Buckinghamshire Probate Records

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

Return to the Buckinghamshire page.

Buckinghamshire Probate Courts
The following courts had some jurisdiction over Buckinghamshire before 1858:


 * Court of the Bishop of Lincoln (Episcopal Consistory) -- Archdeaconry of Buckingham
 * Court of the Bishop of London (Episcopal Consistory) -- Archdeaconry of St. Albans
 * 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 the Provost of Eton
 * Court of the Peculiar of Buckingham
 * Court of the Peculiar of the Archbishop of Canterbury

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

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.

Below is a list of Buckinghamshire parishes beginning with the letter A, and the pre-1858 courts that had jurisdiction over them. See also places beginning with: 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.

http://apps.buckscc.gov.uk/eforms/wills/search.aspx

Wills database Between 1483-1858, the Archdeaconry of Buckingham court 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).

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.