Exchequer and Prerogative Courts of the Archbishop of York

Return to the Lancashire Probate Records page.

Location of These Probate Records
Borthwick Institute for Archives

University of York

Heslington

York YO10 5DD

England

Tel. (0)1904 321166

Email: [mailto:bihr500@york.ac.uk bihr500@york.ac.uk]

Website

Opening Times: Mon-Fri 9:15am - 4:45pm

Historical Background
The Court of the Exchequer and Prerogative Courts of the Archbishop of York held concurrent jurisdiction over some parishes of Lancashire. Boundaries of this probate jurisdiction includes parishes in portions of counties Cumberland and Yorkshire. When a search of this courts’ probate records fails to provide the desired probate record, be sure to search the Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of York as well.

Starting Your Search in Indexes
1. First search each index (see below) to help you more quickly find the will, writing down each detail cited in the indexed entry.

2. Proceed then to the "Probate Records of This Court" section (see below) to determine what original probate records exist for this court.

3. Contact or visit the Lancashire Record Office, or, hire a professional record searcher to view these records on your behalf, citing information obtained from the index[es]. Officials may send upon request a list of record searchers.

4. You can also visit The Family History Library, or, one of its 4,500 satellite family history centers worldwide and search indexes (see the Family History Library's cataloged entries providing the microfilms so you can have them circulated to the center near you for searching the wills). The information obtained from the index[es] will help you more quickly search the wills and admons which can also be circulated on microfilm via any family history.

Probate Indexes
Surviving wills and admons to the Exchequer and Prerogative Courts of the Archbishop of York probate records have to some extent been indexed with the following ones:

Printed and Published Indexes
Original wills, administrations and tuitions from 1524-1724, and Register copy wills from 1557-1638 in the Yorkshire Archaeological Society Record Series volume 38.

Online Indexes
Indexes to Yorkshire wills are beginning to come online. Though currently advertised otherwise, Yorkshire will indexes online are only available at britishorigins for the following years:

Medieval Probate Index - 1267- 1500

Peculiar Courts Probate Index - 1383-1883

Exchequer and Prerogative Courts of the Archbishop of York - 1842-1858

Original Handwritten Indexes
Manuscript indexes exist from 1438-1728 and, 1650-1858.

Microfilmed Indexes at the Family History Library
The indexes as listed in the above are also available covering the years 1688-1731 at The Family History Library and they are on microfilm and may be circulated to each of its satellite Family History Centers worldwide.

== Searching for probates in this court. ==

This court's jurisdiction applies three Lancashire Parishes including Broughton, Kirkby Irelyth, and Seathwaite. The records for this court include as follows:

ORIGINAL WILLS, ADMINISTRATIONS (ADMONS), INVENTORIES, TUITIONS 1383-1858

REGISTER OF COPY WILLS 1321-1558;1557-1638

ABSTRACT BOOK 1774-1847

INVENTORIES 14th - 17th Centuries

Strategies, Tips, Other?
See the above Indexes or those available through the Family History Library or its many family history centers worldwide for an index to this court.

To view a list of parishes and their respective probate court jurisdiction, see the "Lancashire Parishes and Their Probate Jurisdictions" on the main page for Lancashire Probate Records.

[England: Lancashire]