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Wiltshire

Wills at Salisbury, 1464-1858

British Record Society Volumes 122 & 123

Published 2009

Read the Original Introduction from BRS Volumes 122 & 123.

Locating the original documents

Where are the originals held?

The original wills are held at Wiltshire and Swindon Archives. This British Record Society (BRS) index was produced as part of the Wiltshire Wills Project, being a collaboration between Wiltshire and Swindon Archives and the BRS.

Wiltshire and Swindon Archives are now making available copies of all of these wills to purchase online but please note that this is an ongoing process so not all of the wills are yet available online. The reference provided here is the same full reference as required by the Archives to locate an image in the online catalogue. Where an image is not yet available online please contact Wiltshire and Swindon Archives by e-mail, phone, fax or letter complete with full details including references.

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

  • Testator's name
  • Abode
  • Year
  • References

About the index

This is index to the various courts of the Diocese of Salisbury.

The main courts were:

  • Bishop's Consistory Court
  • The two Archdeaconry courts (the Archdeaconry of Wiltshire in the north; the Archdeaconry of Sarum in the south of the county)
  • The Sub-Dean's Court covering Salisbury and Stratford sub Castle, and the Dean's Court.
  • Additionally, there were several small jurisdictions covering either a single parish or group of parishes, attached to various lay or clerical dignitaries.

As a result, there are records for 29 different jurisdictions at Wiltshire and Swindon Archives, covering the whole of Wiltshire, parts of Dorset, Hampshire and Berkshire and the Devon parish of Uffculme.

What does the index include?

All names and places appearing in the will plus incidental information such as occupation where found in the original documents are included in the index.

Names are arranged alphabetically. This means some name variants may not appear clustered together. Names in the index are according to the spelling used in the documents, usually based on the signaturee of the testator.

Dates of pre 1752 wills are given in 'Old Style' or Julian Calendar.

Abbreviations in the index

Abbreviation  

Meaning

A

AB

administration bond

a/c

account

admon

administration

aff

affidavit

alleg

allegation

All C.

All Cannings

Alton B.

Alton Barnes

Alton P.

Alton Pancras

Alton Pr.

Alton Priors

Amesb.

Amesbury

And.

Andrew

Anth.

Anthony

Ashton G.

Ashton Giffard

Ashton K.

Ashton Keynes

Aston U.

Aston Upthorpe

B

Barford St M.

Barford St Martin

Beam.

Beaminster

Benj.

Benjamin

Bere R.

Bere Regis

Berks.

Berkshire

Berwick B.

Berwick Bassett

Bower C.

Bower Chalke

Bps. C.

Bishops Cannings

Bradford A.

Bradford on Avon

Brinkw.

Brinkworth

Brixton D.

Brixton Deverill

Broad B.

Broad Blunsdon

Broad C.

Broad Chalke

Broad H.

Broad Hinton

Brokenb.

Brokenborough

Broughlon G.

Broughton Gilford

Bulk.

Bulkington

C

Calstone W.

Calstone Wellington

Castle C.

Castle Combe

Cath.

Catherine

Chards.

Chardstock

Charl. nr. P.

Charlton near Pewsey

Chas.

Charles

Chilton F.

Chilton Foliat

Chipp.

Chippenham

Chitterne AS

Chitterne All Saints

Chris.

Christopher

Chr. M.

Christian Malford

clothw.

clothworker

Clyffe P.

Clyffe Pypard

Codf.

Codford

Collingboume D.

Collingbourne Ducis

Collingboume K.

Collingbourne Kingston

Compton B.

Compton Bassett

Compton C.

Compton Chamberlayne

Coombe B.

Coombe Bissett

Crick.

Cricklade

Crick. St S.

Cricklade St Sampson

D

D

deposition

Dan.

Daniel

Dilton M.

Dilton Marsh

Donhead St A.

Donhead St Andrew

Draycot C.

Draycot Cerne

E

E.

East

Edmd.

Edmund

Edwd.

Edward

Eliz.

Elizabeth

F

Figh.

Figheldean

Fisherton A.

Fisherton Anger

Fisherton D.

Fisherton Delamere

Fonthill B.

Fonthill Bishop

Fonthili G.

