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.
I. 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 JACKSON Will of Rose Jackson, Widow of Stoke Wake, Dorset 13 November 1707 PROB 11/497 MORE Will of Richard More of Stoke Wake, Dorset 16 March 1543 PROB 11/29 MOORE Will of William Moore, Gentleman of Stoke Wake, Dorset 15 May 1602 PROB 11/99 MULLETT Will of Thomas Mullett, Tanner of Stoke Wake, Dorset 19 February 1726 PROB 11/607 SEYMER Will of Agnes Seymer, Widow of Stoke Wake, Dorset 4 October 1623 PROB 11/142 WARRE Will of Peter Warre, Clerk of Stoke Wake, Dorset 16 January 1615 PROB 11/125 WARREN Will of Solomon Warren, Yeoman of Stoke Wake, Dorset 23 March 1847 PROB 11/2053
II. WILLS PROVED IN BRISTOL DIOCESAN COURTS 1568-1792 (now held at Blandford)
a) Consistory Court of the late Diocese of Bristol 1681 - 1792LIDFORD, James, Stoke Wake 1703 LIDFORD, James, Stoke Wake Codicil & Inventory 1707 LOVETT, Thomas, Stoke Wake Adminstration 1716 MULLETT, Thomas senior, Stoke Wake 1708 STUDLEY, Thomas, Stoke Wake Inventory 1745 TURNER, John, Stoke Wake 1696b) Archdeaconry Court of the late Diocese of Bristol 1568 - 1792 (Wills)CLEEVES, Swithin, Stoake Wake 47 1723 MULLETT, Margaret, Stoke Wake 37 1732 MYLETT, Thomas senior, Stoke Wake 35 1709 ROLES, Richard senior, Stoke Wake 42 1691 SKINNER, Thomas, Stoke Wake 29 1687 SKINNER, Katherine, Stoke Wake 66 1734 SKINNER, Thomas, Stoke Wake 60 1755 SKINNER, Mary, spinster, Stoke Wake 65 1767 SKINNER, John, Stoke Wake 58 1768 SKINNER, Henry, Stoke Wake 67 1769 UPWARD, Richard, Stoke Wake 58 1737c) Archdeaconry Court of the late Diocese of Bristol 1660 – 1792 (Administrations)GALPIN, Edward, Stoke Wake 63 1687 MULLETT, Thomas (see Will), Stoke Wake 35 1709 MULLETT, Mary, Stoke Wake 40 1731 SEYMOUR, Henry. Stoke Wake 12 1705 SKINNER, Susannah, Stoke Wake 33 1733 TURNER, George, Stoke Wake 73 1690