WILLS PROVED IN THE PREROGATIVE COURT OF CANTERBURY
(PCC)
Transcribed and donated to the Dorset OPC Project by Kim Parker
Until 1858 all wills had to be proved (formally approved) by church and other courts. The Prerogative Court of Canterbury (PCC), the most important of these courts, dealt with the relatively wealthy individuals living mainly in the south of England and most of Wales (what was originally the ecclesiastical province of Canterbury). Wills of less wealthy individuals MAY have been proved in a number of other ecclesiastical courts, including the Archdeaconry Court of Exeter (pre-1843); the Archdeaconry Court of Dorset (post-1843); The Consistory Court of the Bishop of Exeter (pre-1843); or the Royal Peculiar of Sarum. From 1858 all wills were indexed centrally and this index is widely available at Record Offices, Probate Registries and the LDS Church.
The lists below provide details of wills of Chilfrome residents, but may not be exhaustive.
TABLE I. WILLS PROVED IN THE PCC
The following wills proven in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury can be downloaded from the PRO site National Archives Discovery Catalogue for a small fee.
|
NAME |
DESCRIPTION |
DATE |
REFERENCE |
| ELBYE | Will of Hillarie Elbye, Yeoman of Chilfrome, Dorset | 23 June 1651 | PROB 11/217 |
| ILLARIE | Will of William Illarie, Parson of Chilfrome, Dorset | 28 January 1577 | PROB 11/59 |
| JONES | Will of Roberte Jones, Clerk of Chilfrome, Dorset | 03 February 1599 | PROB 11/93 |
| NOAKE | Will of Susanna otherwise Susana Noake, Spinster of Chilfrome, Dorset | 26 August 1836 | PROB 11/1866 |
TABLE II. WILLS PROVED IN BRISTOL DIOCESIAN COURTS 1568-1792 (now held at Blandford)
(A) Consistory Court of the late Diocese of Bristol 1681 – 1792
BEEGON alias. JACOB, Nicholas, Chilfrome 1708
DOWN, Edith, Chilfrome 1721
GOOD, Robert, Chilfrome 1718
JACOB, Nicholas Chilfrome Inv. 1708
JACOB alias. BEEGON, Nicholas, Chilfrome 1708
STONE, Thomas, Chilfrome I. 1683
STONE, Elizabeth, Chilfrome A. 1711
(B) Archdeaconry Court of the late Diocese of Bristol 1568 – 1792 (Wills)
BEST, Samuel, Chilfrome 16 1768
COLE, William, Chilfrome 15 1725
COOMB, Matthew, Chilfrome 22 1733
COZENS, Thomas, Chilfrome 6 1668
DOWN, Elizabeth, Chilfrome 22 1736
FLOWER, Richard, Chilfrome 20 1739
FLOWER, William, Chilfrome 9 1789
GENGE, William, Chilfrome 18 1754
HUNT, William, Chilfrome 22 1775
LOVELACE, Robert, Chilfroome 10 1662
LOVELACE, William, Chilfroome 9 1667
PORTER, Robert, Chilfrome 13 1792
(C) Archdeaconry Court of the late Diocese of Bristol 1660 – 1792
BRYER, Margaret, Chilfrome 4 1667
CLEMENT, Thomas, Chilfrome 8 1759
DAW, William, Chilfrome 9 1783
LOVELACE, William, Chilfrome 9 1767
STONE, Thomas, Chilfrome 16 1693