RootsChat.Com

General => The Common Room => Topic started by: janeyanne on Friday 20 August 10 14:26 BST (UK)

Title: finding a will
Post by: janeyanne on Friday 20 August 10 14:26 BST (UK)
 How would i find out the details of a will probated in the early 1800  in yorkshire .May just save my sanity,  i'm pulling out  my hair. Thanks janey anne
Title: Re: finding a will
Post by: Valda on Friday 20 August 10 14:43 BST (UK)
Hi

Yorkshire is a big county so you need to know which of the three ridings.
Pre 1858 wills were probated in church courts. Generally speaking if someone only owned property/ possessions contained in one dioceses (the jurisdiction of a bishop) the will was proved in a lower church court, but had to go up to a higher court if their wealth was more widespread or if the chose to. Lower church court records are held in local county record offices. The Prerogative Court of York held jurisdiction over the whole of Northern England (Archbishopric). PCY wills are held at the Borthwick Institute at York (their is an index on British Origins which charges to view). The highest court was the Prerogative Court of Canterbury held in London - wills but not administrations are electronically indexed at The National Archives website.

What was the persons name and where did they live?


Regards

Valda
Title: Re: finding a will
Post by: angelfish58 on Friday 20 August 10 14:57 BST (UK)
Also some parts of North Yorks come under the Diocese of Chester and those Wills are held at Cheshire Record Office  :-\ I don't think I'll ever get the hang of this.
Title: Re: finding a will
Post by: Valda on Friday 20 August 10 16:02 BST (UK)
Hi

The way I do it is Phillimore Atlas (expensive purchase in its day but I've had years of good service). Each county is shown with all the individual parishes and the colour of each church court and its jurisdiction.

East Riding
Archdeaconry of Cleveland
Archdeaconry of East Riding
Archdeaconry of York
Peculiars (the small individual parishes that were an exception)

North Riding
Archdeaconry of Cleveland
Archdeaconry of the East Riding
Archdeaconry of Richmond
Peculiars 

West Riding
Archdeaconry of Richmond
Archdeaconry of York
Peculiars and a couple of detached parishes which I think is where the Archdeaconry of Chester comes in
 

In the end apart from the small number of individual parishes that are peculiar or detached it seems to boil down to the Archdeaconry courts of Cleveland, East Riding, Richmond or York and the PCY.


Regards

Valda
Title: Re: finding a will
Post by: angelfish58 on Friday 20 August 10 16:10 BST (UK)
The Phillimore Atlas is on my wish list  :) I know that the Parish of Ainderby Steeple is in the Diocese of Chester so that must be one of the exceptions. Sorry if I've confused things and thank you for that info.
Title: Re: finding a will
Post by: Valda on Friday 20 August 10 16:31 BST (UK)
Hi

Accordingly to Phillimore's Atlas Ainderby Steeple is 'central - my term' North Riding and in the Archdeaconry of Richmond

According to this website though we don't really need to go down this far in Anglican church subdivisions, the Archdeaconry of Richmond is made up of 24 Deaneries with the parish of Ainderby Steeple and 15 other parishes in the 'Deanery of Richmond East'

http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/YKS/Misc/Descriptions/NRY/NRYDescription7.html


Regards

Valda
Title: Re: finding a will
Post by: davidft on Friday 20 August 10 16:55 BST (UK)
The origins network is indexing the wills of the Yorkshire peculiars

http://www.originsnetwork.com/NWIWelcome.aspx

so you could looki on there, and if it is there you can order via the website or direct from the Brothwick Institute

(I think you can buy credits for the Origins network if you are not a member)
Title: Re: finding a will
Post by: angelfish58 on Friday 20 August 10 17:01 BST (UK)
That's interesting, I wonder if I've misunderstood ordination records as according to the CCEd site Ainderby came under Chester  :-\ I wonder if that was during the period I was interested in (1700-43) and it has since changed?
Title: Re: finding a will
Post by: stonechat on Friday 20 August 10 17:08 BST (UK)
If you say the name someone may help

Bob
Title: Re: finding a will
Post by: Siamese Girl on Friday 20 August 10 17:08 BST (UK)
That's interesting, I wonder if I've misunderstood ordination records as according to the CCEd site Ainderby came under Chester  :-\ I wonder if that was during the period I was interested in (1700-43) and it has since changed?

I don't think it automatically follows that someone would necessarily go to a parish in the Diocese where they were ordained. It would depend on patronage and also the university college they attended - if that is what you are thinking.

