Books & Articles

Published articles

Genealogists' Magazine Vol.33 No.11
​CITY OF CANTERBURY CONSOLIDATED PROBATE INDEX
by David Wright, MA, PhD, FSA, FSG, FHG
This article is based on the gradual construction of a consolidated probate index for the city of Canterbury and its seventeen parishes and various extra-parochial places both within and without the walls which comprise the modern conurbation. The cathedral city of England’s oldest diocese (which comprised the eastern two-thirds of the ancient county) lay some fifty-five miles from London and was directly accessible from the capital along the Roman Watling Street. Three separate probate courts had jurisdiction over the city and diocese: overriding all others was the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, latterly housed at Doctor’s Commons, St Benet Paul’s Wharf, in the City of London.
The index currently includes these entries for the City of Canterbury:

Prerogative Court of Canterbury
wills 1383-1858 and administrations 1559-1660 and 1853-1858

Archdeaconry Court of Canterbury
wills and administrations 1731-1858

Consistory Court of Canterbury 
wills and administrations 1720-1858

All original entries have been examined to gain the maximum details about each individual which are frequently not shown elsewhere. You may now for example extract all people living in one parish or perhaps all the members of the city's almshouses or silkweaving industry. All the PCC entries are available at The National Archives; the two local courts at Canterbury Cathedral Archives.
The Society of Genealogists, September 2021

Writer & Author

I've written four books and many articles for numerous magazines.  The most recent book is Tracing Your Kent Ancestors - A Guide For Local and Family Historians.