Woolland

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). However, since the PCC enjoyed a reputation for greater efficiency than other courts, the wills of the moderately wealthy began to be proved there to. 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 Woolland 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.

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

BROOK John, Woollen 1720

GALPIN Benjamin, Woolland A. 1729

JEANES Henry, Wooland A. 1726

JEANES alias SADLER Henry, Wooland Inv 1726

ROGERS Thomas, Woolland 1740

UPWARD Thomas, Woolland A. 1726

(B) Archdeaconry Court of the late Diocese of Bristol 1568 – 1792 (Wills)

BASTARD William, Wooland 25 1711

BASTEED John, Woolland 96 1748

COBB William, Wooland 67 1661

HAMES Daniel, Woolland 83 1764

MEAGER William, Woolland 55 1749

SHEAF Sampson, Wooland 72 1750

UPWARD Thomas, Woolland 103 1741

UPWARD John, Woolland 46 1757

UPWARD Mary, Woolland 76 1759

 

(C) Archdeaconry Court of the late Diocese of Bristol 1660 – 1792

JOHNSON John, Woolland 32 1759

MEAGER John, Woolland 46 1745

MULLETT Thomas, Woolland 10 1788

UPWARD Thomas, Wooland 46 1762
 

TABLE III. Wills & Administrations proved in the Peculiar of Milton Abbas

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