Suffolk

There are three British Record Society publications in this collection:

• Archdeaconry Court of Suffolk Probate Records at Ipswich 1444-1700 Vols. I & II (BRS vols. 90 & 91)
• Probate Records of the Court of The Archdeacon of Sudbury 1354-1700 Vols. I & II (BRS vols. 95 & 96)
• Probate Records of the Court of the Archdeacon of Sudbury 1800-1858

Below we have included descriptions of each publication and details about where to access the original documents.

Archdeaconry Court of Suffolk Probate Records at Ipswich 1444-1700 Vols. I & II

British Record Society Volumes 90 & 91

Published 1979 & 1980

Read the Original Introduction to the BRS Volume 90 & 91.

Locating the original documents

Where are the originals held?

The original wills are held at the Ipswich Branch of Suffolk Record Office. To obtain copies of an original will you need to contact the Ipswich Branch of Suffolk Record Office by letter, fax or e-mail, giving full details (including source ie BRS and which court etc) and references. The Ipswich Branch of Suffolk Record Office will then send you a quote of the full costs.

What information from the document do I need to locate the original?

• Testator's name
• Year of will or admon
• Place
• Register
• Folio

About the index

This is a complete index to all of the surviving probate records of the Archdeaconry Court of Suffolk 1444-1700. The archdeaconry of Suffolk was in the diocese of Norwich. These include original and registered wills from 1444, administration bonds and / or act books from 1610 plus the surviving inventories.

Abbreviations

Probate Records of the Court of The Archdeacon of Sudbury 1354-1700 Vols. I & II

British Record Society Volumes 95 & 96

Published 1984

Read the Original Introduction to BRS Volumes 95 & 96.

Locating the original documents

Where are the originals held?

The original wills are held at the Bury St Edmunds Branch of Suffolk Record Office. To obtain copies of an original will you need to contact the Bury St Edmunds Branch of Suffolk Record Office by letter, fax or e-mail, giving full details (including source ie BRS and which court etc) and references. The Bury St Edmunds Branch of Suffolk Record Office will then send you a quote of the full costs.

What information from the document do I need to locate the original?

• Testator's name
• Year of will or admon
• Place
• References

About the index

This is a complete index to all the surviving probate records of the archdeaconry and of the assimilated sacrist's court/Bury St. Edmunds commissary court up to 1700. The probate records comprise the registers of the sacrist's court from 1354, and of the archdeacon's court from 1439, original wills from c.1500, administration bonds and/or act books from 1544, and inventories from 1573. The Archdeaconry of Sudbury covered the whole of the old County of West Suffolk together with the thirteen Cambridgeshire parishes, which formed the Deanery of Fordham.

Note - wills proved between 1649 and 1660 will be found in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury since during the civil war the church courts were abolished and a single centralised probate system was established. Between this time all wills were proved and all grants of administration made, at one central Court of Probate in London. This was really just the Prerogative Court of Canterbury (PCC) under a different name and thus wills etc proved during this period will be found indexed within the PCC.

Abbreviations

Probate Records of the Court of the Archdeacon of Sudbury 1800-1858

British Record Society Volume 118

Published 2002

Read the Original Introduction to BRS Volume 118.

Locating the original documents

Where are the originals held?

The original wills are held at the Bury St Edmunds Branch of Suffolk Record Office. To obtain copies of an original will you need to contact the Bury St Edmunds Branch of Suffolk Record Office by letter, fax or e-mail, giving full details (including source ie BRS and which court etc) and references. The Bury St Edmunds Branch of Suffolk Record Office will then send you a quote of the full costs.

What information from the document do I need to locate the original?

• Testator's name
• Year of will or admon
• Place
• References

About the index

This is an index to all register copies and original wills proved in the Court of the Archdeacon of Sudbury between 1 January 1801 and 12 January 1858, as well as the administration act books, administration bonds and inventories. The Archdeaconry of Sudbury covered the whole of the old County of West Suffolk together with the thirteen Cambridgeshire parishes, which formed the Deanery of Fordham. The archdeaconry of Sudbury formed part of the diocese of Norwich.

Key to References

Abbreviations