Your search for your Freer ancestor may take you to England. Looking for wills in England before 1858 presents unique problems since probate was a matter for the ecclesiastical courts (of which there were more than 300). The various English probate courts that existed before 1858 and were administered by the church did not follow exact county boundaries. Often times, one court within a diocese was superior to various lower courts and hadconcurrent jurisdiction. This meant that each probate court cou ld cover several counties, and each county was covered by a number of probate courts. To further complicate matters, the jurisdiction could shift from one diocese toanother as new dioceses were created or expanded.
Anyone looking for wills, will find it necessary to consult maps on the jurisdictions of the various courts as well as indexes that cover large geographic areas (and many years). The first part of this chapter helps you with this tremendous task by providing you with a listing of the various English probate districts as arranged by county, diocese, and probate court.
English Probate Courts - Arranged by County
County Diocese Probate Court Date
Bedford Lincoln Archdeaconry of Bedford to 1837
Bedford Ely Archdeaconry of Bedford 1837-1858
Bedford Lincoln Peculiar of Biggleswade to 1837
Bedford Ely Peculiar of Biggleswade 1837-1858
Bedford Lincoln Peculiar of Leighton Buzzard to 1837
Bedford Peculiar Leighton Buzzard 1837- 1858
Bedford Lincoln Archdeaconry of Huntingdon to 1837
Bedford Ely Archdeaconry of Huntingdon 1837 - 1858
Berkshire Sarum Archdeaconry of Berkshire to 1858
Berkshire Sarum Consistory of Sarum to 1836
Berkshire Oxford Consistory of Oxford 1836 - 1858
Berkshire Sarum Peculiar of Dean of Sarum to 1858
Berkshire Sarum Peculiar of D & C of Windsor to 1858
Berkshire Sarum Dean of Windsor to 1735
Berkshire Sarum Peculiar of Farringdon to 1858
Berkshire Lincoln Peculiar of Langford to 1858
Buckingham Lincoln Archdeaconry of Buckingham to 1845
Buckingham Oxford Archdeaconry of Buckingham 1845-1858
Buckingham London Archdeaconry of St. Albans to 1858
Buckingham London Consistory of London to 1858
Buckingham Lincoln Episcopal registers of Lincoln to 1845
Buckngham Lincoln Consistory of Lincoln to 1845
Buckingham Lincoln Pecs of Aylesbury, Buckingham to 1858
Buckingham Lincoln Pecs of Bterton, Thame to 1858
Buckingham Arch Cant Peculiar of Monks Risborough to 1858
Buckingham Lincoln Dean & Chapter of Lincoln to 1845
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