England Every Name Probate Indexes

England England Probate Records

In England, it is rare to find abstracts of wills that index all names found in each will. Abstracts are very helpful for identifying relationships, particularly when legatees in wills do not share surnames with testators. The following is a list of probate courts that have been abstracted.

= National =

Prerogative Court of Canterbury

 * 1387-1439 - Furnivall, The Fifty Earliest English Wills in the Court of Probate, London, A.D. 1387-1439, with a Priest's of 1454. Online.
 * Pre-1600 - Nicholas, Testamenta Vetusta. 2 vols. Vol. 1 | Vol. 2
 * 1620 - Lea, Register Soame 1620. Online.
 * 1620-1624 - Matthews and Matthews, Abstracts of probates and sentences in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, 1620-4..
 * 1630-1655 - Probate Act Abstracts 1630-1655, 8 vols.
 * 1630 - Morrison, Prerogative Court of Canterbury, Register 'Scroope' (1630)..
 * 1658 - Brigg, Register "Wootton" 1658. Vol. 1 | Vol. 2 | Vol. 4

Bank of England

 * Bank of England Will Extracts Index 1717-1845

= Bedfordshire =

Archdeaconry Court of Bedford

 * 1498-1526 - Cirket and Stitt, English Wills, 1498-1526..
 * 1480-1519 - Bell, Bedfordshire Wills, 1480-1519..
 * 1484-1533 - Bell, Bedfordshire Wills, 1484-1533..
 * 1531-1539 - Bell, Bedfordshire Wills 1531-1539. Online bookstore.
 * 1537-1545 - Bell, Bedfordshire Wills 1537-1545. Online bookstore.
 * 1543-1547 - Bell, Bedfordshire Wills 1543-1547. Online bookstore.

Consistory Court of Lincoln

 * 1280-1547 - Gibbons, Early Lincoln Wills: An Abstract of All the Wills &amp; Administrations Recorded in the Episcopal Registers of the Old Diocese of Lincoln, Comprising the Counties of Lincoln, Rutland, Northampton, Huntingdon, Bedford, Buckingham, Oxford, Leicester and Hertford, 1280-1547. Online
 * 1601-1652 - Peck, Bedfordshire Wills 1601-1652 at Probate Registry Lincoln, England.

Prerogative Court of Canterbury

 * 1383-1548 - McGregor, Bedfordshire Wills Proved in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury 1383-1548..

= Berkshire =

Archdeaconry of Berkshire

 * 1480-1710. The Snell Collection.

Prerogative Court of Canterbury

 * 1391-1737. The Snell Collection. . Includes some abstracts for 1631-1807.

Court of the Dean of Windsor

 * 1369-1638 - Deale, The Manuscripts of St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle..

= Buckinghamshire =

Consistory Court of Lincoln

 * 1280-1547 - Gibbons, Early Lincoln Wills: An Abstract of All the Wills &amp; Administrations Recorded in the Episcopal Registers of the Old Diocese of Lincoln, Comprising the Counties of Lincoln, Rutland, Northampton, Huntingdon, Bedford, Buckingham, Oxford, Leicester and Hertford, 1280-1547. Online
 * 1601-1652 - Peck, Abstracts of Buckinghamshire Wills 1601-1652 at Probate Registry, Lincoln, England

Archdeaconry of Buckingham

 * Elvey, The Courts of the Archdeaconry of Buckingham, 1483-1523.
 * Buckinghamshire Family History Society, Wills, Archdeaconry Court of Buckingham (1680-1801). Order by post.

= Cambridgeshire =

Consistory Court of Ely

 * 1592-1620 - Peck, Abstracts of Administrations, 1592-1620. 3 vols. . Volume 1 (1592-1600) is.

= Cheshire =


 * Cole, Cheshire Wills Beneficiaries Index. 3 vols..


 * 1500s - Lancashire and Cheshire Wills and Inventories. Online.


 * 1542-1661 - Pixton, Wrenbury Wills and Inventories, 1542-1661.

