Court of the Bishop of Canterbury

Essex  Kent   Kent Probate Records Return to the Surrey Probate Records page.

Step By Step
1. First search each index (see below) to help you more quickly find the will, writing down each detail cited in the indexed entry. 2. Proceed to the "Probate Records Held in This Archive" (below) to determine what original probate records exist for this court. 3. Contact or visit the Hampshire Record Office or, hire a professional record searcher to view these records on your behalf. Officials may send upon request a list of record searchers. 4. You can visit The Family History Library, or, one of its 4,500 satellite family history centers worldwide and search indexes to probate records; then with the information obtained from the index[es] you can search more quickly the original wills and admons also on microfilm via any centers near you.

On the Internet
Online indexes are available at the following two websites:


 * Wills have been created for the "names of all people appearing in the wills of testators residing in the County of Surrey, England (and nine other Counties)." It is known as The Surrey Plus Wills Index.
 * British Origins has an index of over 500,000 entries for the Surrey and London region from 1470 to 1856 (a subscription website).

Printed Indexes
The West Surrey Family History Society (Cliff Webb) has produced a significant number of indexes to County Surrey wills and other probate records. See their website for further details on their excellent publications.

Indexes Available in The Family History Library
Click here for a list of printed indexes found in the Family History Library.

Archives Location
The original records of the Court of the Archdeaconry of Surrey for 1480-1858 are found at:

The London Metropolitan Archives

40 Northampton Road

London EC1R 0HB

United Kingdom

Probates Records of This Court Held in This Archive
The records include probate and administration act books, original wills and registered wills, as well as indexes.

Calendars to Registered and Unregistered Wills early-1857

Act Books 1674-1857

Original Wills 1534-1649; 1660-1857

Register Copy Wills 1480-11821 (missing years)

Administrations (Admons) 1484-1821

Probate Records of This Court in The Family History Library
The Family History Library has probate records (with indexes) on microfilm, microfiche and in print. Those available at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City include copies and abstracts of the records for 1484-1821.

Calendars to Registered and Unregistered Wills, 1484-1857

Act Books 1674-1750

Original Wills 1538-1671

Register Copy Wills 1484-1821 (missing years)

Administrations (Admons) 1484-1821

Background
This court (which was part of the diocese of Winchester) had pre-1858 jurisdiction over the vast majority of the county of Surrey with just a few exceptions. The exceptions are listed in the Surrey probate jurisdiction tables.

The Archdeaconry court could not grant probate administrations and these had to be taken to the Commissary Court of the Bishop of Surrey or the Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Jurisdictions: History and Background
The Court of the Bishop (Episcopal Consistory) of Canterbury had primary jurisdiction over many parishes in the eastern part of Kent, from Maidstone eastward. The remaining eastern parishes were under the primary jurisdiction of the Archdeacon of Canterbury (who received his authority from the Bishop of Canterbury).

The Commissary-General of the Archbishop of Canterbury was the judge of the Court of the Bishop (Episcopal Consistory) of Canterbury. He exercised probate jurisdiction within the diocese of Canterbury, and he also exercised the Archbishop’s prerogative throughout the diocese. Therefore, records of probate that would have normally gone through the Archbishop's court, will be found in the records of the Court of the Bishop of Canterbury, particularly before 1759.

Strategies, Tips, Other?
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