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ancestor-search.info
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National Centres of Information
> Probate Registry
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PROBATE
REGISTRY |
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OVERVIEW |
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Since
11 January 1858 the jurisdiction of proving wills in England and Wales
has been the responsibility of the state (before then wills were proved
in the ecclesiastical courts of the
Anglican Church).
The Probate Registry within
the Court Service maintains a National Probate
Index which indexes all wills and letters of administration proved
in England and Wales from 1858 to the present day.
The complete index
can only be viewed at the Principal Registry Office (see
below). However, most local District Probate Registries (see
below) have indexes covering at least the last fifty years.
Copies of the grant of probate
together with the associated will (if any) can be obtained in person from
the Principal Registry Office (see below), from a local
registry office (see below) or through the post from
the Postal Searches Office (see below) |
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POSTAL
SEARCHES OFFICE |
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Address |
The
Postal Searches and Copies Department, The Probate Registry, Castle Chambers,
Clifford Street, York, YO1 9RG |
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Telephone
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(01904)
666777 for general enquiries only - search/copy requests must be submitted
by post |
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Search
Fees |
the
standard fee for searching for the will of a named deceased is £5
- this covers a 4 year search period and includes a single copy
of the grant of probate together with the will (if any) - extending the
search period costs an additional £3 for each 4 year extension |
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Copy
Fees |
£5
for single copy of grant of probate together with the will (if any) |
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Application |
download
the PDF document Application
for Probate Search from the Court Service's website |
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Response
Time |
the
Probate Service aims to supply copies of the grant of probate together with
the will (if any) within 21 working days of your application |
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PRINCIPAL
REGISTRY OFFICE |
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Address |
Probate
Department, Principal Registry of the Family Division, First Avenue House,
42-49 High Holborn, London, WC1V 6NP |
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Telephone
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(020)
7947 7000 |
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Opening
Hours |
see
the Principal Registry Office page within the Court
Service's website |
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Directions |
see
the street
map within the Court Service's website - the location of the Principal
Registry Office is also shown on this website's Central
London Archives Map |
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Self
Search |
the
Principal Registry Office is the only place where members of the
public can search the complete National
Probate Index dating
right back to 1858 |
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Copy
Fees |
£5
for single copy of grant of probate together with the will (if any) |
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Response
Time |
in
some cases you may be able to obtain a copy of the grant of probate and
associated will 'on the spot' - otherwise the Probate Service aims to supply
copies of the grant of probate together with the will (if any) within 21
working days of your application |
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Nearby
Hotels |
see
list of nearby hotels |
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Nearby
Hostel |
YHA St Pauls - former choir boys school for St Paul's cathedral - accommodation
includes 1, 2 and 3 bed rooms in addition to dormitory type rooms - 0.8
miles from the Principal Registry Office |
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University
Accom |
London School of Economics - accommodation available during Christmas and
Summer vacations at Rosebery Hall - 1 mile from the Principal Registry Office |
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LOCAL
REGISTRY OFFICES |
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District
Offices |
Birmingham,
Brighton,
Bristol,
Cardiff,
Ipswich,
Leeds,
Liverpool,
Manchester,
Newcastle,
Oxford,
Winchester |
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Sub-Registries |
Bangor,
Bodmin,
Carlise,
Carmarthen,
Exeter,
Gloucester,
Lancaster,
Leicester,
Lincoln,
Maidstone,
Middlesborough,
Norwich,
Nottingham,
Peterborough,
Sheffield,
Stoke-on-Trent,
York |
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Contact |
for
telephone numbers, opening hours and addresses click above on the office
you wish to visit |
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Self
Search |
if
you intend to visit a local registry office to search its probate indexes
you are strongly recommended to contact the registry office beforehand to
check what is available (note the Principal Registry Office is the only
place where members of the public can search the complete National
Probate Index ) |
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Copy
Fees |
£5
for single copy of grant of probate together with the will (if any) |
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Response
Time |
in
some cases you may be able to obtain a copy of the grant of probate and
associated will 'on the spot' - otherwise the Probate Service aims to supply
copies of the grant of probate together with the will (if any) within 21
working days of your application |
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COURT
SERVICES WEB SITE |
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Access |
Home
Page of the wills and probate section of the Court Service's vast website |
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Useful
Pages |
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This
page last updated: 30 March 2008 |
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