This is a brief guide to researching records of a will or administration before 1858 which was provedprove - to obtain legal authentication in England and Wales. At that time, over 250 church courts dealt with wills and administrations. The records of most of these courts are kept in local archives.
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What do I need to know before I start?
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Try to find out:
- the name of the person
- the geographical location
- an approximate date of death
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What records can I see online?
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Wills proved before 1858 in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury
Search Prerogative Court of Canterbury wills (1384-1858) on DocumentsOnlinea collection of documents from The National Archives which are available entirely online for over one million wills proved before 1858 in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury. Although the records mainly relate to testatorspeople who make a will resident in the south of England, all parts of England and Wales are represented in the records.
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What records can I find at The National Archives at Kew?
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Original Prerogative Court of Canterbury indexes (1383-1858)
Consult the original indexes to wills and administrations of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury in PROB 12.
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Administration Act Books (1559-1858)
Look in Administration Act Books of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury in PROB 6. Some indexes are available in the reading rooms.
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To access these records you will either need to visit us, commission research (£there will be a charge) or, where you can identify a specific record referencea unique set of letters and numbers identifying a document in The National Archives, order a copy (£there will be a charge).
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What records can I find in other archives and organisations?
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Wills and administrations from other courts
Visit local archives for wills and administrations from courts other than the Prerogative Court of Canterbury - search ARCHON to find the relevant office.
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Online indexes of wills held by other archives
Search some online indexes of wills held by other archives, listed on Your Archives.
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What other resources will help me find information?
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Books
Read Wills and Probate Records: A Guide for Family Historians, 2nd edition, by Karen Grannum and Nigel Taylor (The National Archives, 2009).
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British Record Society indexes
Consult indexes to Prerogative Court of Canterbury wills (1383-1700) and administrations (1559-1660) published by the British Record Society.
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In-depth research guides
Births, marriages and deaths in England and Wales
Wills or administrations after 1858