Court of the Bishop (Consistory) of the Commissary of the Archdeaconry of Richmond Western Deaneries - Lonsdale

Yorkshire Yorkshire Probate Records  Yorkshire Probate Courts

To read a general explanation about probate records in England, click here.

Description
Probate is the legal court process by which the estate of a deceased person is distributed to his or her heirs. The term probate refers to a collection of documents, including wills, administrations (also called admons), inventories, and act books. The Church of England ecclesiastical courts had authority for this process until to 1858.

Step By Step
1. Search indexes to help you more quickly find the will, writing down each detail given in the index.

2. Go to "Records" (below) to determine what probate records exist for this court.

3. Obtain the records to search. Use one of these methods to find indexes and records.


 * Contact or visit the Archive (see below) or hire a professional record searcher to view these records on your behalf.
 * Order microfilm copies of the indexes and records listed in the Family History Library Records (see section below) by visiting the Family History Library or one of its family history centers and search indexes and records.

Printed and Published Indexes
The Family History Library has copies of the following indexes.


 * Northern Genealogist volume 3, 1474-1617, for surnames A-G. It includes both original and registered copy wills. Of the surnames A-G, those starting with the letters A, E and G were not available for indexing and apparently have been lost. The title page of the volume claims that the index starts in 1588; however, the registered copy wills include some from the fifteenth century
 * Calendar, 1410-1610, on film numbers 98904-98909.
 * Calendar, 1611-1700, on film numbers 98910-98911.
 * Calendar, 1503-1857, on film numbers 98912-98913.

An index of probate records,1748-1858, for the western deaneries of Amounderness, Copeland, Furness, Kendal and Lonsdale was printed in 2001 by the Institute of Local and Family History, University of Central Lancashire. The Family History Library has a copy of this index (FHL 942.72 P22a volumes 1-20).

Archive Location
The records for this court are in the West Yorkshire Archives Service, Leeds.

Archive Records
Add information about the manuscript, printed and digital records in this location.

Family History Library Records
The Family History Library has film copies of the following records. Films can be viewed in the library or in a family history center.

Original Wills 

The original wills, 1521-1857, have not been filmed. A miscellanous collection of 208 wills and inventories for Richmond, 1442-1578, are on film number 994031 item 7. . The collection was also printed in volume 26 of the Publications of the Surtees Society.

Registered copy wills


 * 1474-1485, 1503, 1529-1551 on film number 98914.
 * 1552-1585 on film number 98914.
 * 1586-1719 -- there are none. Consult the originals.
 * 1720-1731 on film number 98921.
 * 1732-1782 -- there are none. Consult the originals.
 * 1783-1791 on film number 99881 item 2.
 * 1792-1857 -- there are none. Consult the originals.

Act books and other registers 


 * 1663-1664 on film number 99953
 * 1665-1679 -- nothing available.
 * 1680-1694 on film number 99952 item 2.
 * 1695-1706 -- nothing available.
 * 1707-1714, 1746 on film number 99952 item 1.
 * 1715-1735 -- nothing available.
 * 1736-1741 on film number 99953 item 2.
 * 1742-1743 -- nothing available.
 * 1744-1746 on film number 99954.
 * 1747-1765 -- nothing available.
 * 1766-1771 on film number 99954.
 * 1772-1776 -- none available.
 * 1777-1806 on film number 99954.
 * 1809-1830 on film number 99954 item 2.
 * 1830-1854 on film 99954 item 3.

Jurisdiction
The Archdeaconry of Richmond contained the Eastern Deaneries of Richmond, Catterick and Boroughbridge, covering the western half of the North Riding and Lonsdale in the West Riding. To know which court had jurisdiction over a place, see the links in the Court Jurisdictions section of Yorkshire Probate Records.

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
 * Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury

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. Estate duty indexes may help locate a will. For more information, go to Estate Duty Records.