= Cornwall =


 * 1500s-1800s - Moger, Abstracts of Cornish Wills 16th-19th centuries. Archdeaconry of Cornwall, Exeter courts, PCC; incomplete..

Archdeaconry of Cornwall

 * 1342-1540 - Orme, Cornish Wills, 1342-1540. Online bookstore

Peculiars of the Bishop and Dean and Chapter of Exeter

 * Moger, Extracts of Cornish Wills and Administrations. Index in Cornwall Family History Society Journal, Vol. 49 (Sep. 1988):24..

Prerogative Court of Canterbury

 * 1383-1583 - Glencross, Cornish Wills in Prerogative Court of Canterbury 1383-1583. 3 vols. (Partially indexed)

= Cumberland =

Consistory Court of Carlisle

 * 1353-1386 - Ferguson, Testamenta Karleolensia: The Series of Wills from the Pre-reformation Registers of the Bishops of Carlisle, 1353-1386. Available online.
 * 1564-1668 - Raines?, Testamenta Carliolensia..

Archdeaconry Court of Richmond

 * 1442-1578 - Raine, Wills and Inventories from the Registry of the Archdeaconry of Richmond. Online.

Prerogative Court of Canterbury

 * Richardson and Shaw. Index and Extracts of Cumbrians in Wills Proved at the PCC..

= Derbyshire =

Consistory Court of Lichfield

 * Spencer, Derbyshire Wills 1525-1928. Incomplete; focuses primarily on town of Wirksworth; available online.

Prerogative Court of Canterbury

 * 1393-1601 - Edwards, Derbyshire Wills Proved in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury. 2 vols.

= Devon =


 * Moger, Transcript of Devonshire Wills, 1600-1800. 44 vols. (lacks an index)
 * Murray, Oswyn Murray Collection of Wills, abt. 1600-1800. 20 vols. (lacks an index)

= Dorset =


 * 1383-1700. Fry, Abstracts of Wills of Dorset Folk from the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, 7 vols. (Partial index).

= Durham =

Consistory Court of Durham

 * 1259-1649 - Raine et al, Wills and Inventories Illustrative of the History, Managers, Language, Statistics etc. of the Northern Counties of England, from the Eleventh Century Downwards. 4 vols. . Volume 2 is.
 * 1500-1725 - Neasham, Wills extracted from the originals and early volumes of enrollments of Durham Co., (About 1500-1725). Indexed in Robinson..
 * 1540-1800 - Robinson's Collections, 1540-1800..
 * 1540-1806 - Raine, Dunelmensia, 1540-1806. Indexed in Robinson..
 * 1576-1735 - Howe's Collection, 1576-1735. 6 vols..

Prerogative Court of York

 * 1554-1801 - Raine, Eboracensia, 1554-1801. Indexed in Robinson; includes Dean and Chapter of York..

Prerogative Court of Canterbury

 * Commonwealth wills, 1649-1660: for the counties of Northumberland and Durham, extracted from the index at Somerset House, London, 1909..

= Essex =

Prerogative Court of Canterbury

 * 1500s - Emmison, Elizabethan Life: Wills of Essex Gentry and Merchants Proved in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury..

Local Courts

 * 1500s - Emmison, Elizabethan Life: Wills of Essex Gentry and Yeomen: Preserved in the Essex Record Office..
 * 1558-1603 - Emmison, Essex Wills 1558-1603, 7 vols..
 * 1725-1858 - Abstracts of copy wills, Commissary Court of London, Essex and Herts division, registered wills, 1725-1858, ten microfilm reels.
 * 1750-1857 -Abstracts of copy wills, Commissary Court of London [London division] registered wills, 1750-1857, nine microfilm reels.

= Gloucestershire =

Consistory Court of Gloucester

 * Mahler et al, Abstracts of Gloucestershire Probate Records, Online.

Consistory Court of Bristol

 * 1546-1603 - Lang and McGregory, Tudor Wills Proved in Bristol, 1546-1603..

