Fonds
Welsh Probate Records, Diocese of St Asaph
Catalogue reference: SA
What’s it about?
This record is about the Welsh Probate Records, Diocese of St Asaph dating from 1521-1858.
Is it available online?
Maybe, but not on The National Archives website. This record is held at National Library of Wales: Department of Collection Services.
Can I see it in person?
Not at The National Archives, but you may be able to view it in person at National Library of Wales: Department of Collection Services.
Full description and record details
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Reference (The unique identifier to the record described, used to order and refer to it)
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SA
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Title (The name of the record)
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Welsh Probate Records, Diocese of St Asaph
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Date (When the record was created)
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1521-1858
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Description (What the record is about)
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44,400 original wills, inventories, administration bonds and miscellaneous other probate records, 1557-1858 (mainly 1583-1649, 1660-1857), from parishes in most of Denbighshire, Flintshire and Montgomeryshire, and parts of Merionethshire, Caernarfonshire and Shropshire, and stray documents from elsewhere in Wales, England and overseas; 13 vols register copy wills, 1521-1709 (mainly 1565-1648, 1660-1669, 1684-1709); and two small bundles of unproved Will (uncatalogued)
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Arrangement (Information about the filing sequence or logical order of the record)
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Divided into original probate records arranged chronologically within the diocese, and further sub-divided by parish and surname; and register copy wills and administrations arranged more or less chronologically by volume. (The contents of the pre-1648 volumes are not always in strict chronological order)
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Related material (A cross-reference to other related records)
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<p>Register copy wills of the District Probate Registry of St Asaph, 1858-1928, with the exception of those from Montgomeryshire, are held by NLW and by the Principal Registry of the Family Division, London. Copies of post-1858 Montgomeryshire wills are held by the Shropshire Records and Research Centre, Shrewsbury. Some wills and administrations are included in the consistory court papers filed with the diocesan records of the Church in Wales, held at NLW. Other sources of probate records from Wales are the records of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury (PCC) and those of the Court of Civil Commission, available for consultation at the National Archives, Kew</p>
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Held by (Who holds the record)
- National Library of Wales: Department of Collection Services
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Language (The language of the record)
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English, Latin, Welsh
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Creator(s) (The creator of the record)
- <corpname>Church of England, Diocese of St Asaph</corpname>
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Physical description (The amount and form of the record)
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44,400 items, 13 vols
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Restrictions on use (Information on restrictions to the use or reproduction of the material)
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Usual copyright laws apply
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Access conditions (Information on conditions that restrict or affect access to the record)
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Public records. Some items unfit for production
Mainly English, some Welsh, small proportion of Latin pre-1733
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Immediate source of acquisition (When and where the record was acquired from)
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Deposited by St Asaph District Probate Registry in 1945
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Physical condition (Aspects of the physical condition of the record that may affect or limit its use)
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Some items damaged. Ongoing conservation for original pre-1649 probate records
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Custodial history (Describes where and how the record has been held from creation to transfer to The National Archives)
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In 1858 the earlier probate records from the Consistory Court were transferred to the District Probate Registry at St Asaph. They were conveyed thence to the National Library of Wales in 1945, in accordance with the Direction of the President of the Probate Division of the High Court of Justice
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Unpublished finding aids (A note of unpublished indexes, lists or guides to the record)
- <p>For original probate records: NLW, Database of pre-1858 Welsh Probate Records (available only at NLW, June 2006); and hard copies of the unpublished St Asaph Probate Indexes, 1521-1649, 1660-1699, 1700-1749, 1750-1858. Abstracts and Indexes of Original Wills, St Asaph Diocese, are available on microfiche, compiled by the Genealogical Society of Utah. Act books, 1584-1858, may supply details where original documents do not survive. For register copy wills: NLW, hard copy of the unpublished St Asaph Probate Index, 1521-1649; and integral indexes in volumes of register copy wills, 1660-1709. For unproved wills, a manuscript Index to Unproved Wills, 1754-1879. Hard copies of the NLW indexes to original pre-1858 wills of the Diocese of St Asaph are held by Gwynedd Archives Service, Dolgellau, Denbighshire Record Office, Flintshire Record Office, Powys County Archives Office, Shropshire Records and Research Centre, The Family Records Centre and the Society of Genealogists, London. N.B. For best results in personal name searches, possible alternative spellings of each name should be considered</p>
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Selection and destruction information (Information about how the record was selected for archiving)
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All records have been retained
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Administrative / biographical background (Historical or biographical information about the creator of the record and the context of its creation)
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In England and Wales prior to 12 January 1858, wills were proved and letters of administration granted in ecclesiastical courts, each having its own area of jurisdiction. Which court had jurisdiction in a particular case depended mainly on the place of death and the extent and location of the deceased's estate. The Consistory Court of St Asaph was responsible for probate and administration in most of the counties of Denbigh, Flint and Montgomery, Merioneth (thirteen parishes), Caernarfon (three parishes) and Shropshire (nine parishes). From 1648 the Consistory Court of St Asaph ceased to function and during the Commonwealth, 1653-1660, probate in England and Wales was undertaken by the Court of Civil Commission in London. After the Restoration probate business reverted to the jurisdiction of the church courts. In 1858 the responsiblity for probate was transferred from the ecclesiastical courts to a simpler system of civil probate registries
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Record URL
- https://beta.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/id/142c44ec-f5ca-4cbd-bb10-a85b0751c8b7/
Catalogue hierarchy
This record is held at National Library of Wales: Department of Collection Services
You are currently looking at the fonds: SA
Welsh Probate Records, Diocese of St Asaph