Wills I have transcribed for my own research, from a variety of sources for testators from Essex, Suffolk and elsewhere.
Some wills have been transcribed in full, whereas others are a paraphrased transcription. If they are paraphrased, they contain the names of all those mentioned in the will, with the gist of what they were (or were not!) bequeathed, but to find the full details, such as the names of property, requests as to how they were to be buried etc., please contact the relevant archive.
Many wills held at the Essex Record Office and the record offices in Suffolk have been digitised and can be viewed online for a fee. Prerogative Court of Canterbury (PCC) wills are available online from The National Archives for a fee, and on Ancestry as part of certain subscription packages. London Metropolitan Archive wills are also on Ancestry. Some Suffolk wills are held at the Norfolk Record Office – their wills haven’t been digitised but you can request photocopies or digital photographs of them.
See also:
- printed books of Essex and Suffolk wills
- NCC (Consistory Court of Norwich) wills, which include many testators from Suffolk, are available online for free at FamilySearch. I have produced an index by will register name so that you can navigate them more easily.
Places covered
Essex
- Alefounder, Allen, Alston, Allston, Arthy
- Bacon, Balls, Barker, Bearman, Blyth, Budds, Bull, Burrough, Burton, Butter
- Cardinall, Carrington, Chaplin, Clarke, Clarkson, Cole, Constable, Coo
- Daniell, Day, Derehaugh, Dyer
- Edwards
- Fisher
- Gardiner, Gilberd, Gilbert, Gill, Godwin alias Gorden, Goldingham, Gurdon
- Haven, Higham, Hill
- Jaggard, Josselyn
- Kendall
- Maddock, Maffen, Mannock, Maynard, Mordant, Motham, Munt
- Lappage
- Newcomb, Nichols, Nicholson, Nunn
- Parrish
- Quilter
- Sage, Slann, Smith, Sorrell, Starlinge
- Tendring, Tiffin, Turner
- Wade, Whiting, Whitley, Wiles, Winch, Wright
Suffolk
- Aldous, Alefounder, Arthy/Arthey
- Barker, Borough/Burrowe, Bowes, Branston
- Cardinall, Chapman alias Barker, Clarke, Coale/Cole, Coleman, Cracherode, Cutler
- Day, Derehaugh
- Filby
- Gardener, Garrard, Gosnold, Grithe
- Hedge, Hill, Howes
- Kemball, Kemble, Kimble
- Lott
- Maddocke, Maltyward, Mannock, Martin
- Nunn, Nutton
- Rolfe, Rous
- Smyth, Stutton
- Vesey
- Walton, Wyard