Great Orphan Books of Bristol

 * 1379-1612 - Wadley, Notes or Abstracts of the Wills Contained in the Volume Entitled the Great Orphan Book and Book of Wills, in the Council House at Bristol, online.

= Hampshire =


 * 1492-1653 - Hampshire Will Extracts: Extracted from the Consistory Court of Winchester [1492-1652] and the Archdeaconry Court of Winchester [1501-1653]. B2 Reference Computer, Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.
 * 1378-1660 - Pedgely, An Index of Personal Names in Isle of Wight Probate Records, 1378-1600 [records from Hampshire Record Office and some from the National Archives]

= Herefordshire =


 * 1407-1581 - Faraday and Cole, Calendar of Probate and Administration Acts 1407-1541 and Abstracts of Wills 1541-1581 in the Court Books of the Bishop of Hereford.
 * 1407-1581 - Faraday, Calendar of Probate and Administration Acts 1407-1550 in the Consistory Court of the Bishops of Hereford: With an Appendix of Abstracts of Register Copy Wills 1552-1581.

= Hertfordshire =

Archdeaconry Court of St Albans

 * 1415-1451 - Briggs, Abstracts of Registered Copy Wills 1415-1451, in The Herts Genealogist and Antiquary, 3 vols. Online: Volume 1; Volume 2; Volume 3.

Archdeaconry Court of Huntingdon (Hitchin Division)

 * 1580-1609 - Briggs, Abstracts of Registered Copy Wills 1580-1609, in The Herts Genealogist and Antiquary, 2 vols. Online: Volume 2; Volume 3.

Archdeaconry Court of Middlesex

 * 1563-1599 - Briggs, Abstracts of Registered Copy Wills 1563-1599, in The Herts Genealogist and Antiquary, 2 vols. Online: Volume 1; Volume 2.

Consistory Court of London

 * 1592-1628 - Briggs, Abstracts of Registered Copy Wills 1592-1628, in The Herts Genealogist and Antiquary, 2 vols. Online: Volume 2; Volume 3.

Commissary Court of London

 * 1725-1858 - Abstracts of copy wills, Commissary Court of London, Essex and Herts division, registered wills, 1725-1858, ten microfilm reels.
 * 1750-1857 -Abstracts of copy wills, Commissary Court of London [London division] registered wills, 1750-1857, nine microfilm reels.

Consistory Court of Lincoln

 * 1280-1547 - Gibbons, Early Lincoln Wills: An Abstract of All the Wills &amp; Administrations Recorded in the Episcopal Registers of the Old Diocese of Lincoln, Comprising the Counties of Lincoln, Rutland, Northampton, Huntingdon, Bedford, Buckingham, Oxford, Leicester and Hertford, 1280-1547. Online
 * 1601-1652 - Peck, Abstracts of Hertfordshire Wills, 1601-1652 at Probate Registry, Lincoln, England..

= Huntingdonshire =

Consistory Court of Lincoln

 * 1280-1547 - Gibbons, Early Lincoln Wills: An Abstract of All the Wills &amp; Administrations Recorded in the Episcopal Registers of the Old Diocese of Lincoln, Comprising the Counties of Lincoln, Rutland, Northampton, Huntingdon, Bedford, Buckingham, Oxford, Leicester and Hertford, 1280-1547. Online
 * 1601-1652 - Peck, S. Allyn. Abstracts of Huntingdonshire Wills, 1601-1652, in Lincoln Consistory Court at Lincoln, England..

= Kent =


 * de Launay, The Weald of East Kent: Will Abstracts from the Archdeaconry Court of Canterbury, Kent, Volumes 21-50 (KAO: PRC 17), Index of Will Abstracts [1536-1597]


 * de Launay, Abstracts of Cranbrook Wills Proved in the Diocesan Courts of Canterbury ... 1396-1640..


 * Kent Will Abstracts 1328-1691 in National Wills Index. Online. Covers testators from Faversham and Thanet.

