Court of the Peculiar of the Prebend of Masham

Yorkshire Probate Courts

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Jurisdiction
Parishes of Kirkby Malzeard and Masham with chapelries of Hartwith, Winsley and Middlesmoor. A prebend of York until 1546, then lay fee belonging to Trinity College, Cambridge.

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

The Family History Library ahs original wills, admons and inventories, 1609-1707, on film number 99929 item 2. Films can be view in the library or in a family history center. There is no break between the records of the first court on this film and Masham. The first court ends with a will for the parish of Mappelton dated 1822, and Masham begins with a bond dated 1694. The film ends with two manuscript calendars for this same time coverage. There is no order to the first calendar but the second is in chronological. The originals of some of the register copy wills have apparently been lost.

The library has copies of the registered copy wills,1576-1654, on film number 98918 items 3-5. Item 3 is an index to Register Book No. 1 1576-1654. Item 4 is an index to Register Book No 2, 1634-1699, that was not filmed. Item 5 is Register Book No. 1. The register appears to be a combination of act entries and copy wills. The first will is recorded on page 62. The act book entries take up pages 1-61 and then are scattered throughout the register. They may cover 1583-1604.

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

The Family History Library has a calendar from a manuscript volume, 1572-1858 on film number 98918 items 1-2. The index to the wills is on pages 1-67 for 1572-1849; pages 69-90 to admons for 1710-1856; and pages 95-98 to wills for 1850-1858. Item 2 adds the index to the admons for 1614-1709. Another filmed calendar for 1609-1707 is on page 66 of item 4 of film 98916. See also the printed indexes and film 99929 above.

A partial index for this court is printed in The Northern Genealogist for what appears to be 1549-1751, but only names A-Row. Names A-B are on pages 132-136 of volume IV (item 11 of film 994073). Volume V adds names B-C on pages 30-32; C-F on pages 103-105; and F-H on pages 153-156. Volume VI gives H-M on pages 16-22; and M-R on pages 86-89.

Yorkshire