About York Medieval Probate Index 1267-1500
This index covers over 10,000 wills proved in the Prerogative & Exchequer Courts of York in the period 1267 to 1500. Wills are one of the most important sources for the family historian, and the originals of all the wills indexed here are held at the
Borthwick Institute for Archives. Copies of these wills can be ordered online, via the index.
What do these records tell you?
The York Medieval Probate index gives:
- testator's last name and first name including the last name spelling given in the original (given the age of these documents the spelling which appears on the original can often be archaic)
- occupation
- places associated with person
- type of document (not always a will)
- language of document (English, French, Latin, or a combination of these)
- date of will
- date of probate
- Borthwick Institute reference to the original document.
The original documents provide a great deal of valuable information to the family historian, and copies of these can be ordered online.
Example index records
| Example 1. Retrieved searching on Agnes Bickman or John Bickman. |
| Last Name |
Bickman |
|
| Old Last Name |
Bekeman |
Spelling in original document |
| First Name |
Agnes |
|
| Sex |
F |
|
| Occupation |
Wife of John B., fishmonger |
NB. the name "John Bickman" is also contained within the database |
| Place |
York |
|
| Document type |
Probate act |
|
| Language |
Latin |
|
| Date of will |
- |
no date given for the will |
| Date of probate |
24 Apr 1397 |
|
| Comment |
- |
|
| Reference code |
ProbReg 2 |
volume containing the original |
| Folio |
1v |
folio within the volume: first folio, verso side |
| Example 2. |
| Last Name |
Seaver |
|
| Old Last Name |
Sever, Seyver |
Original document spelling |
| First Name |
Henry |
|
| Sex |
M |
|
| Occupation |
Master, doctor of divinity |
|
| Place |
buried Merton collegiate church, Oxon |
|
| Document type |
Will & codicil(s) |
|
| Language |
Latin |
|
| Date of will |
4 Jul 1471 |
|
| Date of probate |
20 Sep 1471 |
|
| Comment |
Proved at Canterbury;
approved at York 05/Oct/1471 |
|
| Reference code |
ProbReg 4 |
|
| Folio |
16 |
|
More information on the York Medieval Probate Index
This database makes available for the first time online, and exclusively on British Origins, a comprehensive index to over 10,000 wills proved in the province of York prior to the 16th century, plus related documents. All the original documents are held by the Borthwick Institute.
For many of the people referred to in this index, multiple documents are available, for example a multiple wills, will plus one or more codicils, multiple disputes concerning the will. The different documents are all listed in the index.
Copies of the source documents may be
ordered online.
While the great majority of the documents relate to persons with property in Yorkshire, 12 ½% of the records refer to other places: nearly every county in England, plus Ireland, France, Poland, Scotland, Wales. The references to place primarily relate to property held there, but also to the place where the person died, or where they may have lived.
Contents of the database
The database records provide the following information:
- Testator's Last Name
Modernised version in cases where the original has archaic spellings
- Old Last Name
Spelling in original document. More than one spelling may appear,
eg: "Ligearde, Lygeard" (for surname = "Legard")
- First Name
- Sex
M(ale) or F(emale)
- Occupation
eg "Butcher", "Merchant". Sometimes relationship is shown, eg "Wife of Nicholas", "Son of John", "Widow of William, knight". Titles appear in this field, eg: "Knight, Lord Scrope of Bolton".
- Place
Usually contains place where the testator lived, often where they were buried, sometimes both, and sometimes with additional place-related information, eg: "York"; "York (buried Calais, St Mary, FR)"; "Sharlstone, probate act Warmfield (buried Nostell priory)". In a few cases the word "dated" appears against a place name, eg: "York, dated Danzig, PO". This means that the document appears to have been completed at that place, but not necessarily that this is the place where the testator lived.
- Language
Latin, French, English or a mixture. The vast majority are in Latin.
- Date of will
Usually, but not always present. The year is given as Old Style and New Style for dates before 25 March.
- Date of probate
The year is given as Old Style and New Style for dates before 25 March.
- Document type
Although the majority of the documents are wills, there are often other document types available. Glossary and abbreviations in the index
- Comment
Not often present, but very variable contents, eg: "Place name unidentified"; "Daughter & heir of John de Luttryngton"; "Cancelled - will proved later"; "Adm[instration] granted because executors refused".
- Reference code
Identifies the volume at the Borthwick Institute containing the original document. This generally one of the Probate Register volumes, eg: "ProbReg 2".
- Folio
The folio (sheet) within the volume containing the original. For example: "61r" means the recto side of folio 61; "179v-180r" means the verso side of folio 179 continued on the recto of folio 180. Note that if you are ordering hard copies from the Borthwick Institute via the British Origins database, the reference data is forwarded automatically to the Institute.
Ordering hard copies of original documents
You can order a hard copy of any document by simply clicking of the "
Add to cart" button alongside each record. The cost of each hard document, including first class or airmail postage, is £10.
Other "York Series" Probate Indexes
All the indexes to probate documents held at the Borthwick Institute will become available online on British Origins. In addition to the indexes to the Medieval probate records, an index to 54
Peculiar Courts within the Province of York are currently online.
Help & Resources
