Norfolk Probate Records

England Norfolk

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

Getting Started
Probate is the legal court process by which the estate of a deceased person is distributed to his or her heirs. The Church of England ecclesiastical courts had authority for this process until to 1858. Beginning in 1858, authority over probate matters was taken from ecclesiastical courts and put under the civil authority of the Principal Probate Registry. The Post-1857 Probate Records section below contains links to additional information about the records of this court.

To look for a probate record before 1858:


 * 1) Discover when and where your ancestor died. If you don’t know, use the approximate date and place where they lived.
 * 2) Go to Court Jurisdictions section below.
 * 3) Click a letter or span of letters for your place name. This opens a jurisdictions table.
 * 4) Follow the instructions on the jurisdictions table page.

Norfolk Probate Courts
These courts had some pre-1858 jurisdiction over the county of Norfolk. Click on a court name for more information. See also the Indexes section below. Click on a court name to learn more about the records available and how to find the probate of your ancestor in the court's records.


 * Court of the Archdeaconry of Norfolk
 * Court of Norwich (Episcopal Consistory)
 * Court of the Archdeaconry of Norwich
 * Court of the Peculiar of the Dean & Chapter of Norwich
 * Court of the Peculiar of Castle Rising
 * Court of the Peculiar of Great Cressingham
 * Court of the City of Norwich

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

The Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury also served as an appeals court.

Court Jurisdictions
Before 1858, every town and parish in Norfolk was under the probate jurisdiction of a primary ecclesiastical court and one or more secondary ecclesiastical courts.

To see a list of Norfolk places and the pre-1858 courts that had probate jurisdiction over them, click on a letter link:

A, B, C-F, G-H, I-N, O-S, T-Z

Probate Indexes Online
Before looking for a will, you should search an index.


 * http://www.norfolksources.norfolk.gov.uk/ (Probate records for 1800–1857)

Probate Indexes
Church of England. Archdeaconry of Norfolk. Wills and administrations, 1459-1857

Index of wills proved in the Norfolk Archdeaconry Court Contents: v. 3.1453-1542 -- v. 5.1542-1560 -- v. 10.1560- 1603/4

England, Norfolk - Probate records - Indexes

Wills and administrations, 1469-1857 Church of England. Archdeaconry of Norwich. Court Index of wills proved in the Consistory Court of Norwich and now preserved in the District Probate Registry at Norwich, 1604-1686 Index of wills proved in the Consistory Court of Norwich, 1687-1750  Index of wills proved in the Consistory Court of Norwich, 1751-1818  Index of wills proved in the Consistory Court of Norwich, 1819-1857

Index to Norfolk (England) wills, 1838-1858

Norfolk peculiar jurisdictions Contents: Index to probate records, 1416-1857

Estate Duty Records
Starting in 1796, a tax or death duty was payable on estates over a certain value. Estate duty abstracts may add considerable information not found elsewhere. Between 1796-1903 estate duty indexes may help locate a will. For more information, go to Estate Duty Records.

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.