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Derbyshire (DBY)
Jurisdictions
- All of Derbyshire, with one exception, came under the jurisdictions of several courts centered at Lichfield in the neighboring county of Stafford. The one exception was the court of the Manor of Dale Abbey which is usually filed with Nottingham, but will be described in this work under Derbyshire. The majority of parishes in Derbyshire came under (A) the Consistory of Lichfield. The other Lichfield courts with jurisdiction in Derbyshire are listed below.
- If research involves one of the places listed below, match the designated letter in parentheses (B-C) with the subsequent heading in the decision table. NOTE: all of the Lichfield peculiars have been filed and filmed as one unit.
| Place | Court |
|---|---|
| Ashford | Dean and Chapter of Lichfield (B) |
| Bakewell | Dean and Chapter of Lichfield (B) |
| Baslow | Dean and Chapter of Lichfield (B) |
| Beeley | Dean and Chapter of Lichfield (B) |
| Briggin | see Hartington |
| Beaston | see Sawley |
| Burbage | see Hartington |
| Buxton | see Hartington |
| Chapel-en-le-Frith | Dean and Chapter of Lichfield (B) |
| Chelmorton | Dean and Chapter of Lichfield (B) |
| Chilcote | Manorial Court of Burton on Trent (B) |
| Dale Abbey | Manorial Court of Dale Abbey (C) |
| Earl Sterndale | see Hartington |
| Fairfield | Dean and Chapter of Lichfield (B) |
| Hartington | Deanery Court for the Manor of Hartington (B) |
| High Needham | see Hartington |
| Hope | Dean and Chapter of Lichfield (B) |
| Kniveton | Dean and Chapter of Lichfield (B) |
| Long Eaton | see Sawley |
| Longstone | Dean and Chapter of Lichfield (B) |
| Monyash | Dean and Chapter of Lichfield (B) |
| Newham | see Hartington |
| Newhaven | see Hartington |
| Peak Forest | Manorial Court of Peak Forest (B) |
| Risley | see Sawley |
| Sandiacre | Prebendary of Sandiacre (B) |
| Sawley | Prebendary of Sawley (B) |
| Sheldon | Dean and Chapter of Lichfield (B) |
| Stapenhill | see Chilcote |
| Taddington | Dean and Chapter of Lichfield (B) |
| Tideswell | Dean and Chapter of Lichfield (B) |
| Wilne | see Sawley |
| Winshill | see Chilcote |
| Winster | see Hartington |
| Wormhill | Dean and Chapter of Lichfield (B) |
Decision Table
For those who lived in (A) the Consistory of Lichfield, search:
- Consistory of Lichfield (see the partial online index below and Stafford)
- Prerogative Court of Canterbury (see London: PCC)
- Court of Arches, 1660- (see London: Arches)
- Court of Delegates, 1636- (see London: Delegates)
For those who lived in (B) the peculiars of Lichfield:
- Start with the combined index for all Lichfield peculiars on FHL and BYU film 95287.
- Then search as in (A) above.
For those who lived in (C) the Manorial Court of Dale Abbey, search:
- Manor Court of Dale Abbey
- Then search as in (A) above.
For those who lived anywhere in the county between 1653-1660, search:
- Prerogative Court of Canterbury (see London: PCC)
For those who lived anywhere in the county between 1812-1857, regardless of what is found in the probate records of any of the above courts, consider searching also the estate duty registers (see London: Estate Duty)
Online Probate Index for Derbyshire
The Derbyshire Wills Database is a website containing an index of all of the wills held by the Derbyshire Record Office. The website contains these indexes: "Derbyshire Wills, 1525-1928," "Derbyshire Administrations, 1858-1873," "Wills, Probates and Inventories, 1524-1602," "Brassington Probates, 1535-1800," and "Derbyshire Wills at Canterbury, 1393-1574." The index to wills, 1858-1928, and administrations, 1858-1875, is now available at Derbyshire County Council.
Microfilmed Records for the Manorial Court of Dale Abbey
All of the original probate records have been microfilmed and appear on FHL and BYU film 189887. Indexed abstracts of them were also made by Erma Troop in 1967. (FHL 942.51/D3 S2da)
Miscellaneous Section
David G. Edwards edited Derbyshire Wills proved in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, in two volumes, 1998-2003. Volume 26 covers 1393-1574 and volume 31 treats 1575-1601. (FHL 942.51 H25de)