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 Help & ResourcesHelp with collectionsNational Wills Index collectionsAbout BRS Probate CollectionMoreArchdeaconry Court of Suffolk Probate Records at Ipswich 1444-1700 Vols. I & II British Record Society Volumes 90 & 91 Published 1979 & 1980 Search this Collection
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About the index
This is a complete index to all of the surviving probate records of the Archdeaconry Court of Suffolk 1444-1700. These include original and registered wills from 1444, administration bonds and / or act books from 1610 plus the surviving inventories.
The archdeaconry covered a large part of the eastern side of the county of Suffolk. (see map) Locating the original documents
Where are the originals held?
The original wills are held at the Ipswich Branch of Suffolk Record Office www.suffolk.gov.uk/sro To obtain copies of an original will you need to contact the Ipswich Branch of Suffolk Record Office by letter, fax or e-mail, giving full details (including source ie BRS and which court etc) and references. The Ipswich Branch of Suffolk Record Office will then send you a quote of the full costs. You then need to complete an order form which can be downloadable here and return it to the record office (with payment). Alternatively you can visit the Ipswich Branch of Suffolk Record Office personally, details of opening hours etc can be found on their website. Additionally FamilySearch www.familysearch.org/#form=catalog has filmed the majority of these probate documents, a microfilm copy of which can be ordered and viewed via your local FamilySearch Family History Center. www.familysearch.org/eng/Library/FHC/frameset_fhc.asp What information from the document do I need to locate the original?
Understanding the index
Which court or courts are included?
This volume indexes all surviving probate records for the Archdeaconry Court of Suffolk 1444-1700. Note - wills proved between 1649 and 1660 will be found in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury 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 Prerogative Court of Canterbury (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 Suffolk was in the diocese of Norwich. What does the index include? All names and places referring to the testator appearing in the probate material plus incidental information are included in the index. 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. Place names have been standardised in their modern form, following, as far as this could be ascertained, the preferred official usage. Dates of 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. Abbreviations
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