Fonthill Gifford

Fugg.

Fugglestone

G

Geo.

George

Geoff.

Geoffrey

Gilbt.

Gilbert

Grn

Green

Gt.

Great

GVD

Granted at the Metropolitan Visitation to Dorchester

GVS

Granted at the Metropolitan Visitation to Salisbury

H

Hampstead N.

Hampstead Norris

Hanging L.

Hanging Langford

Hants.

Hampshire

Heyles.

Heylesbury

Highworth

Highw.

Hill D.

Hill Deverill

Hilp.

Hilperton

Hy.

Henry

I

I

inventory

inty

interrogatory

J

Jas.

James

Jn.

John

Jos.

Joseph

K

Kingston D.

Kingston Deverill

Kington L.

Kington Langley

Kington St M.

Kington St Michael

L

L

letter

LA

letters of admon

Lawr.

Lawrence

Littleton P.

Littleton Pannell

Lt.

Little

Longbridge D.

Longbridge Deverill

Ludg.

Ludgershall

Lydiard M.

Lydiard Millicent

Lydiard T.

Lydiard Tregoze

Lyme R.

Lyme Regis

M

Maiden B

Maiden Bradley

Malm.

Malmesbury

Manningford A.

Manningford Abbots

Marl.

Marlborough

Mart.

Martin

Melk.

Melksham

Mgt.

Margaret

Milton L.

Milton Lilborne

Mkt. L.

Market Lavington

Monkton D.

Monkton Deverill

Monkton F.

Monkton Farleigh

Motc.

Motcombe

My.

Mary

N

N.

North

NBI

Place suggested by National Burial Index

NEP

No evidence of probate

Netherb.

Netherbury

Nether C.

Nether Compton

Netherh.

Netherhampton

Newton T.

Newton Tony

Nich.

Nicholas

Norton B.

Norton Bavant

nr

near

NW

nuncupative will

O

O

oath

Ogbourne St A.

Ogbourne St Andrew

Over C.

Over Compton

P

PCC

Prerogative Court of Canterbury

Pott.

Potterne

Q

Quidh.

Quidhampton

R

Rams.

Ramsbury

Rd.

Richard

ren

renunciation

req

requisition

Robt.

Robert

Rodbourne C.

Rodbourne Cheney

Ryme I.

Ryme Intrinsica

S

S.

South

Sal.

Salisbury

Sam.

Samuel

Sherb.

Sherborne

Somerford K.

Somerford Keynes

Stanton St B.

Stanton St Bernard

Stanton St Q.

Stanton St Quintin

Steeple A.

Steeple Ashlon

Steeple L.

Steeple Langford

Steph.

Stephen

Stoke F.

Stoke Farthing

Stratfield M.

Stratfield Mortimer

Stratford sub C.

Stratford sub Castle

Sutton B.

Sutton Benger

Sutton C.

Sutton Courtenay

Sutton M.

Sutton Mandeville

Sutton V.

Sutton Veny

T

T

tuition bond

Teffont E.

Teffont Evias

Teffont M.

Teffont Magna

Thos.

Thomas

Tilsh.

Tilshead

Tinh.

Tinhead

Tisb.

Tisbury

Trowb.

Trowbridge

Tytherton L.

Tytherton Lucas

U

Uffc.

Uffculme

Upton L.

Upton Lovell

Upton S.

Upton Scudamore

Urchf.

Urchfont

V

vict.

victualler

W

W

will

W.

West

Wanb.

Wanborough

Warm

Warminster

Wedh.

Wedhampton

Westb.

Westbury

Westb. L.

Westbury Leigh

Whitep.

Whiteparish

Winterborne K.

Winterborne Kingston

Winterborne M.

Winterborne Muston

Winterbourne D.

Winterbourne Dauntsey

Winterbourne E.

Winterbourne Earls

Winterbourne G.

Winterbourne Gunner

Winterbourne M.

Winterbourne Monkton

Winterbourne S.

Winterbourne Stoke

Wm.

William

Wokm.

Wokingham

Woodb.

Woodborough

Wootton B.

Wootton Bassett

Wootton R.

Wootton Rivers

Wr

wrapper

Wrou.

Wroughton

Y

Yetm.

Yetminster