= Lancashire =


 * 1500s - Lancashire and Cheshire Wills and Inventories. Online.

Archdeaconry Court of Richmond

 * 1442-1578 - Raine, Wills and Inventories from the Registry of the Archdeaconry of Richmond. Online.

Prerogative Court of Canterbury

 * Richardson and Shaw. Index and Extracts of Cumbrians in Wills Proved at the Prerogative Court of Canterbury..

= Leicestershire =

Consistory Court of Lincoln

 * 1280-1547 - Gibbons, Early Lincoln Wills: An Abstract of All the Wills &amp; Administrations Recorded in the Episcopal Registers of the Old Diocese of Lincoln, Comprising the Counties of Lincoln, Rutland, Northampton, Huntingdon, Bedford, Buckingham, Oxford, Leicester and Hertford, 1280-1547. Online

Archdeaconry Court of Leicester

 * Abstracts of Proven Wills Formerly Kept at the Leicester District Probate Registry, 1563-1802, with Some Missing Years.

= Lincolnshire =


 * 1280-1547 - Gibbons, Early Lincoln Wills: An Abstract of All the Wills &amp; Administrations Recorded in the Episcopal Registers of the Old Diocese of Lincoln, Comprising the Counties of Lincoln, Rutland, Northampton, Huntingdon, Bedford, Buckingham, Oxford, Leicester and Hertford, 1280-1547. Online
 * Maddison, Lincolnshire Wills [1500-1617], 2 vols.
 * Baker, Wills Beneficiary Index [Lincolnshire 1383-1900], 9 fiche

= London =


 * 1700-1704 - Webb, London and Middlesex Wills Abstracts 1700-1704. Online. Includes several courts.

Commissary Court

 * 1374-1521 - Will Abstracts Commissary Court of London. Covers Registered Copy Wills Volumes 1 through 8 and through folio 180 of Volume 9..
 * 1558-1603 - Emmison, The Bishop of London's Commissary Court 1558-1603, 5 vols..
 * 1621-1643, 1645-1646 - Mahler, Commissary Court of London 1621-1643, 1645-1646. Online at.
 * 1750-1857 - Abstracts of copy wills, Commissary Court of London [London division] registered wills, 1750-1857, nine microfilm reels.

Consistory Court

 * 1492-1547 - London Consistory Court Wills. Online

= Middlesex =


 * 1622-1641/2, 1660-1667 - Mahler, Westminster Wills 1622-1641/2, 1660-1667. Online at.


 * 1700-1704 - London and Middlesex Wills Abstracts 1700-1704. Online.
 * 1750-1857 - Abstracts of copy wills, Commissary Court of London [London division] registered wills, 1750-1857, nine microfilm reels.

= Northamptonshire =

Consistory Court of Lincoln

 * 1280-1547 - Gibbons, Early Lincoln Wills: An Abstract of All the Wills &amp; Administrations Recorded in the Episcopal Registers of the Old Diocese of Lincoln, Comprising the Counties of Lincoln, Rutland, Northampton, Huntingdon, Bedford, Buckingham, Oxford, Leicester and Hertford, 1280-1547. Online

= Northumberland =


 * 1576-1735 - Howe's Collection, 1576-1735. 6 vols..

Prerogative Court of York

 * 1554-1801 - Raine, Eboracensia, 1554-1801. Indexed in Robinson; includes Dean and Chapter of York..

Prerogative Court of Canterbury

 * Commonwealth wills, 1649-1660: for the counties of Northumberland and Durham, extracted from the index at Somerset House, London, 1909..

