| Sources (hover for more info) |
| Civil Registration |
| Census |
| Poor Law Records |
Nottingham (NTT)
Jurisdictions
- The majority of parishes came under (A) the Archdeaconry of Nottingham, which was part of the Exchequer Court of York. Probate records unique to the Archdeaconry of Nottingham were sent to the Nottingham Record Office in 1972 and will be briefly outlined here. The printed indexes, microfilmed calendars, registered wills and pre-1705 act books of the Exchequer Court of York contain entries for Nottingham. See York for further details.
- The exceptions to the above are listed below. These places came under (B) 6 manorial courts, (C) 2 peculiar courts, (D) the Dean and Chapter Court of York, and (E) 2 prebendal courts of York.
| Place | Court |
|---|---|
| Apesthorpe | Prebendal of Apesthorpe (E) |
| Askham | Dean and Chapter of York (D) |
| Aslocton | Manor of St. John of Jerusalem (B) |
| Barnaby-in-the-Willows | Manor of St. John of Jerusalem (B) |
| Beckingham | Pre-1800, Peculiar of Southwell (C) and post-1800 Manor of Gringley-on-the-Hill (B) |
| Bleasby | Peculiar of Southwell (C) |
| Blidworth | Peculiar of Southwell (C) |
| Bole | Prebendal of Bole (E) |
| Budby | Manor of Mansfield (B) |
| Calverton | Peculiar of Southwell (C) |
| Carburton | Manor of Edwinstowe (B) |
| Car Colston | Manor of St. John of Jerusalem (B) |
| Carlton in Gedling | Manor of St. John of Jerusalem (B) |
| Carlton on Trent | Peculiar of Southwell (C) |
| Caunton | Peculiar of Southwell (C) |
| Cotgrave | Manor of St. John of Jerusalem (B) |
| Cropwell Bishop | Peculiar of Southwell (C) |
| Darlton | Peculiar of Southwell (C) |
| Dunham | Peculiar of Southwell (C) |
| East Drayton | Dean and Chapter of York (D) |
| Eaton | Peculiar of Southwell (C) |
| Edingley | Peculiar of Southwell (C) |
| Edwinstowe | Manor of Edwinstowe (B) |
| Farnsfield | Peculiar of Southwell (C) |
| Flintham | Manor of St. John of Jerusalem (B) |
| Gedling | Manor of St. John of Jerusalem (B) |
| Gringley-on-the-Hill | Manor of Gringley-on-the-Hill (B) |
| Halam | Peculiar of Southwell (C) |
| Halloughton | Peculiar of Southwell (C) |
| Hickling | Manor of St. John of Jerusalem (B) |
| Holme | Peculiar of Southwell (C) |
| Hoveringham | Manor of St. John of Jerusalem (B) |
| Hucknall under Huthwaite | Manor of Mansfield (B) |
| Kilton | see Worksop |
| Kinoulton | Peculiar of Kinoulton (C) |
| Kirklington | Peculiar of Southwell (C) |
| Kneeton | Manor of St. John of Jerusalem (B) |
| Laneham | Dean and Chapter of York (D) |
| Mansfield | Manor of Mansfield (B) |
| Mansfield Woodhouse | Manor of Mansfield (B) |
| Misterton | Pre-1800, Dean/Chapter of York (D) and post-1800 Manor of Gringley-on-the-Hill (B) |
| Morton | Peculiar of Southwell (C) |
| Normanton-on-Soar | Manor of St. John of Jerusalem (B) |
| Normanton-on-the-Wolds | Manor of St. John of Jerusalem (B) |
| North Leverton | Peculiar of Southwell (C) |
| North Muskham | Peculiar of Southwell (C) |
| Norwell | Peculiar of Southwell (C) |
| Owthorpe | Manor of St. John of Jerusalem (B) |
| Oxton | Peculiar of Southwell (C) |
| Plumtree | Manor of St. John of Jerusalem (B) |
| Radcliffe-on-Trent | Manor of St. John of Jerusalem (B) |
| Ragnall | Peculiar of Southwell (C) |
| Rampton | Peculiar of Southwell (C) |
| Rempstone | Manor of St. John of Jerusalem (B) |
| Ruddington | Manor of St. John of Jerusalem (B) |
| Rufford | Manor of Rufford Abbey (B) |
| Scarrington | Manor of St. John of Jerusalem (B) |
| Scofton | see Worksop |
| Skegby | Manor of Skegby and Teversal (B) |
| South Muskham | Peculiar of Southwell (C) |
| Southwell | Peculiar of Southwell (C) |
| South Wheatley | Peculiar of Southwell (C) |
| Stanford-on-Soar | Manor of St. John of Jerusalem (B) |
| Stokeham | Dean and Chapter of York (D) |
| Sutton-in-Ashfield | Manor of Mansfield (B) |
| Teversal | Manor of Skegby and Teversal (B) |
| Tollerton | Manor of St. John of Jerusalem (B) |
| Upton | Peculiar of Southwell (C) |
| Walkeringham | Pre-1800, Archdeaconry of Nottingham (A) and Post-1800, Manor of Gringley-on-the-Hill (B) |
| Warsop | Manor of Mansfield (B) |
| West Stockwith | Pre-1800, Dean/Chapter of York (D) and post-1800 Manor of Gringley-on-the-Hill (B) |
| Willoughby-on-the-Wolds | Manor of St. John of Jerusalem (B) |
| Woodborough | Peculiar of Southwell (C) |
| Worksop | Manor of Mansfield (B) |
Decision Table
For those who lived in (A) the Archdeaconry of Nottingham, search:
- Archdeaconry Court of Nottingham
- Exchequer and Prerogative Courts of York (York for further details)
- Prerogative Court of Canterbury (London: PCC)
- Court of Delegates, 1636- (London: Delegates)
For those who lived in (B) the Manorial Courts in Nottingham, search:
- The respective manorial court
- Repeat the process for (A) above.
