Court of the Peculiar of the Dean and Chapter of Lichfield

England Derbyshire Probate Records, Staffordshire Probate Records, Warwickshire Probate Records

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 then to the "Probate Records In This Archive" section (see below) to determine what original probate records exist for this court.

3. Contact or visit the Lichfield Record Office (see address below), to hire a professional record searcher to view these records on your behalf, citing information obtained from the indexes (see next heading). Officials may send upon request a list of record searchers.

4. You can also visit The Family History Library, or, one of its 4,500 satellite family history centers worldwide and search indexes and wills (see the Family History Library's cataloged entries providing the microfilm numbers so you can have them circulated to the center near you for searching). The information obtained from the index[es] will help you more quickly search the wills and admons which can also be circulated on microfilm via any family history.

Indexes
The collection on microfilm includes a Calendar of wills, administrations and inventories. A calendar is an index arranged first alphabetically by the beginning letter of a testator's surname and second by date.

The British Index Library has published an index to wills for 1529-1652 for the peculiars deposited at Lichfield including the Dean and Chapter of Lichfield. The link is to the Family History Library Catalog.

The Records
The original records are deposited at the Lichfield Record Office.

Probate Records of This Court Held In This Archive
These records include:


 * Original wills, 1510-1858
 * Inventories, 1568-1680

Probate Records of This Court In The Family History Library
These have been microfilmed and are available at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City and through family history centers. They include:


 * Original wills, administrations, and inventories, from various Peculiar Courts (including the Dean and Chapter of Lichfield)
 * Probate inventories of Lichfield and district, 1568-1680

Historical Background
This court was also known as the Court of the Peculiar of the Dean and Chapter of Lichfield (Cathedral).

This court had jurisdiction in the Derbyshire parishes of:

It also had some early jurisdiction in the Peak Forest in Derbyshire.

This court also held concurrent jurisdiction in the Staffordshire parishes of:

This court also had jurisdiction in the Warwickshire parishes of Arley and Edgbaston.