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Archdeaconry of Ely Probate Records 1513-1857
British Record Society volume 88
Published 1976

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Probate Glossary

General Abbreviations

Original Volume Introduction

This is a complete index of testators compiled from the surviving original wills, registered copy wills, administrations, original bonds and inventories and other related documents for the Archdeaconry Court of Ely 1513-1857.

The Archdeaconry of Ely included Cambridge itself, fifty three parishes in the south west of the county and Haddenham and Wilburton in the Isle of Ely (see map.) Where are the originals held?
The original wills are no longer at the Cambridge University Archives, but are now held at Cambridgeshire Archives - www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/leisure/archives/

To purchase a copy of the will contact Cambridgeshire Archives with all of the references from the index including the source i.e. BRS. They will then advise you of the cost etc. Alternatively you can visit Cambridgeshire 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?

• Testator's name
• Residence
• Year of will or admon
• Volume and Folio number

Which court or courts are included?
This volume indexes the wills and administrations of the Archdeaconry Court of Ely 1513-1857.

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?
The Archdeaconry of Ely was within the Diocese of Ely

What does the index include?
All names and places appearing in the will plus incidental information such as occupation where found in the original documents are included in the index.

• Name
• Residence
• Occupation
• Year
• Volume and Folio number

Surnames are arranged alphabetically, with Christian names chronologically within each surname. Names in the index are according to the spelling used in the documents, usually based on the signaturee of the testator. The folio number identifies the group of pages, anywhere from 2 to 16, within which the will's first page appears.


KEY TO DOCUMENTARY REFERENCES

W	indicates that an original will exists; it is followed by the year the will was proved
WR	indicates that the will was registered, and the following figures indicate the volume number and the folio number divided by a colon
A	indicates that an administration bond exists and is followed by the year it was made
AR	indicates a registered administration followed by the volume and folio number
(Admon)	after WR volume and folio numbers indicates an administration entered among the wills
(Inv)	after the volume and folio of the WR numbers indicates that an inventory is incorporated with the will and not in the boxes of bonds and inventories
(date)	indicates that the will was not proved and the date is the year the will was made and the packet where the original will is filed. From the earlier part of the eighteenth century some wills are shown as 'not proved in common form' and an administration bond is made. In these cases no parentheses are used as the administration bond will bear the same date
(Guard)	following the AR volume and folio numbers indicates a guardianship bond
(Caveat)	following the AR volume and folio numbers indicates contentious probate
*	after the WR or AR volume and folio numbers indicates the existence of various associated docu­ments filed in the boxes labelled Bonds and Inventories. These can include an inventory, renunciation, caveat, guardianship or deposition. Few inventories exist separately before 1690 and after 1780
?	is placed where information given in, for example, the heading of a will is not confirmed in the original or elsewhere
Supplementary information included and not found in the heading of the will or administration bond is indicated as follows in the inventory
(pr)	in the probate
(dw)	in the text of the will stating the house in which he dwells is in a particular parish
(b)	in the text of the will stating he is to be buried in a particular parish

See also:	Help on Searching - BRS Probate Collection
	General Abbreviations
	Name Abbreviations
	Place Name Abbreviations
	Introduction to Original Volume
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