Court of the Archdeaconry of Essex

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 or administration (admon), 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 Essex 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.

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) were 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's "Place Search" and type in "Essex", [England]; then click on "Probate Records - Indexes" to determine availability of probate indexes.

Microfilmed Indexes at the Family History Library
The majority of the original (unregistered) and registered Essex 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. Original (Unregistered) Wills and Registered Wills as well as extant indexes for this court are also available on microfilm at the Family History Library and may be circulated to any one of its satellite Family History Centers (see Court of the Archdeaconry of Essex). View Family History Library Catalog page online under "Essex - Probate Records", England to determine availability of records.


 * Wills at Chelmsford, 1400-1858 on FHL book call no. 942 B4b vols. 78, 79 &amp; 84; also on microfilm, and also on microfiche). This index covers just about all of Essex's probate court wills for the time period.
 * Indexes to Registered Wills 1420-1718 at FHL; (1420-1783 at Essex CRO)

Also the following Calendars (first-letter-of-surname index) of Wills and Administration Acts are divided into four calendar books, all alpha-arranged:


 * First Calendar 1400-1603
 * Second Calendar 1604-1725
 * Third Calendar 1726-1794
 * Fourth Calendar 1795-1858

In addition to the general index above, most of the filmed wills and other probate records also contain separate indexes.

Archive Location
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 in This Archive
Registered Wills 1420-1858 (indexes precede wills) Original Wills Original Wills (unindexed) 1400-1637 Act Books (Indexes mostly at end of each Act Book for the preceding entries. Act Books are often in Latin and in chronological order 1558-1858)

Probate Records of This Court In The Family History Library
Calendars of Wills &amp; Administrations (admons) 1400-1858 Registered Wills 1420-1858 (indexes precede wills) Original Wills (unindexed) 1400-1637 Act Books 1720-1857 Volumes (wills) 1558-1720

For determining the Family History Library's microfilmed collection of the Court of the Archdeaconry of Essex so that you can view these records at any of its 4,500 family history centers worldwide, see the Family History Library Catalog entry for this court.

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 1400 to 1858 and cover 140 parishes in Essex. You can [view each parish] name and determine the probate jurisdiction for each one by clicking [here].

Strategies, Tips, Other?
There are no indexes on microfilm for the years 1718-1858 for the Archdeaconry Court of Essex. See the above general countywide index online (see "online Indexes) or available through the Family History Library's (see "Printed Indexes) 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 "Essex Parishes Parishes and Their Probate Jurisdictions" on the main page for Essex Probate Records.