England Every Name Probate Indexes

England England Probate Records

In England, it is rare to find abstracts of wills that index all names found in each will. Abstracts are very helpful for identifying relationships, particularly when legatees in wills do not share surnames with testators. The following is a list of probate courts that have been abstracted.

= National =

Prerogative Court of Canterbury

 * 1387-1439 - Furnivall, The Fifty Earliest English Wills in the Court of Probate, London, A.D. 1387-1439, with a Priest's of 1454. Online.
 * Pre-1600 - Nicholas, Testamenta Vetusta. 2 vols. Vol. 1 | Vol. 2
 * 1620 - Lea, Register Soame 1620. Online.
 * 1620-1624 - Matthews and Matthews, Abstracts of probates and sentences in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, 1620-4..
 * 1630-1655 - Probate Act Abstracts 1630-1655, 8 vols.
 * 1630 - Morrison, Prerogative Court of Canterbury, Register 'Scroope' (1630)..
 * 1658 - Brigg, Register "Wootton" 1658. Vol. 1 | Vol. 2 | Vol. 4

Bank of England

 * Bank of England Will Extracts Index 1717-1845

= Bedfordshire =

Archdeaconry Court of Bedford

 * 1531-1539 - Bell, Bedfordshire Wills 1531-1539. Online bookstore.
 * 1537-1545 - Bell, Bedfordshire Wills 1537-1545. Online bookstore.
 * 1543-1547 - Bell, Bedfordshire Wills 1543-1547. Online bookstore.

Consistory Court of Lincoln

 * 1280-1547 - Gibbons, Early Lincoln Wills: An Abstract of All the Wills &amp; Administrations Recorded in the Episcopal Registers of the Old Diocese of Lincoln, Comprising the Counties of Lincoln, Rutland, Northampton, Huntingdon, Bedford, Buckingham, Oxford, Leicester and Hertford, 1280-1547.

= Buckinghamshire =

Consistory Court of Lincoln

 * Gibbons, Early Lincoln Wills: An Abstract of All the Wills &amp; Administrations Recorded in the Episcopal Registers of the Old Diocese of Lincoln, Comprising the Counties of Lincoln, Rutland, Northampton, Huntingdon, Bedford, Buckingham, Oxford, Leicester and Hertford, 1280-1547.
 * Peck, Abstracts of Buckinghamshire Wills 1601-1652 at Probate Registry, Lincoln, England

Archdeaconry of Buckingham

 * Elvey, The Courts of the Archdeaconry of Buckingham, 1483-1523.
 * Buckinghamshire Family History Society, Wills, Archdeaconry Court of Buckingham (1680-1801). Order by post.

= Cheshire =


 * 1500s - Lancashire and Cheshire Wills and Inventories. Online.


 * 1542-1661 - Pixton, Wrenbury Wills and Inventories, 1542-1661.

= Cornwall =

Prerogative Court of Canterbury

 * Glencross, Cornish Wills in Prerogative Court of Canterbury 1383-1583. 3 vols. (Lacks an index)

Archdeaconry of Cornwall

 * Orme, Cornish Wills, 1342-1540. Online bookstore

= Devon =


 * Moger, Transcript of Devonshire Wills, 1600-1800. 44 vols. (lacks an index)
 * Murray, Oswyn Murray Collection of Wills, abt. 1600-1800. 20 vols. (lacks an index)

= Dorset =


 * Abstracts of Wills of Dorset Folk from the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, 7 vols. (Lacks an everyname index)

= Essex =

Prerogative Court of Canterbury

 * 1500s - Emmison, Elizabethan Life: Wills of Essex Gentry and Merchants Proved in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury..

Local Courts

 * 1500s - Emmison, Elizabethan Life: Wills of Essex Gentry and Yeomen: Preserved in the Essex Record Office..
 * 1558-1603 - Emmison, Essex Wills 1558-1603, 7 vols..

= Gloucestershire =


 * Mahler et al, Abstracts of Gloucestershire Probate Records, Online.

= Hampshire =


 * 1492-1653 - Hampshire Will Extracts: Extracted from the Consistory Court of Winchester [1492-1652] and the Archdeaconry Court of Winchester [1501-1653]. B2 Reference Computer, Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.
 * 1378-1660 - Pedgely, An Index of Personal Names in Isle of Wight Probate Records, 1378-1600 [records from Hampshire Record Office and some from the National Archives]

= Herefordshire =


 * 1407-1581 - Faraday and Cole, Calendar of Probate and Administration Acts 1407-1541 and Abstracts of Wills 1541-1581 in the Court Books of the Bishop of Hereford.
 * 1407-1581 - Faraday, Calendar of Probate and Administration Acts 1407-1550 in the Consistory Court of the Bishops of Hereford: With an Appendix of Abstracts of Register Copy Wills 1552-1581.

= Hertfordshire =


 * Gibbons, Early Lincoln Wills: An Abstract of All the Wills &amp; Administrations Recorded in the Episcopal Registers of the Old Diocese of Lincoln, Comprising the Counties of Lincoln, Rutland, Northampton, Huntingdon, Bedford, Buckingham, Oxford, Leicester and Hertford, 1280-1547.

= Huntingdonshire =


 * Gibbons, Early Lincoln Wills: An Abstract of All the Wills &amp; Administrations Recorded in the Episcopal Registers of the Old Diocese of Lincoln, Comprising the Counties of Lincoln, Rutland, Northampton, Huntingdon, Bedford, Buckingham, Oxford, Leicester and Hertford, 1280-1547.

