England, Durham Diocese, Registered Wills - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in the Collection?
This article refers to two separate collections of wills from County Durham. The first includes original wills from 1743-1900 which are part of the Durham Consistory Court Papers. Two of the wills are dated to 1743 and 1900; the third is undated, though it appears to have been created in the nineteenth century. These records are linked to an index on the Durham University website.

The second collection contains registered wills from the Consistory Court at Durham for the years 1526 to 1858. It covers individuals who owned property in Durham, Northumberland and part of Cumberland. These records are also linked to an index on the Durham University website.

As one of the 39 historic counties of England, County Durham has a long history. From the time of the Norman Conquest, the county was governed by a series of bishops who had been endowed with great secular authority by royal decree, making the city of Durham one of the foremost centers of both religious and political influence in the north of England. This eminence lasted until the nineteenth century when the bishops of Durham were stripped of the bulk of their secular powers.

For a list of parishes which historically made up this county, see the Durham Parishes page.

Collection Content
As noted above, both collections primarily contain wills. Other probate records may occur in the second, larger collection, but it is not likely.

What Can These Collections Tell Me?
The following list indicates potential information provided in these records. It must be remembered that every record may not provide all the listed information, as record-keeping practices varied greatly over time.

Wills usually include:
 * Surname and Given Name of the Participant
 * Age and/or Birthdate of Participant
 * Gender of Participant
 * Residence
 * Occupation
 * Marital Status
 * Surname and Given Name of Spouse
 * Names and Birthdates of Children
 * Name and Address of Beneficiary
 * Name and Address of Executor of the Will

How Do I Search the Collection?
Before beginning a search in these records, it is best to know the full name of the individual in question, as well as an approximate time range for the desired record. When entered into the search engine on the Collection Page, this information provides the quickest, most reliable path to finding the correct person. Of course, other information can be substituted as necessary.

View Images in This Collection by Visiting the Browse Page
For either collection, the images may be accessed by following this series of links: ⇒ Select Browse through images on the initial collection page ⇒ Select the appropriate University of Durham Library Reference Number to go to the images

Compare the information found on the images with what is already known determine if a particular record relates to the correct person. This process may require examining multiple records or switching to the other collection before the correct person is located.

Some of the records in these collections may be written in an old script that can be challenging to read. Refer to BYU’s Script Tutorial for assistance with reading the records.

I Found the Person I Was Looking for, What Now?

 * Make sure to fully transcribe and cite the record entry for future reference; see below for assistance in citing this collection.
 * Keep in mind that further information about an individual may be available on the actual record, so look at the corresponding record image in order to obtain all the listed information. Save or print a copy of the image if possible.
 * Use the information which has been discovered to find more. For instance, use the age listed in the record to estimate a year of birth, if that is yet undetermined.
 * Use the information which has been discovered and locate the original parish burial record, if possible. See the Durham Bishops' Transcripts page for more information and options.
 * If in the appropriate period, use the information which has been discovered to find the individual in civil records. Particularly useful for research in nineteenth-century England are the England Census and the England Civil Registration records.
 * Continue to search the index to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives. While family members do often appear on an individual's will, remember that all the individuals listed might not necessarily be family.

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking for, What Now?
For additional help searching online collections see FamilySearch Search Tips and Tricks.
 * When looking for a person with a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which individual is correct. Use other information, such as place of birth, age, occupation, or names of parents, to determine which candidate is the correct person. If listed, a personal title may be a clue to property ownership or occupation, either of which might be noted in other records.
 * Check for variants of given names and surnames; simple clerical errors were always possible. In addition, spelling was not standardized for much of the period of this collection, so pay special attention to how the name should have been pronounced and try variations on the pronunciation. Individuals might also have been listed under a middle name, nickname, or abbreviation of their given name. For women, it was not uncommon to revert to a maiden name after the death of a husband.
 * Vary the search terms. For example, search by either the given name or surname to return broader list of possible candidates which can then be examined for matches. Alternatively, try expanding the date range.
 * Search the records of nearby areas. While it was uncommon for an individual in this period to move more than about 20 miles from their place of birth, smaller relocations were not uncommon. For this particular collection, this step may require finding records in the bordering English counties of Northumberland or Yorkshire, or perhaps even Cumberland or Westmorland.
 * Look at the actual image of the record to verify the information found in the online description, if possible.
 * Search another collection. For a list of FamilySearch historical record collections dealing with probate from County Durham, see Durham Probate Collections.

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.

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