Court of Arches
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Description[edit | edit source]
Probate is the legal court process by which the estate of a deceased person is distributed to his or her heirs. The term probate refers to a collection of documents, including wills, administrations (also called admons), inventories, and act books. The Church of England ecclesiastical courts had authority for this process until to 1858.
Indexes[edit | edit source]
Indexes from 1660-1857 were compiled by the British Record Society (vol. 85) and are available at major academic and research institutions in the UK and U.S.A., including the Family History Library.
The Family History Library has an Index of cases in the records of the Court of Arches at Lambeth Palace Library, from 1660-1913 are on microfiche #6066891
Records[edit | edit source]
Archive Location[edit | edit source]
The original records for this are held at:
Lambeth Palace Library
Lambeth Palace Road
Lambeth, London, SE1 7EH
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 20 78981200
Archive Records[edit | edit source]
Family History Library Records[edit | edit source]
The Family History Library has the following records on film. Films can be viewed in the library or in family history centers.
- Records of the Court of Arches, 1660-1913 (microfiche series)
- Proceedings of the Court of Arches, 1554-1883 (series 2)
Jurisdiction[edit | edit source]
The Court of Arches of Canterbury was a court of appeal for both the Province of York and Canterbury. Its equivalent in the Province of York was the Chancery Court of the Province of York. The royal peculiars and the peculiars of the Archbishop were exempt and do not come under this court's jurisdiction.