Court of the Archdeaconry of Bedford

England Bedfordshire  Bedfordshire Probate Records

To read a general explanation of probates in England, click here.

Decription
Probate is the legal court process by which the estate of a deceased person is distributed to his or her heirs. The term probate refers to a collection of documents, including wills, administrations (also called admons), inventories and act books. The Church of England ecclesiastical courts had authority for this process until 1858.

Step by Step
1. First search each index (see "Indexes" below) to help you more quickly find the will or administration (admon), writing down each detail cited in the indexed entry

2. Proceed to "Records" section (below) to determine what probate records exist for this court.

3. Contact or visit the Norfolk 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 the indexes. Then, with the information obtained from the index[es] you can search more quickly the original wills and admons on microfilm.

Printed and Published Indexes
The Bedfordshire &amp; Luton Archives and Records Service has indexes to all Bedfordshire wills. Wills pre-1858 proved at Bedford are indexed in card form and in two volumes in their searchroom. You may contact them for assistance.

The Family History Library has indexes to the records including the following:


 * Cirket, Alan F., Joan Stuart, and Peggy Wells. Index of Bedfordshire probate records, 1484-1858.  London : British Record Society, c1993.  (FHL book ).  Includes indexes of place names and trades and conditions. Figure out which court by looking in vol. 104  index last page for abbreviations, then go to catalog for place, go next to probate area of record looking for admon, will, and year.On film find year the number i.e. LB 1792/94.
 * Indexes are also found on the microfilms with the original records.

Archive Location
The records are located at the Bedfordshire &amp; Luton Archives and Records Service in the city of Bedford.

A variety of probate records survive for this court:


 * Original wills for 1537-1857
 * Register copy wills for 1480-1640 (with some gaps) and 1705-1787
 * Administrations bonds for 1700-1857 (and some earlier administration registers)
 * A few inventories

Archive Records
Add information.

Family History Library Records
The records are on microfilm and are available at the Family History Library and through family history centers. These include:


 * original wills, registered copy wills, inventories and administrations, 1496-1858
 * court records including some probate material, 1539-1901

Jurisdiction
The Court of the Archdeaconry of Bedford had primary probate jurisdiction over the whole of the county of Bedfordshire, except the peculiars of Biggleswade and Leighton Buzzard. The Archdeaconry was part of the Diocese of Lincoln until 1837 when it was transferred to the Diocese of Ely.