Essex Probate Jurisdictions

For an explanation of probate records in England, click here.

Return to the Essex Probate Records page.

Essex Probate Courts Prior to 1858
Essex County is divided mostly into five main probate jurisdictions. Some portions of County Essex court jurisdictions have always been associated with Greater London and the County of Middlesex (see numbers 1 through 5 below). When the precise Essex parish of residence at the time of death is unknown, recourse has to be made to the records of the jurisdictions relating not only to Essex but to London and Middlesex as well.


 * 1) Court of the Archdeaconry of Essex
 * 2) Archdeaconry Court of Colchester
 * 3) Commissary Court of the Bishop of London (Essex &amp; Hertfordshire Division)
 * 4) Commissary Court of the Bishop of London (London Division)
 * 5) Archdeaconry Court of Middlesex (Essex &amp; Hertfordshire Division)

Peculiar Courts
The rest of Essex County is divided into several smaller peculiar court jurisdictions. The majority of genealogical searches should be made in the records of the above five major courts. The following is a complete listing of the probate courts holding peculiar jurisdiction (or granted special privileges to probate wills) in Essex County:


 * Peculiar of the Archbishop of Canterbury in the Peculiar Deanery of Bocking
 * Peculiar Court of Good Easter
 * Peculiar Court of Writtle and Roxwell
 * Peculiar of the Liberty of the Sokens
 * Peculiar Court of Hornchurch (&amp; Romford and Havering-atte-Bowers)
 * Peculiar Court of the Dean &amp; Chapter of St Pauls (London)
 * Royal Peculiar of the Dean &amp; Chapter of Westminster

Courts of Higher Jurisdiction
Other probate courts holding higher jurisdiction include:


 * Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury (P.C.C.)
 * High Court of Delegates
 * Court of Arches

Essex Parishes and Their Probate Jurisdictions
Below is a list of Essex parishes beginning with the letter 'A' and the courts with pre-1858 probate jurisdiction over them. To see a list of other Essex parishes, click on the letter the parish name begins with.

Once you have identified a court of interest, search indexes.