= Oxfordshire =


 * Transcribed Wills (with everyname index), Oxfordshire Family History Society website - free

Consistory Court of Lincoln

 * 1280-1547 - Gibbons, Early Lincoln Wills: An Abstract of All the Wills &amp; Administrations Recorded in the Episcopal Registers of the Old Diocese of Lincoln, Comprising the Counties of Lincoln, Rutland, Northampton, Huntingdon, Bedford, Buckingham, Oxford, Leicester and Hertford, 1280-1547. Online

= Rutland =

Consistory Court of Lincoln

 * 1280-1547 - Gibbons, Early Lincoln Wills: An Abstract of All the Wills &amp; Administrations Recorded in the Episcopal Registers of the Old Diocese of Lincoln, Comprising the Counties of Lincoln, Rutland, Northampton, Huntingdon, Bedford, Buckingham, Oxford, Leicester and Hertford, 1280-1547. Online

= Somerset =


 * 1385-1558 - Somerset Will Abstracts 1385-1558. Online.
 * Brown, Abstracts of Somersetshire Wills, Etc., 6 vols.
 * Moger and Webb, Somerset Wills II
 * Rawlins, Somerset Wills from Exeter
 * Weaver, Somerset Medieval Wills [1383-1558], 3 vols.
 * Weaver, Wells Wills: Arranged in Parishes, and Annotated online

= Suffolk =


 * Suffolk Probate Index (Testators and Beneficiaries) 1847-1857. Online.

Archdeaconry of Suffolk

 * Allen, Wills of the Archdeaconry of Suffolk, 1620-1626, 2 vols.


 * Allen and Evans, Wills from the Archdeaconry of Suffolk, 1629-1640, 2 vols.

Archdeaconry of Sudbury

 * 1439-1474 - Northeast and Falvey, Wills of the Archdeaconry of Sudbury, 1439-1474, Part II, 1461-1474. Online bookstore


 * 1630-1638 - Evans, The Wills of the Archdeaconry of Sudbury, 1630-1638, 2 vols.

= Surrey =


 * Archdeaconry Court of Surrey 1470-1856. Online.
 * Commissary Court of Surrey 1470-1856. Online.
 * Surrey PCC Wills Abstracts 1736-1794. Online.

= Sussex =


 * Sussex Wills (Testators, Beneficiaries, Witnesses)

= Westmorland =


 * 1686-1738 - Somervell, Some Westmoreland Wills, 1686-1738. Quaker wills.

Archdeaconry Court of Richmond

 * 1442-1578 - Raine, Wills and Inventories from the Registry of the Archdeaconry of Richmond. Online.

Consistory Court of Durham

 * 1259-1649 - Raine et al, Wills and Inventories Illustrative of the History, Managers, Language, Statistics etc. of the Northern Counties of England, from the Eleventh Century Downwards. 4 vols. . Volume 2 is.

Prerogative Court of Canterbury

 * Richardson and Shaw. Index and Extracts of Cumbrians in Wills Proved at the Prerogative Court of Canterbury..

= Wiltshire =


 * Wilson and Trace, Wiltshire Wills Beneficiaries Index, 1800-1858 [includes 14 peculiar courts], 2 CDs

= Yorkshire =

Prerogative Court of Canterbury

 * 1383-1558 - North Country PCC Abstracts 1383-1558. Online.
 * 1558-1604 - North Country PCC Abstracts 1558-1604. Online.
 * 1640s-1650s - Clay, Abstracts of Yorkshire Wills in the Time of the Commonwealth: At Somerset House, London, Chiefly Illustrative of Sir William Dugdale’s Visitation of Yorkshire in 1665-6. Online.

Prerogative Court of York

 * 1316-1550 - Raine, Raine, and Clay, Testamenta Eboracensia, or Wills Registered at York: Illustrative of the History, Manners, Language, Statistics, Etc., of the Province of York, from the Year MCCC Downwards [1316-1550], 12 vols. Online.

Archdeaconry Court of Richmond

 * 1442-1578 - Raine, Wills and Inventories from the Registry of the Archdeaconry of Richmond. Online.

= Related Websites =


 * Some Notes on English Medieval Genealogy: Probate records
 * Dr. David Pratt's Discovery English Ancestors: Probates. Click "By County" in the Probate menu for detailed information.

= References =