Court of the Peculiar of the Dean and Chapter of St Paul's Cathedral

Step By Step
1. First search each index (see below) to help you more quickly find the will, writing down each detail cited in the indexed entry. 2. Proceed to "Records" (below) to determine what probate records exist for this court. 3. Contact or visit the Guildhall Library or, hire a professional record searcher to view these records on your behalf. Officials may send upon request a list of record searchers. 4. Or, you can visit The FamilySearch Library, or, one of its 4,500 satellite family history centers worldwide and search indexes to probate records; then with the information obtained from the index[es] you can search more quickly the original wills and admons also on microfilm via any family history centers near you.

Indexes
The Court of the Peculiar of the Dean and Chapter of St Paul's Cathedral probate records is well-covered with the following indexes:

Online Indexes

 * London, England, Wills and Probate, 1507-1858 at Ancestry (£) includes Peculiar Court of the Dean and Chapter of St Paul’s.


 * London &amp; Middlesex Will Abstracts 1700-1704 at Origins.net (£). Includes abstracts of original wills proved in the Dean and Chapter of St Paul's Cathedral.

Printed and Published Indexes

 * A comprehensive will and admon index to London (including Greater L.) for the years covering 1750-1858 for the surnames A-F, is Dr David Wright's London Probate Index on CDs and are available for sale online. He provides a search service for surnames G-Z in his indexes for you at a set fee.

Original handwritten indexes:

to the Probate Acts of Wills and Administrations (Admons) exist from 1535-1837. Calendars are a kind of index to the day to day probate court procedures in which wills and admons (administrations) are processed.

In addition to the calendars, a majority of the original (unregistered) wills and the registered wills are alphabetically arranged at The Guildhall Library and are likewise organized on the microfilmed probates for this court at the FamilySearch Library. Visit the The Guildhall Library or the FamilySearch Library under London, England to determine availability of records.

Microfilmed indexes available at the FamilySearch Library:

The majority of the original (unregistered) wills and the registered wills are calendared (by first letter of the surname) from 1535 to 1837. These calendars and the Wills themselves for this court are available on microfilm at the FamilySearch Library and may be circulated to any one of its satellite Family History Centers (see under the Peculiar Court of the Dean and Chapter of St Pauls Cathedral) in the FamilySearch Catalog online under "London", England to determine availability of records for this probate court.

Archives Location
Guildhall Library Aldermanbury London EC2V 7HH Tel (020) 7332 1862 / (020) 7332 1863 Textphone (020) 7332 3803 Email [mailto:manuscripts.guildhall@cityoflondon.gov.uk manuscripts.guildhall@cityoflondon.gov.uk]

Website: http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/

Archive Records
Add information about the manuscript, printed and digital records in this location.

Original Wills

Original Wills 1660-1759

Will Registers 1535-1643, 1660-1837 available only at The Guildhall Library; to be digitised shortly

Calendars (first-letter-of-surname index) 1672-1837

Probate &amp; Administration Act Books 1646-1650; 1660-1837

FamilySearch Library Records
These probate records are on microfilm and they may be accessed at The FamilySearch Library or its 4,500 satelite Family History Centers worldwide.

1660-1759

1535-1643, 1660-1837 available only at the Guildhall Library; to be digitised shortly

(first-letter-of-surname index) 1672-1837

1535-1837

1646-1650; 1660-1837

Jurisdiction
Probate records of the Court of the Peculiar of the Dean and Chapter of St Paul's Cathedral held jurisdiction over several parishes in London. Records of these probates--includes original as well as registered wills. These records date from as early as 1535-1643; and from 1660 to 1837. However, wills mostly go only to 1781 in this court. Most testators in this jurisdiction filed their wills with the Prerogative Court of Canterbury between 1750 to 1858. This probate court held jurisdiction over the city parishes of St Faith, St Giles Cripplegate, St Helen Bishopsgate, and the Middlesex parishes of Friern Barnet, Chiswick, West Drayton, Hoxton (Shoreditch), St Luke Old Street, St Pancras, Stoke Newington, and Willesden.