For those who lived in (C) the two Peculiar Courts in Nottingham, search:
- The respective peculiar court
- Do 2-4 for (A) above.
For those who lived in (D) the Dean and Chapter of York, search:
- Dean and Chapter Court of York (York for further details)
- Do 2-4 for (A) above.
For those who lived in (E) the Prebendal Courts of York, search:
- General Peculiars of York (York)
- Repeat the process for (D) above.
For those who lived anywhere in the county between 1653-1660, search:
- Prerogative Court of Canterbury (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. (London: Estate Duty)
Indexes/Calendars for the Archdeaconry Court of Nottingham
- 1389-1688, Printed Indexes
See York for the printed indexes of the Exchequer & Prerogative Courts of York. - 1688-1731, Typescript of Act Books (FHL 942.52 S2)
Volunteer project of the FHL based on the act books of the Exchequer Court of York. It adds the Rural Deanery to which each parish in Nottingham belonged. - 1731-1802, Microfilmed Calendars
See York for the filmed manuscript calendars of the Exchequer & Prerogative Courts of York. - 1803-1858, Index to Nottinghamshire Wills Filed at York
Surnames A-S (FHL film 1526547)
Surnames T-Y (FHL film 1526548) - 1712-1857, Unproved Wills (FHL film 189888, last item)
Wills apparently never sent to York. Many are for widows. - 1506-1857, (See also the Master Index described below.)
Microfilmed Probate Records for the Archdeaconry Court of Nottingham
All of the original wills, administrations bonds, and inventories from 1466-1858 have been microfilmed. The records are all filed by deanery. The rural deaneries in the Archdeaconry of Nottingham were Bingham, Newark, Nottingham, and Retford. To determine the deanery to which each parish belonged, consult A List of the Different Courts (referring to York and Nottingham), pages 24-71. (FHL 942.74 P2) For details of the call numbers of the films for each deanery, put 1278625 in the Film/Fiche box of the main menu of the FHL catalog at FamilySearch.
The unproved wills, 1712-1857, are on FHL/BYU film 189826. Abstracts have been made of each of the 112 documents. The bound abstracts are under FHL 942.52 S2a. It is fairly easy to go through the abstracts rather than search the index on film 189888. Two of the abstracts refer to people with connections abroad. Documents 7 is for Francis Hooley, yeoman of Normanton near Plumtre, who's will in 1762 mentions a brother, John, in Germany. Document 42 is a will dated 1821 for Thomas Hickling of Leicestershire who mentions Mary, the daughter of William Hickling, late of New York.
Act Books, 1705-1858, dealing only with the deaneries of Nottingham have also been filmed. There are 15 volumes on FHL/BYU films 189890-189901. Volume 16 on FHL film 189888 is an index to them. There is another index that stops in 1827 on FHL/BYU film 189889.
Note: the master index described below may be sufficient for most searches in the probate records of this county.
Master Index to the Courts in Nottingham
- 1506-1857, Index of the peculiar and general courts (FHL films1278702-1278704)
The surname coverage of each film is A-G, G-R, and R-Z/Miscellaneous. This updated version was filmed in 1987 and includes entries from the Rural Deaneries of the Archdeaconry of Nottingham. An older version is at BYU on films 543624-543626.
