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
Burton Bradstock	Court of the Manor of Burton Bradstock	2 - Court of the Archdeaconry of Dorset 3 -Court of the Bishop of Bristol (Episcopal Consistory) Dorset Division 4 - Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury
Burton, Long	Court of the Peculiar of the Dean of Salisbury	2 - Prerogatve Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury

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.