Court of the Commissary of the Bishop of London (Essex and Hertfordshire Division)

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 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. Or, you can visit The FamilySearch Library or, one of its 4,500 satellite family history centers worldwide and search indexes and original wills and admon records. With the information obtained from the index[es] you can search more quickly the original wills and admons which are also on microfilm, via any centers near you.

Online Indexes
A general will index for Essex County is available online. (Choose 'Index Searches' then search by 'People' for the name of the deceased.) This single index consolidates Essex county wills of the various probate court jurisdictions, including the various smaller Peculiar Court jurisdictions into one database.

There are no available online indexes covering all of Hertfordshire at this time. However, because this particular court held jurisdiction over Broxbourne, Little and Much Hadham, Little Hormead, Royston and Bishop's Stortford, and the county of Essex, for those who have ancestry who resided in Hertfordshire, and/or likely may have held property in both counties, be certain to try this general will index for this court which is available online. (Choose 'Index Searches' then search by 'People' for the name of the deceased; this single index consolidates Essex county wills of the various probate court jurisdictions, including the various smaller Peculiar Court jurisdictions into one database.)

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

Every-name index

This indexes every name contained in the will, not just the name of the person leaving the will. As such it includes many more people than a testator index:


 * 1505-1916 - Essex Wills Beneficiaries Index, 1505-1916, online at findmypast. Includes Bishop of London's Commissary Court (Essex & Hertfordshire), Archdeaconry Court of Colchester, Archdeaconry Court of Essex, Archdeaconry Court of Middlesex (Essex & Hertfordshire), Peculiar Court of Deanery of Bocking, Peculiar Court of Good Easter, Peculiar Court of the Sokens, Peculiar Court of Writtle with Roxwell.

Testator index

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 volumes at the FamilySearch Library in Salt Lake City:


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

NOTE: Emmison's index is to the records of six courts including the Court of the Commissary of the B ishop of London, which is designated by the letter 'B' in the index references. A second letter designation used is either 'R' for registered wills or 'W' for original wills. Each index reference also includes two separate numbers. The first is the item number of the will and the second is the number for the box or set in which the will is included. A sample reference is:


 * 1580 -- Abbott, George, gentleman, East Tilbury -- 43 BW 2

This means that George Abbott's original will is item 43 in box 2 of the wills for the Commissary of the Bishop of London. If you use the collection of the FamilySearch Library, go to the "Probate Records at The FamilySearch Library" section below and click on each link to the various probate records listed, to help you determine microfilm numbers for ordering and searching (them) at one of our Family History Centers nearest to you. Or, you can go to our FamilySearch Catalog online (at FamilySearch.org), to obtain the film numbers there, under "Essex", then "Probate Records" and then click on the link, "Court of the Commissary of the Bishop of London (Essex &amp; Hertfordshire Division)". To find a family History Center near you, go to www.familysearch.org and click on "FamilySearch Centers".

Other handwritten indexes are listed below in the "Indexes" section. Click on the court name links on the Essex County Probate home page.

Original handwritten indexes:

Indexes to the Probate Acts of Wills and Administrations (Admons) exist as follows:


 * Registered Wills:                                   1496-1585; 1667-1726


 * Un-Registered Wills:                              1585-1725


 * Wills &amp; Admininstrations:                       1688-1858


 * Calendars (first-letter of surname index)   1495-1858

In addition to the calendars, some of the original (unregistered) wills and the registered wills are alphabetically arranged at the Record Office and are likewise organized on the microfilmed probates for this court at the FamilySearch Library. Visit the Essex County or the FamilySearch Library  under Essex, England to determine availability of records.