= Kent =


 * de Launay, The Weald of East Kent: Will Abstracts from the Archdeaconry Court of Canterbury, Kent, Volumes 21-50 (KAO: PRC 17), Index of Will Abstracts [1536-1597]


 * de Launay, Abstracts of Cranbrook Wills Proved in the Diocesan Courts of Canterbury ... 1396-1640..

= Lancashire =


 * 1500s - Lancashire and Cheshire Wills and Inventories. Online.

= Leicestershire =

Consistory Court of Lincoln

 * Gibbons, Early Lincoln Wills: An Abstract of All the Wills &amp; Administrations Recorded in the Episcopal Registers of the Old Diocese of Lincoln, Comprising the Counties of Lincoln, Rutland, Northampton, Huntingdon, Bedford, Buckingham, Oxford, Leicester and Hertford, 1280-1547.

Archdeaconry Court of Leicester

 * Abstracts of Proven Wills Formerly Kept at the Leicester District Probate Registry, 1563-1802, with Some Missing Years.

= Lincolnshire =


 * Gibbons, Early Lincoln Wills: An Abstract of All the Wills &amp; Administrations Recorded in the Episcopal Registers of the Old Diocese of Lincoln, Comprising the Counties of Lincoln, Rutland, Northampton, Huntingdon, Bedford, Buckingham, Oxford, Leicester and Hertford, 1280-1547.
 * Maddison, Lincolnshire Wills [1500-1617], 2 vols.
 * Baker, Wills Beneficiary Index [Lincolnshire 1383-1900], 9 fiche

= London =


 * 1700-1704 - London and Middlesex Wills Abstracts 1700-1704. Online.

Commissary Court

 * 1558-1603 - Emmison, The Bishop of London's Commissary Court 1558-1603, 5 vols..
 * 1621-1643, 1645-1646 - Mahler, Commissary Court of London 1621-1643, 1645-1646. Online at.

= Middlesex =


 * 1622-1641/2, 1660-1667 - Mahler, Westminster Wills 1622-1641/2, 1660-1667. Online at.


 * 1700-1704 - London and Middlesex Wills Abstracts 1700-1704. Online.

= Northamptonshire =


 * Gibbons, Early Lincoln Wills: An Abstract of All the Wills &amp; Administrations Recorded in the Episcopal Registers of the Old Diocese of Lincoln, Comprising the Counties of Lincoln, Rutland, Northampton, Huntingdon, Bedford, Buckingham, Oxford, Leicester and Hertford, 1280-1547.

= Oxfordshire =


 * Transcribed Wills (with everyname index), Oxfordshire Family History Society website - free


 * Gibbons, Early Lincoln Wills: An Abstract of All the Wills &amp; Administrations Recorded in the Episcopal Registers of the Old Diocese of Lincoln, Comprising the Counties of Lincoln, Rutland, Northampton, Huntingdon, Bedford, Buckingham, Oxford, Leicester and Hertford, 1280-1547.

= Rutland =


 * Gibbons, Early Lincoln Wills: An Abstract of All the Wills &amp; Administrations Recorded in the Episcopal Registers of the Old Diocese of Lincoln, Comprising the Counties of Lincoln, Rutland, Northampton, Huntingdon, Bedford, Buckingham, Oxford, Leicester and Hertford, 1280-1547.

= Somerset =


 * 1385-1558 - Somerset Will Abstracts 1385-1558. Online.
 * Brown, Abstracts of Somersetshire Wills, Etc., 6 vols.
 * Moger and Webb, Somerset Wills II
 * Rawlins, Somerset Wills from Exeter
 * Weaver, Somerset Medieval Wills [1383-1558], 3 vols.
 * Weaver, Wells Wills: Arranged in Parishes, and Annotated online

= Suffolk =


 * Suffolk Probate Index (Testators and Beneficiaries) 1847-1857. Online.

Archdeaconry of Suffolk

 * Allen, Wills of the Archdeaconry of Suffolk, 1620-1626, 2 vols.


 * Allen and Evans, Wills from the Archdeaconry of Suffolk, 1629-1640, 2 vols.

Archdeaconry of Sudbury

 * 1439-1474 - Northeast, Wills of the Archdeaconry of Sudbury, 1439-1474, Part II, 1461-1474. Online bookstore


 * 1630-1638 - Evans, The Wills of the Archdeaconry of Sudbury, 1630-1638, 2 vols.

= Surrey =


 * Archdeaconry Court of Surrey 1470-1856. Online.
 * Commissary Court of Surrey 1470-1856. Online.
 * Surrey PCC Wills Abstracts 1736-1794. Online.

= Sussex =


 * Sussex Wills (Testators, Beneficiaries, Witnesses)

= Wiltshire =


 * Wilson and Trace, Wiltshire Wills Beneficiaries Index, 1800-1858 [includes 14 peculiar courts], 2 CDs

= Yorkshire =


 * North Country PCC Abstracts 1383-1558
 * North Country PCC Abstracts 1558-1604
 * Raine, Raine, and Clay, Testamenta Eboracensia, or Wills Registered at York: Illustrative of the History, Manners, Language, Statistics, Etc., of the Province of York, from the Year MCCC Downwards [1316-1550], 12 vols.
 * Clay, Abstracts of Yorkshire Wills in the Time of the Commonwealth: At Somerset House, London, Chiefly Illustrative of Sir William Dugdale’s Visitation of Yorkshire in 1665-6