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England


Goal 5: Probate and Court Records


Explorations

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Goal 5: Explore British probate, court, and other records.Vault


Choices


ALearn about British probate records, wills, and land records.



  1. Land & Property: Get an introduction to the history of land and property in England.

    FS—England Land and Property

  2. Learn how to find who owned land in England, from 1227-1930.

    Land and property ownership

  3. Wills and Probate: Get an overview of wills in England.

    Wills, Letters of Administration and Inventories

  4. Learn about probate and wills in these articles.

    BYU—English Ancestors, Probates
    FS—Research in Wills and Probate Records   

  5. Learn about wills and probate records in the National Archives.

    National Archives: Wills and Probate before 1858
    National Archives: Wills or Administrations after 1858

  6. Learn how to access British probate records online.

    PR—Accessing England's Probate Records Online

  7. Case Study: Follow this case study for using probate records in research.

    PR—Using Probate Records to Resolve Conflicting Evidence

  Probate Record Practice  |   Hints  |   Answers

QUIKLinks


BLearn about court records in England.


  1. Criminal Records: Learn how to find people in old English criminal records.

    FHD—Can You Find Your Ancestors in These Old English Criminal Records? - 2023

  2. Learn about criminal records kept by the Old Bailey and Central Criminal Court.

    Trials in the Old Bailey (the Central Criminal Court)

  3. Explore court records through the ages on the Old Bailey online site.

  4.   Criminal Records Practice  |   Hints  |   Answers

  5. Learn about the "calendars of prisoners" and other resources.

    GG—Calendars of Prisoners

  6. Quarter Sessions: Learn about the England Quarter Sessions, which kept court records on a quarterly basis.

    LT—Using England Quarter Session Records for Genealogy

  7. Chancery: Learn about Chancery (Court of Equity) records in England.

    The Joy of Chancery - 2020
    RT—English Equity Court Records, Part 1 of 3—5:10 -2021



  8. Learn more about using court equity records in research.

    RT——English Equity Court Records, Part 2 of 3—2:51 - 2021


    RT——English Equity Court Records, Part 3 of 3—4:06 - 2012


  9. Church: Learn how to find and use church court records.

    GG—Church/Ecclesiastical Court Records


QUIKLinks


CLearn about taxation and other records in England.


  1. FamilySearch: Learn more about taxation records in England.

    FS—England Taxation   
    EG: Checking Taxation Records for Family History Research - 2012

  2. Estate Duty: Learn how to use estate duty records in research.

    FS—Estate Duty, Part 1—10:20 - 2013
    FS—Estate Duty, Part 2—15:11 - 2013

  3. Learn about manors, taxes, and land registrations.

    FS—England Land and Property, Part 2

  4. Hearth Tax: Explore online hearth tax records on the Hearth Tax Digital site.
  5. Learn about window and house tax records.

    FS Wiki—England House Tax 1696 to 1834, Window Tax 1696 to 1851

  6. Tithe Records: Learn about using tithe records to locate rural ancestors in England.

    The Joy of Tithes - 2020

Poor, Workhouse, and Debtors
  1. Learn about records of the poor in England.

    FS—Records of the Poor in England
    EG—Poor Law Records and Tracing Your Family Tree - 2021

  2. Get an introduction to English workhouses.

    The Workhouse: Introduction

  3. Learn about workhouse records for research.

    PR—The Workhouse
    PR—The Workhouse, Part Two

  4. Learn how to find records of those who were insolvent or debtors.

    Bankrupts and insolvent debtors

  5. Explore the Kinship and Poverty website from BYU.

  6. Orphanages: Find online resources for locating orphanage records.

    WDY—How to Find Old Orphanage Records

  Workhouse Records Practice  |   Hints  |   Answers


Exercises

QUIKLinks