Court of the Peculiar of the Liberty of the Sokens

Return to the Essex Probate Records page.

Step By Step
1. First search each index (see below) to help you more quickly find the will or administration (admon), writing down each detail cited in the indexed entry.

2. Proceed to the "Probate Records of This Court" (below) to determine what original probate records exist for this court.

3. Contact or visit the Essex County 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 to probate records;&amp;nbsp;then with the information obtained from the index[es] you can search more quickly the&amp;nbsp;original wills and admons also&amp;nbsp;on microfilm via any centers near you.

Probate Indexes
Before looking for a will, you should search the following indexes:

Online Indexes
A general will index for Essex County is available online. This single index consolidates just about all Essex county wills of the various probate court jurisdictions, including the Peculiar Court of the Liberty of the Sokens, into one database.

Printed Indexes
If the indexes on the Internet do not produce possible wills for your ancestors, look in the published indexes listed here.

The Essex County Record Office compiled and published a complete surname index covering wills and administrations from eight Essex County probate courts including this court. The index is available in three volumns at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City:


 * Emmison, F. G., ed. [Index to] Wills at Chelmsford.  London: s.n., 1961, by the British Record Society.  (see FHL book 942 B4b vols. 78, 79 &amp; 84; also on microfilms 0962739 and 0962740, and on microfiche 6073796, 6073797, and 6073802.)

Essex Record Office Archives &amp; Museums Wharf Road Chelmsford CM12 6YT Telephone (01245) 244644 E-mail: [mailto:ero.enquiry@essexcc.gov.uk ero.enquiry@essexcc.gov.uk]
Website: Essex County Record Office

Probate Records Held in This Archive
Original Wills 1659-1793

Probate Records Held in The Family History Library
Original Wills 1659-1793

History and Background
Probate records of the Peculiar Court of Liberty of the Sokens were once held in the Chelmsford Cathedral Registry. After the setup of civil courts by act of Parliament in 1858, they were removed to Somerset House, London in 1858. In 1958, almost all of Essex wills were transferred back to Chelmsford to the County Hall, where they reside today.

These records date from 1618 to 1857 and cover only the three "Sokens": Kirkby-le-Soken, Thorpe-le-Soken and Walton-le-Soken.

Strategies, Tips, Other?
To view a list of parishes and their&amp;nbsp;respective probate court jurisdiction, see the "Essex Parishes Parishes and Their Probate Jurisdictions" on the main page for Essex Probate Records.

Always search the other alternative probate courts when a search in this peculiar court proves unsuccessful (see in the alphabetical Parish list on the "Essex County Probate Records" page).