Court of the Peculiar of the Dean and Chapter of York

A general explanation of probate records in England, is given in the article England Probate Records.

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.

Step By Step
1. Searchindexes to help you more quickly find the will, writing down each detail given in the index.

2. Go to the "Records" (below) to determine what probate records exist for this court.

3. Obtain the records to search. Use one of these methods to find indexes and records:


 * Contact or visit the Archive (see below) or hire a professional record searcher to view these records on your behalf.
 * Microfilm can no longer be ordered.

Indexes
Surviving wills and admons to the Court of the Bishop (Consistory) of the Commissary of the Archdeaconry of Richmond Western Deaneries - Amounderness probate records have to some extent been indexed with the following ones:

Online Indexes
Indexes to Yorkshire wills are beginning to come online. Yorkshire will indexes are online only available at Britishorigins.com for the following years:


 * Medieval Probate Index - 1267- 1500
 * Peculiar Courts Probate Index - 1383-1883
 * York Prerogative &amp; Exchequer Court Probate Index - 1842-1858

Printed and Published Indexes
Index of Wills, etc., from the Dean and Chapter's Court at York, A.D. 1321 to 1636; [also containing] Original wills, administrations and tuitions from 1524-1724, and Register copy wills from 1557-1638 in the Yorkshire Archaeological Society Record Series volume 38. Held at the Society of Genealogists; the.

Original Handwritten Indexes


 * Manuscript indexes exist from 1438-1728 and, 1650-1858.

Microfilmed Indexes at the Family History Library

The indexes as listed above, plus and index covering the years 1688-1731 are all available at The and they are on microfilm and may be circulated to each of its satellite family history centers worldwide.

Archive Location
Borthwick Institute for Historical Research University of York Heslington York YO10 5DD England

Telephone: (0)1904 321166

Email: [mailto:bihr500@york.ac.uk bihr500@york.ac.uk]

Website

Opening Times: Mon-Fri 9:15am - 4:45pm

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


 * Original wills, administrations (admons)
 * Inventories, tuitons 1383-1858
 * Register of copy wills 1321-1558;1557-1638
 * Abstract book 1774-1847 inventories 14th - 17th Centuries

Jurisdiction
This court's jurisdiction applies to more than 25 parishes in Yorkshire and the city of York. Boundaries of this probate jurisdiction include parishes in portions of counties Cumberland and Yorkshire.