Court of the Peculiar of the Dean of York

Yorkshire Probate Courts

To read a general explanation of probates in England, click here. Click to read a definition of the word peculiar.

Jurisdiction
Inhibited six months at the Episcopal Visitation by the Chancery Court and at the Visitation of the Dean and Chapter. From the 18th century the prebendal of Givendale appears to have exercised testamentary jurisdiction in Givendale and Millington in place of the Dean.

Records
The records for this court are held in the Borthwick Institute of Historical Research.

The Family History Library has copies of the original records as follows. There is little or no order until a fair chronological sequence begins in the eigtheenth century. Films can be view in the library or in a family history center.

1530-1672 on film number 99346 item 1. Most of the documents end in 1660, but there is an ident for surname "K" dated 1672 that appears actually to be 1662, and surname "S" for 1670, and a surname "C" for 1710.

1662 on film 99346item 2. See note above.

1662-1667 on film number 99347.

1668-1671 on film number 99348. Note item 1 on 99346.

1672-1676 on film number 99349.

1677-1680 on film number 99350.

1681 on film number 99351.

1682-1688 on film number 99352.

1689-1697 on film number 99353.

1698-1704 on film number 99354.

1705-1712 on film number 99355. Note item 1 on film 99346.

1713-1719 on film number 99356.

1720-1726 on film number 99357.

1727-1734 on film number 99358.

1735-1740 on film number 99359.

Indexes
Indexes for 54 peculiar courts, 1383-1883, are available online on BritishOrigins. This is a subscription site.

The Family History Library has film copies of the following calendars, printed indexes and act book.


 * 1531-1708 on film number 100080 item 6. It has at least one entry for 1710.
 * 1735-1741 on film number 100800 item 9.
 * 1604-1722 on film number 599878. This is a copy of a printed index in the Records Series of the Yorkshire Archaeological Society, volume 73, part II, pages 31-80.
 * 1604-1722 on film number 98925. There are 3 volumes of act books, and they appear in order on this film. Volume 1 covers 1604-1651. Volume 2 repeats entries in volume 1 for 1618-1629 and then covers 1660-1683. Volume 3 is 1684-1722.
 * 1722-1858 on film 98925. It starts in volume 3, page 96.