A GUIDE TO WILLS IN SURREY
LOCAL CHURCH OF ENGLAND COURTS WITH A JURISDICTION IN SURREY
Surrey parishes listed by their
PROBATE JURISDICTION at Family Search.
During the Commonwealth period 1649-1660 all Surrey wills were proved in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury.
Surrey History Centre holds very few original wills.
The following is a list of all the church courts (besides the Prerogative Court of Canterbury) that had some jurisdiction within Surrey and where the probate records for each are held.
Archdeaconry Court of Surrey (in the Diocese of Winchester) 1480-1858 and the Commissary Court of the Bishop of Winchester in the Archdeaconry of Surrey 1662-1858 wills are both held at the
LONDON METROPOLITAN ARCHIVES ABSTRACTS OF SURREY WILLS proved at The Archdeaconry Court of Surrey and at the Commissary Court are online at British Origins.
West Surrey Family History Society microfiche publications of
ABSTRACTS OF EARLY WILLS 1480-1821 proved in the Archdeaconry and Commissary Courts and in book form
INDEXES TO THE SURREY COURTS Consistory Court of the Bishop of London 1362-1858 for which the London Metropolitan Archives has an online index
THE CONSISTORY COURT OF LONDON WILLS AND ADMINISTRATIONS Consistory Court of Winchester 1500-1858 (a small number of Surrey wills and administrations were proved in this court particularly up until the civil war 1649). Probate records are held by
HAMPSHIRE RECORD OFFICE which has an online index.
Peculiar Court of the Deanery of Arches (Peculiar of the Archbishop of Canterbury) 1620-1780 & 1832 and the Peculiar Court of the Deanery of Croydon (Peculiar of the Archbishop of Canterbury) 1664-1851 wills are both held at
LAMBETH PALACE LIBRARY. In 1846 the parishes of Barnes, Mortlake, Newington, Putney, Walworth and Wimbledon in the Peculiar Court of the Deanery of Croydon were transferred to the Consistory Court of the Bishop of London. Addington and Croydon were transferred to the jurisdiction of the Archdeaconry and Consistory Courts of Kent. Probate records for these courts are held at the
CENTRE FOR KENTISH STUDIES LONDON WILLS AND PROBATE INDEX 1525-1858 covers the church court records held by the London Metropolitan Archives and the Guildhall Library. Further details for this index with images can be found at Ancestry.
THE LONDON PROBATE INDEX, 1750-1858 covers 9 of the Church courts found in the London area including the two small Peculiars of the Court of the Deanery of Arches 1750-1780s, with a few later to 1806 and the Court of the Deanery of Croydon 1750-1780s, with a few later for 1800-1832. Details of the
WEST KENT PROBATE INDEX 1750-1858. Further details for these indexes can be found at
FINDMYPAST THE SURREY PLUS WILLS is an online index to names of people appearing in the wills of testators residing in the County of Surrey that volunteers have provided. Links are provided to transcripts of wills, where available. It is not a comprehensive index for Surrey wills.
The National Archives hosts transcribed
PROBATE TRANSCRIPTS online. The wills are from all areas of the country.
Surrey History Centre information leaflet
WILLS AND PROBATE RECORDSLondon Metropolitan Archives information leaflet
WILLS FOR LONDON, MIDDLESEX AND SURREY BEFORE 1858 West Surrey Family History Society Guide to Surrey Bishops' Transcripts, Marriage Licence Allegations and
PROBATE RECORDSA GUIDE TO WILLS IN THE LONDON AREA and local church courts in the adjacent areas of the City of London and Middlesex can be found on the Rootschat London and Middlesex boards.