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Until January 1858, all wills had to be proved by the church and other courts. The Prerogative Court of Canterbury was the most important of these courts dealing with relatively wealthy individuals living mainly in the south of England and most of Wales.The earliest registers in this collection were constituted at a later date and contain the texts of wills proved before the archbishop of Canterbury or his officials before the Prerogative Court of Canterbury came into existence. Sentences in causes heard by the Prerogative Court of Canterbury and related jurisdictions, if registered, were also registered in this collection until some time in the latter part of the eighteenth century. English is the predominant language for these documents. The usage of Latin (and to a lesser extent Norman-French) quickly declined after the early wills. By the sixteenth century Latin was no longer being used. |