Microfilmed indexes available at the FamilySearch Library:

Original (Unregistered) Wills and Registered Wills as well as the extant indexes for this court are available on microfilm at the FamilySearch Library and may be circulated to each of its satellite Family History Centers (see Court of the Archdeaconry of Essex). You can visit the Essex County Archives or go to the FamilySearch Catalog's "Place Search" and type in "Essex", [England]; then click on "Probate Records - Indexes" to determine availability of probate indexes, or here to go directly to the FamilySearch Catalog entry showing these courts'. Some indexes area available as follows:


 * 1725-1858
 * - provides a listing for nearly 200 Hertfordshire wills
 * 1558-1603
 * 1400-1858
 * Wills] 1431-1857
 * 1619-1699 Also see
 * 1431-1619; 1660-1719
 * 1660-1783
 * 1620-1660
 * 1696-1740
 * 1699


 * Index to Wills 1500-1858 ; or on or

Archives Location
The original records of this court are deposited at:

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

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

Calendars (first-letter-of-surname index) of Wills and Administration Acts are divided in to the following six calendar books:


 * Calendar Vol. 1:  1495-1585
 * Calendar Vol. 2:  1585-1621
 * Calendar Vol. 3:  1621-1725
 * Calendar Vol. 4:  1670-1726
 * Calendar Vol. 5:  1688-1783
 * Calendar Vol. 6:  1784-1858

In addition to the general index above, many of the earlier or pre-1585 filmed volumes also contain a separate index to the wills and administrations. For an index to the post-1585 period, search the online county-wide index at the Essex County Record Office website. Registered Wills Registered Wills with alpha indexes preceding the wills date from 1500-1585

Registered Wills (un-indexed) 1667-1858

Original Wills

Original Wills and Administration (Admons) - unindexed - 1583-1652; 1660-1858

Administrations (at Essex County Record Office)

1678-1857

Act Books

Probate and Admininstration Acts 1663-1858

ORIGINAL WILLS - 1441-1858

REGISTER COAPY WILLS - 1553-1561; 1564-1570; 1660-1858

PROBATE &amp; ADMINISTRATIAON ACTS - 1619-1646; 1660-1858

INVENTORIES - very few extant documents

INDEXES - 1441-1858 - all probate records are indexed; (to use the index of these records see "Online Indexes" above)

There are abstracts of the Hertfordshire Wills 1592-1628 in "The ", Vols. II (1897) and III (1899), and there is a card index of the Hertfordshire Wills 1514-1811 at the County Record Office, Hertford.

These records are located at the Essex County Record Office (see address above). For determining the FamilySearch Library's microfilmed collection of the Archdeaconry Court of Colchester, see the FamilySearch Catalog entry for this.

FamilySearch Library Records
Calendars (first-letter-of-surname index) of Wills and Administration Acts are divided in to six calendar books:

Calendar Vol. 1: 1495-1585 Calendar Vol. 2: 1585-1621 Calendar Vol. 3: 1621-1725 Calendar Vol. 4: 1670-1726 Calendar Vol. 5: 1688-1783 Calendar Vol. 6: 1784-1858

In addition to the general index above, many of the earlier or pre-1585 filmed volumes also contain a separate index to the wills and administrations. For an index to the post-1585 period, search the online county-wide index at the Essex County Record Office website.


 * (un-indexed) 1553-1570; 1660-1858
 * (Admons) - unindexed - 1489-1659
 * 1619-1858
 * 1619-1699 Also see
 * 1431-1619; 1660-1719
 * 1660-1783
 * 1620-1660
 * 1696-1740
 * 1699-1740

Jurisdiction
The probate records of the Court of the Commissary of the Bishop of London (Essex &amp; Hertfordshire Division) date from 1431 to 1858 and cover 104 parishes in Essex. The records were transferred to the Diocese of London in 1858 and held there until 1958 when they were transferred back to the Chelmsford County Hall, where they reside today.

Administrations for the years 1678 to 1857 are available at the Essex County Record Office, Chelmsford, U.K. The FamilySearch Library has on microfilm, many of the administrations (or Admons).

To view a list of parishes and their respective probate court jurisdiction, see the "Essex Parishes Parishes and Their Probate Jurisdictions" on the main page for Essex Probate Records.