Court of the Archdeaconry of Colchester

Return to the Essex Probate Records page.

Step By Step
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 to the "Probate Records of This Court" (below) to determine what original probate records exist for this court. 3. Contact or visit the Essex County Record Office or, hire a professional record searcher to view these records on your behalf. Officials may send upon request a list of record searchers. 4. Visit The Family History Library, or, one of its 4,500 satellite family history centers worldwide and search indexes to probate records; then with the information obtained from the index[es] you can search more quickly the original wills and admons also on microfilm via any centers near you.

Probate Indexes
The Archdeaconry Court of Colchester probate records are well-covered with the following indexes:

Online indexes
A general will index for Essex County is available online. This single index consolidates just about all Essex county wills of the various probate court jurisdictions into one database.

Printed Indexes
The Essex County Record Office compiled and published a complete surname index covering wills and administrations from eight Essex County probate courts including this court.


 * Emmison, F. G., ed. [Index to] Wills at Chelmsford.  (FHL book 942 B4b vols. 78, 79 &amp; 84; also on microfilms 0962739 and 0962740; also on microfiche 6073796, 6073797, and 6073802.)

Original Handwritten Indexes
Calendars to the Probate Acts of Wills and Administrations (Admons) exist from 1400-1858. Calendars are a kind of index to the day to day probate court procedures in which wills and admons (administrations) are processed.

In addition to the calendars, a majority of the original (unregistered) wills and the registered wills are alphabetically arranged at the Record Office and are likewise organized on the microfilmed probates for this court at the Family History Library. Visit the Essex County Archives or the Family History Library Catalog under Essex, England to determine the film numbers of the following records to search:

Microfilmed Indexes at the Family History Library
Original (Unregistered) Wills and Registered Wills as well as the extant indexes for this court are available on microfilm at the Family History Library and may be circulated to each of its satellite Family History Centers (see Court of the Archdeaconry of Essex). You can visit the Essex County Archives or go to the Family History Library Catalog's "Place Search" and type in "Essex", [England]; then click on "Probate Records - Indexes" to determine availability of probate indexes. or go click here to go directly to the Family History Library Catalog entry showing these courts' records.

Index to Registered Wills 1495-1726

Index to Un-Registered Wills 1585-1725

Index to Wills and Administrations 1688-1858

Index to Act Books Administrations 1663-1687

Calendar of Wills 1495-1726 vols 1-4

Calendar Registered and Un-Registered Wills and Admons 1688-1857 vols 5-6

In additional to the above indexes, here another extensive index which includes wills and administrations from this probate court held by the Family History Library:

Index to Wills 1500-1858 published in three volumes; or on microfilm or microfiche

Visit the Essex County Archives or the Family History Library to access these indexes. To obtain the film numbers to these records for viewing them, see this catalog entry under Essex, England.

Essex Record Office Archives &amp; Museums Wharf Road Chelmsford CM12 6YT Telephone (01245) 244644 E-mail: [mailto:ero.enquiry@essexcc.gov.uk ero.enquiry@essexcc.gov.uk]
Website: Essex County Record Office

Probate Records Held in This Archive
Calendars (first-letter-of-surname index) of Wills and Administration Acts are divided in to four calendar books:


 * Calendars 1495-1858
 * Registered Wills Registered Wills with alpha indexes preceding the wills date from 1500-1858
 * Original Wills and Administration (Admons) - unindexed - 1583-1652; 1660-1858
 * Administrations (at Essex County Record Office) 1678-1857
 * Act Books

Probate and Admininstration Acts 1663-1858

Probates Records of This Court in The Family History Library
For determining the Family History Library's microfilmed collection of the Archdeaconry Court of Colchester, see the Family History Library Catalog entry for this court.


 * Calendar of registered &amp; Un-Registered Wills &amp; Administrations (Admons) 1495-1858
 * Registered Wills 1500-1858
 * Original Wills and Administration (Admons) - unindexed - 1583-1652; 1660-1667
 * Act Books 1663-1857
 * Abstracts of wills 1558-1603 edited by F.G. Emmison. in FHL book call no. 942.67 P2e vols. 1-12

History and Background
Probate records of the Court of the Archdeaconry of Essex were once held in the Chelmsford Cathedral Registry. After the setup of civil courts by act of Parliament in 1858, they were removed to Somerset House, London in 1858. In 1958, almost all of Essex wills were transferred back to Chelmsford to the County Hall, where they reside today.

These records date from 1495 to 1857 and cover 104 parishes in Essex.

Strategies, Tips, Other?
Administrations for the years 1678 to 1857 are available at the Essex County Record Office, Chelmsford, U.K. The Family History Library has on microfilm, many of the administrations (or Admons) from 1688-1858. To view a list of parishes and their respective probate court jurisdiction, see the "Essex Parishes Parishes and Their Probate Jurisdictions" on the main page for Essex Probate Records.