Bedfordshire Probate Records

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

Return to the Bedfordshire County page.

Bedfordshire Probate Courts
The following courts had some jurisdiction over Bedfordshire before 1858:


 * Court of the Archdeacon of Bedford
 * Court of the Bishop of Lincoln (Episcopal Consistory)
 * Court of the Bishop of Ely (Episcopal Consistory)
 * Court of the Peculiar of the Dean and Chapter of Lincoln
 * Court of the Peculiar of Aylesbury
 * Court of the Peculiar of Biggleswade
 * Court of the Peculiar of Leighton Buzzard

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:


 * Court of Arches
 * High Court of Delegates

Court Jurisdictions
Before 1858, every town and parish in Bedfordshire was under the probate jurisdiction of a primary court and several secondary courts. The court that had primary jurisdiction over most of Bedfordshire, with a few exceptions, was the Court of the Archdeacon of Bedford. Here is a list of Bedfordshire parishes that were the exceptions, and the pre-1858 courts that had probate jurisdiction over them.

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.