Microfilmed Records for the Smaller Courts in Nottingham
No probate records for the Manorial Courts of Edwinstowe, Rufford Abbey, and Skegby and Teversal have been microfilmed. There is a printed index in the Northern Genealogist for Edwinstowe of some 180 probate records mainly for 1521-1801 that appears to be fairly complete for that time period. The earliest entry is an administration for 1335 and the latest is an administration for 1801. (FHL 942 B2ng, volume 1, pages 20-24) The manor court rolls for Edwinstowe, 1650-1680, are also on FHL film 1471198, item 6. They might contain some probate data. The filmed records for the other 5 courts in Nottingham are as follows:
- Gringley-on-the-Hill. All of the original probate records for the Manorial Court of Gringley-on-the-Hill or Bawtry are on FHL film 189885. Abstracts were made of all of these documents. The abstracts were bound as FHL 942.52/G3 S2g, which is available at BYU on film 599737, item 2. The manorial court rolls, 1637-1761, are also on FHL film 1471198, item 7. They should include some of the enrolled wills mentioned by Anthony J. Camp.
- Kinoulton. The original records for this peculiar or commissary court have all been microfilmed. The records for 1730-1756 are on FHL film 99930. Another filming covers the records from 1758-1846 on FHL film 189886. The latter records have been abstracted and bound as FHL 942.52/K1 S2k. The act books, 1719-1846, were not filmed.
- Mansfield. All of the original probate records and the registered wills for the Manorial Court of Mansfield have been microfilmed. The original records, 1640-1857, are on FHL films 189866-189882. BYU has films 189866, 189868-189869, 189874, and 189877-189879. The abstracts were bound as FHL 942.52/M1 S2m in 2 volumes. The registered wills cover 1580-1606 on FHL film 1471198, item 3, and were not abstracted. The administration bonds were filmed separately for 1712-1857 on FHL films 189883-189884. There are also manor court rolls, 1315-1751, on FHL film 1471144 that should contain the enrolled wills for 1519-1751.
- St. John of Jerusalem. The Manorial Court of St. John of Jerusalem or Shelford St. Johns had tenants in at least 16 parishes. The jurisdiction of the manorial court extended only to its tenants. The other residents of these parishes would have come under the Archdeaconry Court of Nottingham. The original probate records for this manor court, 1646-1791, have all been microfilmed and appear on FHL film 1278862, item 3.
- Southwell. The Peculiar Court of the Chapter of the Collegiate Church of Southwell is the largest probate court in this grouping. Forty of the wills enrolled in the Chapter Act Book, 1470-1541, were published by the Camden Society in 1891 and reprinted in 1965. The wills appear on pages 96-145 of this publication, which is indexed. (FHL 942 B4ca new ser.) and (BYU DA 20 .R91 n.s.) volume 48.
The original wills were filmed only for 1506-1566, 1621-1638, and 1640-1652. All of the registered copy wills were microfilmed. The separate series of administration bonds were all filmed. The administration bonds for 1506-1617, 1621-1635, and1642-1652 should be among both the original and registered wills. All of these records were filmed on 38 rolls of film. The initial film number is 189827. BYU has 17 of these films.
NOTE: Where an initial film number is given, use either version of the FHL catalog to see all of the films in that collection. The previous version at FamilySearch may be a little easier to use for that purpose.
FHL film 189853 for the administrations, 1636-1642, contains some 10-11 marriage bonds dating from 1588-1666. Mixed with the administration bonds are the following bishop's transcripts: 15 entries for Kirklington in 1642, 29 entries for South Muskham in 1627, and 48 entries for Ruddington in 1635. Two more marriage bonds for 1666 appear at the end of FHL film 189860. The surviving inventories, 1512-1568, for Southwell were published by the Thoroton Society in their volume 22. (FHL 942.52 B4th)
Abstracts were made for all of the probate records except the original wills, 1506-1566, and the registered copy wills, 1631-1639. The will abstracts, 1567-1857, are bound in 19 volumes under FHL 942.52 P28s. These volumes have also been microfilmed on 11 rolls of film starting with the number 908507. BYU has 5 of these films. The administration abstracts for the same time period are bound in 12 volumes under FHL 942.52 P28sa. Volumes 1-11 have been microfilmed on 7 rolls of film, 2 of which are at BYU. The initial film number for this collection is 908372.
Miscellaneous Section
- 1827-1857, Wills, Requisitions and Commission Book (FHL film 578914)
Items 1-2 contain a chronological listing of names of persons from Nottingham whose wills were "proved in other courts, chiefly Canterbury, also Lichfield and elsewhere." These records are indexed. - The Surtees Society published abstracts from wills of the northern counties, including Nottingham, from the medieval period to 1604 in volumes 116 and 121 that are now online. Start with Medieval Genealogy.
- Further details for the probate records of Nottingham are in David Pratt's Researching British Probates, 1354-1858 (FHL Reference 942 P23p and BYU Religion/Family History Reference CS 434 .X1 P72 1992)