Yorkshire Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with D

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Before 1858, every town and parish in Yorkshire fell under the probate jurisdiction of a primary court and several secondary courts. For an authoritative treatise on each Yorkshire probate court and the parishes comprising them in pre-1858, see Anthony J. Camp's publication, Wills and Their Whereabouts; also available at the Family History Library, FHL book #942 S2wa.

When looking for the will of an ancester, you should search the courts in the order given. Search indexes first. For indexes, click on the court name links [soon to be constructed].

Here is a list of Yorkshire parishes beginning with the letter D and the pre-1858 courts that had probate jurisdiction over them. For other parishes, click on a letter link: A, B, C, E-F, G, H, I-K, L, M-N, O-P, Q-R, S, T-U, W, Y.

The courts listed for each place are those that had jurisdiction over probating wills prior to 1858. To use this table, follow these steps.

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

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