Court of the Bishop (Consistory) of the Archdeaconry of Totnes

England Devon  Devonshire Probate Records

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

Virtually all records for this court were destroyed by enemy action in 1942 when the probate registry at Exeter was bombed.

Indexes
Though the published "Calendars of wills and administrations relating to the counties of Devon and Cornwall: proved in the Court of the principal registry of the Bishop of Exeter, 1559-1799...," edited by Edward Alexander Fry, purports to index records of this court, it does not actually appear to do so. There are no known indexes for this court and the records themselves have been destroyed.

Records
Though virtually all records for this court were destroyed in 1942, don't give up until you have searched the manuscript collections and all other possible courts. These include:


 * Court of the Bishop of Exeter (Episcopal Consistory)
 * Episcopal Principal Registry of Exeter
 * Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury

Copies of some post-1796 probates may have been deposited in the Estate Duty Registers.

Jurisdiction
This court covered many parishes in the south-west part of the county near Cornwall.