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 Help & ResourcesHelp with collectionsNational Wills Index collectionsAbout BRS Probate CollectionMoreBedfordshire Probate Records, 1484-1858 British Record Society volumes 104 & 105 Published 1993 Search this Collection
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About the index
This index covers all wills and admons. proved in the courts of the Archdeaconry of Bedford, the Peculiar of Biggleswade, and the Peculiar of Leighton Buzzard, it also includes papers mentioned in the contemporary index but no longer surviving.
These 2 volumes (British Record Society Volumes 104 & 105) are based on the Bedfordshire Record Office card index prepared in 1950-1953 by Alan Cirket. Locating the original documents
Where are the originals held?
The original wills are held at Bedfordshire and Luton Archives and Records Service www.bedfordshire.gov.uk/archive. To purchase a copy of the will contact the archives with all of the references from the index including the source i.e. BRS. They will then advise you of the cost etc. Full details are available on their website. Alternatively you can visit the archives personally, details of opening hours etc can be found on their website. What information from the document do I need to locate the original?
Understanding the index
Which court or courts are included?
The courts of the Archdeaconry of Bedford, the Peculiar of Biggleswade, and the Peculiar of Leighton Buzzard. Note - wills proved between 1649 and 1660 will be found in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury (PCC) since during the civil war the church courts were abolished and a single centralised probate system was established. Between this time all wills were proved and all grants of administration made, at one central Court of Probate in London. This was really just the PCC under a different name and thus wills etc proved during this period will be found indexed within the PCC. See PCC volumes BRS 54, BRS 61, and Matthews 1-9 for this period. Which diocese is involved? Bedfordshire originally formed the archdeaconry of Bedford in the diocese of Lincoln, and covered more or less the same area as the County. The archdeaconry was transferred first to the Diocese of Ely in 1837, and then in 1914 (some time after the closure of the ecclesiastical courts in 1858) to St. Albans. What does the index include? All names and places appearing in the original indexes plus incidental information such as occupation. Names are arranged alphabetically. This means some name variants may not appear clustered together. Names in the index are according to the spelling used in the documents, usually based on the signature of the testator. Dates of pre 1752 wills are given in 'Old Style' or Julian Calendar. The folio number identifies the group of pages, anywhere from 2 to 16, within which the will's first page appears. Of particular note: the registers are lacking for the years 1552-4, 1571-5, 1623-37, and 1641-1703 and the records of administrations are incomplete, with a total gap for the years 1692-1700. Abbreviations
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