Warwickshire Probate Records

England Warwickshire

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/her heirs.

In order to find a probate record for your ancestor, you must answer two questions:


 * 1) When did your ancestor die?
 * 2) Where did your ancestor live or own property?

A key date is 1858, when probate authority was taken from the ecclesiatical courts of the Church of England and given to the civil government.


 * If your ancestor died before 1858, his/her probate would have been proven by an ecclesiatical court and it is important to know where he/she lived, as that will determine which courts had jurisdiction.
 * If you know where your ancestor lived before 1858, you should go to the Court Jurisdictions section below to determine what courts had jurisdiction over your ancestor's place of residence.
 * Beginning in 1858, probate authority was vested in the Principal Probate Registry system. For more information, scroll to the Post-1857 Probate Records section at the bottom of the page.

Once you have answered the two questions and determined the courts, look for indexes. Indexes will be found on the individual court pages (when you click on a court name) or in the Probate Indexes section below.

Some Explanatory Notes on Warwickshire Probate Courts

 * From 1837, the whole of the Warwickshire's parishes came under the court jurisdiction of the Bishop of Worcester
 * In pre-1837 Warwickshire, the following counties only came under the authority and jurisdiction of the Bishop of Worcester:

- Alcester

- Great Alne

- Alveston

- Arrow

- Aston

- Cantlow

- Atherstone-on-Stour

- Barford

- Barcheston

- Barton-on-the-Heath

- Bearley

- Beaudesert

- Bidford

- Biliesley

- Binton

- Brailes

- Budbrooke

- Burmington

- Butlers Marston

  - Charlecote

- Cherington

- Claverdon

- Long Compton

- Compton Verney

- Compton Wynyates

- Coughton

- Eatington

- Exhall

- Halford

- Haseley

- Haselor

- Hatton

Probate Indexes
Here is an online publication containing the Diocese of Lichfield will index from 1526 to 1790, at Google. Books.

Court Jurisdictions
Before 1858, every town and parish in Warwickshire was under the probate jurisdiction of a primary court and one or more secondary court. When looking for the will of an ancestor in Warwickshire, search the courts in the order given. Search indexes first. For indexes, click on the link for a court name above.

Here is a list of Warwickshire towns and parishes beginning with the letter A and the pre-1858 courts that had probate jurisdiction over them. For other places, click on a letter link: B-C, D-L, M-S, T-Z.

1. In the first column, find the place where your ancestor lived. 2. In the second column, click on the court name to learn where to find the records and indexes. 3. If the record isn't found in the primary court, search the records for the secondary courts in the order listed. 4. The last court to search is the Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury.

If no will is found, your ancestor may not have left one.

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 1813-1858 estate duty indexes may help locate a will. For more information, go to Estate Duty Records.

Probate Indexes
Registered wills and original wills, administrations and inventories, 1494-1860, and, act books, 1532-1638 for Diocese of Lichfield Episcopal Consistory Court These are calendars   This Diocese covers the northern and eastern parts of county Warwick.

A general will index for the Diocese of Lichfield exists online, a scanned edition of P.W. Phillimore's publicationby the British Record Society in 1892,Calendars of wills administrations in the Consistory court of the bishop of Lichfield. This single index consolidates most Staffordshire wills of the various probate court jurisdictions from 1514-1652 for the Diocese of Lichfield and to 1790 for Staffordshire smaller peculiar courts. 

The Episcopal Consistory Court of The Bishop of Worcester Covers the southwestern third of this county.

Episcopal Consistory Court of the Bishop of Worcester Calendar of wills administrations, 1661-1858 Family History Library Books 942.47 P2e Contents : v. 1. 1661-1699 -- v. 2. 1700-1749 -- v. 3. 1750-1799 -- v. 4. 1800-1858. 

Worcestershire wills index, 1858-1928 "The index is arranged in alphabetical order of surname followed by the forename. Then the date of probate is cited, thus leading one to the register concerned, together with the relevant page number. It will be noted that there is some slight variation in style of the date of probate quoted. This is because this index was compiled from the existing indexes in each register and the amount of detail in each varied slightly, particularly in the first few volumes." -- from foreword. CD-ROM no. 1671 at The Family History Library&lt;br

Calendar of wills and administrations in the Consistory court of the Bishop of Worcester, 1451-1652 : also marriage licenses and sequestrations now deposited in the Probate registry at Worcester The Index library (British Record Society) : v. 31, 39 Family History Library Call Numbers 942 B4b v. 31 1968 942 B4b v. 39 1968 Contents: v. 31. 1451-1600 -- v. 39. 1601-1652.

