Court of the Bishop of Chester (Episcopal Consistory)

Return to the Lancashire Probate Records page.

Location of These Probate Records
Lancashire Record Office

Bow Lane

PRESTON

Lancashire PR1 2REUK

Tel: +44(0)1772 533039 Fax: +44(0) 1772 533050 Email: record.office@ed.lancscc.gov.uk

Their Website

Opening Times:

Monday 9am - 5pm Tuesday 9am - 8.30pm Wednesday 9am - 5pm Thursday 10am - 5 pm Friday 9am - 5pm Saturday 10am - 4pm

Saturdays 2009 opening dates:  10 January                    8 August   14 February                 12 September   14 March                     10 October   18 April                        14 November     9 May                        12 December    13 June

11 July

Historical Background
Return to the Lancashire Probate Records page.

The Court of the Bishop of Chester (Episcopal Consistory) held jurisdiction over parishes in the southern portions of the county. 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 Canterbury as well.

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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.&lt;br&gt;2. Proceed then&amp;nbsp;to the "Probate Records of This Court" section (see below) to determine what original probate records exist for this court.&lt;br&gt;3. Contact or visit The London Metropolitan Archives and Library,&amp;nbsp;or,&amp;nbsp;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.&lt;br&gt;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&amp;nbsp;near you for searching the wills). The information obtained from the index[es] will help you&amp;nbsp; more quickly search the&amp;nbsp;wills and admons which can also&amp;nbsp;be circulated on microfilm via any&amp;nbsp;family history .&lt;br&gt;

Probate Indexes
Surviving wills and admons to the Court of the Bishop of Chester (Episcopal Consistory) probate records have to some extent been indexed with the following ones:&lt;br&gt;

Printed and Published Indexes

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Microfilmed Indexes at the Family History Library&lt;br&gt;
The indexes as listed in the above are also available&amp;nbsp;covering the years 1662-1810&amp;nbsp;at The Family History Library and they are on microfilm&amp;nbsp;and may be circulated&amp;nbsp;to each of its satellite Family History Centers&amp;nbsp;worldwide.

== Searching for probates in this court. ==

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

&lt;br&gt;To view a list of parishes and their&amp;nbsp;respective probate court jurisdiction, see the "Middlesex Parishes and Their Probate Jurisdictions" on the main page for Middlesex&amp;nbsp;Probate Records.