Gloucestershire Probate Records

England Gloucestershire

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 to 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.

Gloucestershire Probate Courts
The following courts had some probate jurisdiction over Gloucestershire before 1858.


 * Court of the Bishop of Gloucester (Episcopal Consistory)
 * Court of the Bishop of Bristol (Episcopal Consistory)
 * Court of the Bishop of Hereford (Episcopal Consistory), pre-1541
 * Court of the Bishop of Worcester (Episcopal Consistory), pre-1541
 * Court of the Peculiar of Bibury
 * Court of the Peculiar of Bishop's Cleeve
 * Court of the Peculiar of Child's Wickham
 * Court of the Peculiar of Withington

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 Archbishop's court.

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


 * Court of Arches
 * High Court of Delegates

Some Explanatory Notes on the Probate Courts
Most of the county was under the jurisdiction of the Court of the Bishop of Gloucester (Episcopal Consistory). Part of the western side was under the jurisdication of the Bishop of Hereford before 1541.

Court Jurisdictions
Before 1858, every town and parish in Gloucestershire was under the probate jurisdiction of a primary court and one or more secondary courts. To see a list of Gloucestershire parishes and the pre-1858 courts that had probate jurisdiction over them, click on a letter link:

Internet
The Gloucestershire Archives/Record Office has a genealogical database that includes an online index to all known wills proven in the county between 1541 and 1858

A database of Bristol Wills Indices 1781-1858 is available online.

Early Gloucestershire Probate Recordstranscribed by Leslie Mahler are available for select parishes in the Bristol and Gloucester dioceses.

http://history.wiltshire.gov.uk/heritage/index.php

29 probate documents listed under Gloucestershire from this website

Microfilm or Printed
The Family History Library has copies of original probates and indexes on microfilm and in print.

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 Record
On 12 January 1858 a government system of registration for wills and administrations for England was introduced. Several district courts were established throughout the country, plus a principal registry located in London. The ease of finding probates under this system is a boon to family historians. The wills and administrations were filed either in the principal court, that had jurisdiction over the entire country, or in a district court that had jurisdiction over a local area.

The records are available through the office of Her Majesty's Courts Service. To learn more, go to the HMCS website. Indexes and records for both courts are available on microfilm in the Family History Library. The catalog lists dates and film numbers. The films can be searched in the library, or searched locally by ordering through a family history center.

Calendars (Indexes) for both district and principal courts

Principal Registry 1858-1925

District Probate Registries, 1858-1899

District Probate Registries, 1900-1925