Also available 942.47 S2c

Family History Library

A calendar of wills and administrations preserved in the Consistory Court of the Bishop of Worcester, l45l-(l652)

Index of Probate from January-March 1660-1 for the Bishop of Worcester Original Wills

Name                             Place                                        Date

John Allen                      Wixelsford                                    6 Mar

William Averill                Broadway                                    20 Mar

Thomas Baker                Juichfieh? 28 Feb

Roger Barnard                Stratford Upon Avon                     16 Mar

William Beaver                Combrook, Warwickshire              8 Mar

Ferdinand Bentley            Wick by Pershore                      27 Feb

Thomas Bonnar                Alderminster                             13 Feb

Francis Buck                   Oddingley                                 28 Feb

John Butler                      Swale                                        6 Feb

William Butler                  Cateshill, Bromsgrove                28 Feb

Robert Caldecote              Hunington                                28 Feb

Thomas Clarke                 City of Worcester                     21 Feb

William Climer                  Shenston in Stone                   23 Feb

Robert Coldecott or Colicoal Hunington                             28 Feb Mathew Collet                    Alderminster or Aldermarston     7 Mar

John Cooke                      St Peter, Worcester                  28 Feb

John Cookes                     Stoke Prior                              25 Feb

Symon Corbett                  Defford                                     6 Feb

Thomas Crowe                  Chadwich, Bromsgrove             16 Feb

Richard Dannce                Wick by Pershore                     20 Feb

Mary Dawks or Dawlks      Himbleton                                23 Feb

Henry Day                        Pinvin                                      27 Feb

Margaret Desmastres        Pershore                                 20 Feb

Thomas Edgcock              Kinerton, Warwickshire             16 Mar

Frances Elcoxe                St Martins, Worcester               22 Mar

Elizabeth George              Eckington                                  8 Mar

Thomas George the Elder  Naunton in Severn Stoke             2 Mar

Gyles Gilbert                    Longdon                                   18 Mar

William Griffin                   Clifton in Severn Stoke               16 Mar

Thomas Gyles                  Powick                                       7 Feb

George Hall                      Broadway                                   7 Mar

John Hall                          Tarbecke                                  10 Mar

Ellinor Hay                        Eckington                                 13 Mar

John Hay                           Alchurch                                  28 Feb

William Hopkins                 Stratford Upon Avon, Warwickshire 16 Mar

Anne Horsham                   Wicke in Pershore                    27 Feb

Richard Hurlston                 Ilmington, Warwickshire            28 Feb

Katherine Inones or Jnones? Mathon                                  28 Feb

Anne Jennings                    Moseley                                  21 Mar

Robert Knight                     Charlecott, Warwickshire          20 Mar

Cicilia Lee                          Alveston                                   6 Feb

Edmond Ligon                                                                  12 Mar

Richard Marshall                 Inkberrow                                27 Feb

Anthony Morrice                 Icomb                                      14 Mar

John Moseley                     Northwich, Blockley                  14 Mar

William Moseley                 Puddington or Huddington? 27 Feb

Thomas Munsloe                Tibberton                                    9 Feb

Edward Nicholls                  Hunnington                                8 Mar

John Oldmole or Oldnall       Chaddestly Corbett                    7 Feb

Thomas Ordway                  Bengworth                               12 Mar

John Pearsall                      Whitley Barne, Halesowen, Salop 1 Mar

William Phillips                   Church Lench                           28 Feb

Maria or Mary Phipps           Aldermarston or Alderminster    10 Feb

Alice Pratt                          Wick near Pershore                    6 Feb

William Quinton                   Hunnington, Warwickshire         27 Feb

John Rainolds or Reynolds    Kidderminster                          27 Feb

John Richardson                  Shottery in Stratford on Avon Warwickshire 20 Mar

Julie Shawe                         Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire 16 Feb

Stephen Sitch                      Shefferie, Warwickshire             13 Mar

Mary Smith                          Eckington (Eskington)               11 Mar

Thomas Smith                      Vifford                                        9 Mar

Margery Symonds                Elmley Castle                           14 Mar

William Taverner                   Pinvin or Pembry                       27 Feb

Mary Tonerton or Towerton    Holt                                            6 Mar

Richard Walker                    Ridmington                                  8 Mar

Michael Warne                    Alvechurch or Alchurch                28 Feb

William Washborne              Tibberton                                   23 Feb

Henry Whatley                     Tanworth, Warwickshire                9 Mar

Thomas Whopper                 Tibberton                                    23 Feb

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.