Courts of the Bishop (Episcopal Consistory) and Archdeaconry of Winchester

Return to the Hampshire Probate Records page.

Location of These Probate Records
Hampshire Record Office Archives and Local Studies Sussex Street Winchester Hampshire SO23 8TH tel 01962 846154, fax 01962 878681 Contact the Archives and Local Studies

Website

Opening times: Monday to Friday, 9am-7pm Saturday, 9am-4pm

Historical Background
The Courts of the Bishop (Episcopal Consistory) and Archdeaconry of Winchester held jurisdiction over most but not necessarily all the parishes in Hampshire for wills. However, administrations (admons) were granted only through the Consistory Court (not the Archdeaconry Court). When a search of probate records in this jurisdiction fails to provide the desired probate record, be sure to search the Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury.

You can also visit The Family History Library, or, one of its 4,500 satellite family history centers worldwide and search indexes (see the Family History Library's cataloged entries providing the microfilms so you can have them circulated to the center near you for searching the wills). 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.

Probate Indexes
Surviving wills and admons to The Courts of the Bishop (Episcopal Consistory) and Archdeaconry of Winchester have to a great extent been indexed with the following ones:

Online Indexes
Here is an online index from 1500's-1857. This is mostly complete listing of all wills for this time period, and can be very helpful in searching Hampshire probate records during this time period.

Original Handwritten Indexes
There is an index (manuscript) from 1500's to 1857 covering most wills in Hampshire.

Microfilmed Indexes at the Family History Library&lt;br&gt;
The indexes as listed above are also available in the collection of The Family History Library and they are on microfilm and may be circulated to each of its satellite Family History Centers worldwide. These indexes pertain to the following probate records:


 * Early Wills

- Administrations 1540-1559

- Wills 1501-1859


 * Consistory Court entry in the Family History Library Catalog or FHLC):

- wills 1501-1857

- admons 1560-1858


 * Archdeaconry Court:

- wills are alpha-arranged by range of years 1541-1792.

In addition, the Family History Library has a more comprehensive microfilmed index of the Hampshire probate records which indexes the surnames (by first letter of surname only) available for the years from 1540 to 1857.

The Hampshire Record Office has a type manuscript index for the years 1506-1645 (see next section below).

== Searching for probates in these courts. ==

Consistory Court
ORIGINAL WILLS &amp; 1501-1857

REGISTERED WILLS 1541-1781

UNCLASSIFIED WILLS 1398-1560 (if a search in these wills fails, then search both the Archdeaconry and the Consistory courts for the will)

ADMINISTRATIONS (ADMONS) 1547-1857

ACT BOOKS ACT BOOKS, 1587-1693

INVENTORIES &amp; MISCELLANEOUS PROBATE RECORDS 1552-1810

Archdeaconry Court
ORIGINAL WILLS 1558-1857 REGISTERED WILLS 1501-1758

Peculiar Courts
ORIGINAL WILLS 1561-1857

Strategies, Tips, Other?
See the above Indexes or those available through the Family History Library or its many family history centers worldwide for an index to this court.

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

England &gt; Hampshire