Court of the Peculiar of Sawley

England Derbyshire  Derbyshire Probate Records

Jurisdiction
This court had primary jurisdiction in the parishes and chapelry of Sawley, Breaston, Long Eaton, Risley, and Wilne. It was a peculiar of the Dean and Chapter of Lichfield and some probates for residents of the Peculiar of Sawley area may be found among that court's records.

Though technically the Court of the Bishop of Lichfield did not have superior jurisdiction over the Peculiar of Sawley, as the largest court of original jurisdiction in the county, its records may also include the probates of persons who resided in Peak Forest.

Records
The original records are held at the Lichfield Record Office and they include:


 * Original wills, 1712-1858

The records 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 Sawley). The records are arranged by first letter of the testator's surname then by date.

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 Sawley. However, it is doubtful that it actually includes Sawley wills since apparently no records survive for this period.