Court of the Archdeaconry of St. Albans

Description
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. The Church of England ecclesiastical courts had authority for this process until to 1858. This article explains about probate records for the Court of the Archdeaconry of St. Albans and how to find a will in this court.

Beginning in 1858, authority over probate matters was taken from ecclesiastical courts and put under the civil authority of the Principal Probate Registry.

Step by Step
1. First searcheach index (see below) to help you more quickly find the will, writing down each detail cited in the indexed entry. 2. Proceed to the "Records" (below) to determine what probate records exist for this court. Also see "FamilySearch Library Records." 3. Contact or visit Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies or, hire a professional record searcher to view these records on your behalf. Officials may send a list of record searchers upon request. 4. Visit The FamilySearch Library or one of its 4,500 satellite FamilySearch centers worldwide and search indexes to probate records; then with the information obtained from the index[es] you can search more quickly the original wills and admons also on microfilm via any centers near you.

Printed and Published Indexes
Other indexes, available at the Hertfordshire Archives and FamilySearch Library, include:


 * (Worldcat OCLC 188871218)

The original and microfilmed records also include indexes.

Record Locations
The original records are deposited at Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies in Hertford, England. They include:


 * Original wills and administrations, 1545-1857
 * Registered wills, 1415-1636, 1661-1857
 * Administrations bonds and acts, 1540-1665
 * Administration acts, 1557-1857
 * Probate acts, 1674-1857
 * Inventories, 1550-1764

Archive Records
Add information about the manuscript, printed and digital records in this location.

FamilySearch Library Records
Records have been microfilmed and are available at the FamilySearch Library in Salt Lake City and through FamilySearch centers. They include:


 * (a collection of the records listed above)

Jurisdiction
This court had jurisdiction over the following places in Hertfordshire:

This court also had jurisdiction over the following places in Buckinghamshire: