Buckinghamshire Probate Records

England Buckinghamshire

For an explanation of probate records in England, click here.

Getting Started
Probate is the legal court process by which the estate of a deceased person is distributed to his or her heirs. The Church of England ecclesiastical courts had authority for this process until 1858. Beginning in 1858, authority over probate matters was taken from ecclesiastical courts and put under the civil authority of the Principal Probate Registry. The Post-1857 Probate Records section below contains links to additional information about the records of this court.

To look for a probate record before 1858:


 * 1) Discover when and where your ancestor died. If you don’t know, use the approximate date and place where they lived.
 * 2) Go to Court Jurisdictions section below.
 * 3) Click a letter or span of letters for your place name. This opens a jurisdictions table.
 * 4) Follow the instructions on the jurisdictions table page.

Buckinghamshire Probate Courts
Most of Buckinghamshire was under the pre-1858 probate jurisdiction of the Court of the Archdeaconry of Buckingham. The majority of probate searches will be in the records of this court and its superior courts. However, the following courts also had some pre-1858 jurisdiction within the county. Click on a court name to learn about records and indexes.


 * Court of the Archdeaconry of St. Albans
 * Court of the Bishop of Lincoln (Episcopal Consistory)
 * Court of the Bishop of London (Episcopal Consistory)
 * Courts of the Bishop and Archdeaconry of Oxford (Episcopal Consistory)
 * Court of the Peculiar of the Dean and Chapter of Lincoln
 * Court of the Peculiar of Aylesbury
 * Court of the Peculiar of Banbury
 * Court of the Peculiar of Bierton
 * Court of the Peculiar of Buckingham
 * Court of the Peculiar of Monks Risborough
 * Court of the Peculiar of the Provost of Eton

In addition, the Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury had jurisdiction over the whole of England. Wealthier individuals, people who owned property in more than one county or lower court's jurisdiction, and naval personnel often had their estates proven through the Archibishop's court.

Appeals Courts
Any probate that was disputed and could not be settled by the county courts could go to these high appeals courts:


 * Court of Arches
 * High Court of Delegates

The Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury could also serve as an appeals court.

Some Explanatory Notes on the Buckinghamshire Probate Courts
Most of Buckinghamshire was under the jurisdiction of the Court of the Archdeaconry of Buckingham, hence the majority of genealogical searches will be in the reocrds of that court and its superiors (see the court jurisdiction tables for specifics).

Court Jurisdictions
Before 1858, every town and parish in Buckinghamshire was under the probate jurisdiction of a primary court and several secondary courts. If you are looking for the probate or will of an ancestor in Buckinghamshire, look for the name of the parish in which your ancestor lived or owned property. Search the courts in the order given. Search indexes first. To see a list of indexes, click on a court name or go to the Probate Indexes section below.

For a list of Buckinghamshire parishes and the pre-1858 courts that had jurisdiction over them, click on a letter link:

A, B-C, D-G, H-J, K-P, Q-T, U-Z.

Probate Indexes Online
Before looking for a will, you should search an index.

Between 1483-1858, the Court of the Archdeaconry of Buckingham proved over 35,000 wills of ordinary people of Buckinghamshire. This is an index of those wills held at the Centre for Buckinghamshire Studies. The index includes wills and some administrations of people who may have died without leaving a will (administrations not complete).

Estate Duty Records
Starting in 1796, a tax or death duty was payable on estates over a certain value. Estate duty abstracts may add considerable information not found elsewhere. Between 1813-1858 estate duty indexes may help locate a will. For more information, go to Estate Duty Records.

Post-1857 Probate Records
Beginning in 1858, the government took over the settlement of estates and all wills are now probated through the Principal Probate Registry system. The system consists of 11 district registry offices and 18 sub-district registries, located throughout England and Wales, and the principal registry office located in London. The records are available through the office of Her Majesty's Courts Service. To learn more, go to the HMCS website.

A country-wide surname index to the records is available, so it is much easier to look for post-1857 wills. The indexes for 1858-1957 and the records for the Principal Registry and the District Registries for 1858-1925 are available on microfilm at the Family History Library.