Court of the Peculiar of the Dean and Chapter of Durham within the Jurisdiction of Howden and Howdenshire

England Yorkshire  Yorkshire Probate Courts

To read a general explanation of probates in England, click here. Click to read a definition of the word peculiar.

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. Search indexes to help you more quickly find the will, writing down each detail given in the index.

2. Go to "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.
 * Order microfilm copies of the indexes and records listed in the Family History Library Records (see section below) by visiting the Family History Library or one of its family history centers and search indexes and records.

Online Indexes
Indexes for 54 peculiar courts, 1383-1883, are available online on British Origins. This is a subscription site.

Archive Location
The records for this court are held in the Borthwick Institute of Historical Research.

Archive Records
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Family History Library Records
Film copies of the following records. Films can be view in the library or in a family history center.


 * Act books 1622-1857, on

The act books are in three volumes, and cover respectively 1622-1642, 1660-1735 and 1736-1857. To access the remainder of the original records listed below, it will first be necessary to consult the act books.


 * Original records, 1660-1720, on films.
 * Original records, 1721-1857, on films.

Jurisdiction
Howden is a Durham peculiar situated entirely within the geographic boundaries of Yorkshire.