Court of the Archdeaconry of Richmond Western Deaneries - Copeland

England Cumberland  Cumberland Probate Records

For a general explanation about probate records in England, click here.

Description
Probate is the legal court process by which the estate of a deceased person is distributed to his or her heirs. The term probate refers to a collection of documents, including wills, administrations (also called admons), inventories, and codicils. The Church of England ecclesiastical courts had authority for this process until to 1858.

Indexes
The University of Central Lancashire has "An index of all surviving probate documents for the Western Deaneries of the Archdeaconry of Richmond, 1748-1858 has been prepared. The deaneries included are Amounderness, Copeland, Furness, Kendal and Lonsdale". The indexes are based on 36,676 wills. Indexes for surnames and for places are free of charge.

A few abstracts of documents relating to Richmond probates are found in miscellaneous collections. Filmed calendars stop in 1720. The act books are a substitute index, 1720-1857. The Family History Library has indexes and act books, 1541-1857 on film.

Archive Location
These documents are held at: Lancashire Record Office

Family History Library Records
The Family History Library has wills, 1466-1860. They can be viewed in the library or in a family history center.

Jurisdiction
This court is part of the western deaneries. Four other courts are included in the western deaneries: Amounderness, Furness, Kendal and Lonsdale. These courts cover parts of Lancashire. Maps and gazetteersof each deanery, including Copeland, are on film in the Family History Library.