Carole
Title: Re: finding a will
Post by: angelfish58 on Friday 20 August 10 18:30 BST (UK)
Hi Carole, he was vicar of Ainderby Steeple which according to the CCEd site came under Chester, but I feel I've unintentionally hijacked this thread so I'll  :-X  ;D
Title: Re: finding a will
Post by: Valda on Friday 20 August 10 20:38 BST (UK)
Hi

The link davidft gave to British Origins also gives information on their indexes for the Prerogative Court of York that Origins holds

Prerogative & Exchequer Courts of York Probate Index 1731-1858


Just while we wait for Janeyanne to comback with further information I hope this will enlight us (it isn't easy to get your head around it and I thought London was tricky) on where the local wills for the parish of Ainderby Steeple should be held

'The Ancient Parish of AINDERBY STEEPLE
AINDERBY STEEPLE, a parish in the wapentake of Gilling East, and liberty of Richmondshire; 3 miles WSW. of Northallerton. A parochial village, the church of which is dedicated to St. Helen, in the deanry of Richmond, diocese of Chester. The living is a vicarage, in the patronage of the King; incumbent the Rev. James Robson, A. M, Population, 266.'


http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/YKS/NRY/Ainderbysteeple/index.html

and

'The diocese of Chester was created in 1541, and this is the diocese for most of Lancashire. The diocese of Chester was split into archdeaconries which held their own ecclesiastical courts........
Archdeaconery of Richmond
The Archdeaconery of Richmond comprised the part of Lancashire north of the River Ribble, and parts of Cumberland, Westmorland and Yorkshire. It was further subdivided into deaneries. Boroughbridge, Catterick and Richmond were known as the eastern deaneries, and their records are deposited in the West Yorkshire Archive Service in Leeds. The western deaneries, which are either wholly or partly in Lancashire, comprise Amounderness, Copeland, Furness, Kendal and Lonsdale. Their records are held at the Lancashire Record Office. '


http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/LAN/probate.html

which whether I truly understand it all or not, still I think would place any wills from Ainderby Steeple with West Yorkshire Archive Service not Cheshire Record Office as it was in an eastern deanry of the Archdeaconry of Richmond. Anything georgraphically wider than that being proved in the PCY.

http://www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/leisure,_culture_and_tourism/family_history/wills_and_probate_records.aspx


Let's hope finding the will for Janeyanne is going to be easier. Pity Ainderby Steeple was such a small place as the odds are that she won't be interested in anyone from there - just when it looked like that was may be cracked!


Regards

Valda
Title: Re: finding a will
Post by: angelfish58 on Friday 20 August 10 21:25 BST (UK)
Thank you Valda, it's even more complex than I thought. I hope Janeyanne has as much success on Origins as I did yesterday, I'm very excited about what I found.
Title: Re: finding a will
Post by: janeyanne on Saturday 04 September 10 20:15 BST (UK)
 well  thank you all i must say i didn't expect such a huge response   :o to my question on wills, i am trying to prove wether or not my relation is john brigham (farmer ) of pocklington .The brigham line included my gran jane ann (1868-1953) daug of william and ellen ,william s parents were robert and mary anne who married in parish church in humbleton .  this one states that robert's father john  was a farmer , This is where i come unstuck there are so many brighams farming in the area i have no idea where to go from here . I thought if i could find john's will i may be able to get a clearer view.      i am going to take notes of all the advice to take with me  when i go to find out . will definatley keep you all updated   many thanks for all your replies .   jane ann :) im off now on origins to check out on there  too sorry i didn't get back  sooner  valda , weddings and family took me away from research for a while  thanks again all  :)  :)
Title: Re: finding a will
Post by: liverbird09 on Saturday 04 September 10 20:23 BST (UK)
I have just downloaded a will...from Australia record office  :D...isn't the internet wonderful!
Title: Re: finding a will
Post by: janeyanne on Saturday 04 September 10 22:50 BST (UK)
 and thanks to valda i have been looking at churches , parish records and found the vicar  who married my g/g/g/grandparents in 1841 is buried in the churchyard ,   hmmm  not too far away for me to take a bus ride with my camera may just get a few photo's to show on my you all
Title: Re: finding a will
Post by: janeyanne on Saturday 04 September 10 22:56 BST (UK)
 origins looks like a great site for what i need David it has more than enough to keep me occupied for quite a while  Thanks for the tip , hopefully it will prove as good as it looks cheer's          janeyanne
Title: Re: finding a will
Post by: janeyanne on Friday 01 October 10 15:55 BST (UK)
i still haven't got round to this ,its bugging me tho so doing it next week with help from my niece  ::) can't believe i let it drag on this long .