Berkshire Probate Jurisdictions

Probate is the legal court process by which the estate of a deceased person is distributed to his or her heirs. The term probate refers to a collection of documents, including wills, administrations (also called admons), inventories, and act books.

Most of the places in Berkshire were under the jurisdiction of the Court of the Archdeaconry of Berkshire. Here is a list of parishes that were exceptions, and the pre-1858 courts that had probate jurisdictions over them.

1. Find the place where your ancestor lived in the first column. 2. Click on the court name in the second column to learn where to find the records and indexes. 3. Click on each name of the court in the third column if the record isn't found in the first court. 4. Search last the Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury.

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