Sussex Probate Records

For an explanation of probate records in England, click here.

Court Jurisdictions by Parish
Before 1858, every town and parish in Sussex fell under the probate jurisdiction of a primary court and several secondary courts. When looking for the will of an ancestor, you should search the courts in the order given. For an authoritative treatise on each Staffordshire probate court and the parishes comprising them in pre-1858, see Anthony J. Camp's publication, Wills and Their Whereabouts; also available at the Family History Library, FHL book call #942 S2wa. Search indexes first. For indexes, click on the court name links above [soon to be constructed]. When looking for the will of an ancester, you should search the courts in the order given. Search indexes first. For indexes, click on the court name links above.

Sussex Parishes and Their Probate Jurisdictions
Here are links to an alphabetical list of Sussex parishes containing a prioritized list of courts with jurisdiction over each in the pre-1858 era. To see which courts to search for probates of persons living in or owning property in particular parish, click on the letter the parish name begins with.

Here is a list of Staffordshire parishes beginning with the letter A and the pre-1858 courts that had probate jurisdiction over them. For other parishes, click on a letter link:

Post-1857 Probate Records
Beginning in 1858, the government took over the settlement of estates and all wills are now probated through the Principal Probate Registry system. The system consists of 11 district registry offices and 18 sub-district registries, located throughout England and Wales, and the principal registry office located in London. The records are available through the office of Her Majesty's Courts Service. To learn more, go to the HMCS website.

A country-wide surname index to the records is available, so it is much easier to look for post-1857 wills. The indexes for 1858-1957 and the records for 1858-1925 are available on microfilm at the Family History Library.