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The Bridgnorth Will Index

Prior to the 20th century, most people did not make a will, but where they did (and where those wills have survived) they can provide a great deal of information about both their family relationships and the way they lived. Wills can vary from the very short - simply stating that everything should go to a particular relative - to long drawn-out descriptions of exactly how a large estate is to be divided between friends, relations, servants and charities.

On 12 January 1858, a single court of probate was set up for England and Wales, but before that date all wills were proved in ecclesiastical probate courts, of which there were more than 300 of varying importance up and down the country. These courts were also responsible for granting letters of administration for the estates of people who died intestate.

The court in which a will was proved depended, amongst other things, on the size of the deceased’s estate, and their place of residence. If they had properties or debts in more than one jurisdiction, their probate was usually moved up to the next level of ecclesiastical hierarchy. However, this system was confused by the existence of "peculiars" - churches which, despite being located within a diocese, claimed exemption from the jurisdiction of the bishop.

Bridgnorth Peculiar Probate Court

Bridgnorth - or to be more precise, the "Royal Peculiar and Exempt Jurisdiction of the Deanery of Bridgnorth" - was classed as a Royal Peculiar, and as such claimed immunity from all jurisdictions except that of the Crown. This means that, rather than being proved in the same court as other wills from the Diocese of Lichfield or Hereford, Bridgnorth wills fall into a special category of their own.

These wills, probated in Bridgnorth Peculiar Probate Court [BPPC], include many wills from the nearby villages and parishes of Alveley, Claverley, Eardington, Quatford, Bobbington and a few others. The earliest date from 1635, and the latest from 1858, when the court ceased to exist. There are a few gaps in the record, namely from 1645 to 1663, 1668 to 1673 and from 1677 to 1684. The collection has ended up at Lichfield Record Office, where the original documents can be viewed.

Prerogative Court of Canterbury

Not all wills from Bridgnorth were probated in the BPPC. Whether because the testator had property outside of Bridgnorth or simply for reasons of status, many wills from Bridgnorth were probated in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury [PCC], the highest ecclesiastical court.

The National Archives still retains copy wills of all those wills probated in the PCC between 1384 and 12 January 1858. The earliest from Bridgnorth dates from 1571, and the earliest from the surrounding region dates from 1418. These are not the original wills as written and signed by the deceased - rather they are copies handwritten into large volumes by clerks after probate has been granted. These are available online from the National Archives as a PDF for about £3.50.

The Bridgnorth Will Index

The basic index on this site is an index of all those wills probated through the BPPC, and also those from Bridgnorth, Claverley, Quatford, Eardington, Bobbington and Alveley which were probated in the PCC. As such, it is effectively an amalgam of the indexes of the two courts, both of which are separately searchable elsewhere - physical indexes of the BPPC are available at Lichfield Record Office, and an electronic index of the PCC is available on the National Archives website.

The index catalogues the following information:

• Name
• Occupation or other description (if mentioned)
• Residence (if mentioned)
• Contents (e.g. Will, Copy Will, Admon, Testament, Bond, Sentence or Inventory)
• Court of Probate (BPPC or PCC)
• Date of Probate
• National Archives Reference (for PCC wills)

In the case of the BPPC, the information has been taken from the summary information on the will wrappers, rather than the wills themselves. Corrections have been made to some of the wrappers over time, so it is possible that errors may have crept in. Some of the wills, being larger than the others, have been moved to a separate oversize box, with a card left in to mark the spot. Where this has occurred, it is noted in the entry for that will.

Note that in the case of PCC wills, the index only contains those wills marked clearly as:

• Bridgnorth/Bridgenorth/Bridge North
• Claverley/Claverly
• Alveley/Alverley
• Eardington/Erdington
• Quatford
• Bobbington

Any wills with more vague locations such as "St. Leonards" or similar have not been included. These wills have really only been included in the index in order to point people towards the National Archives site, and make sure they don’t miss the wills that are stored there. As such, the PCC part of this index is free to search. I would definitely encourage anyone researching their family history to make a very thorough surname search of the PCC wills.

To search the Bridgnorth Will Index, click .

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