Catalogue description DIOCESE OF NORWICH, PROBATE INVENTORIES

INDEX OF BOXES

Year Exhibited Box No. of Inventories

1553/83 DN/INV1 23

1584 DN/INV2 225

1584 Cons.O.W. 1583(2)

1585/86 No inventories surviving

1587 DN/INV3 143

1588 DN/INV4 172

1589 DN/INV5 212

1590 DN/INV6 & DN/INV7 253

1591 DN/INV8 274

1592 DN/INV9 308

1593 DN/INV10 317

1594 DN/INV11 50

1595 DN/INV12 234

1596 DN/INV13 93

1597 DN/INV14 246

1598 DN/INV15 213

1599 DN/INV16 195

1600 No inventories surviving

1601 DN/INV17 204

1602 DN/INV18 238

1603 DN/INV19 204

1604 No inventories surviving

1605 DN/INV20 66

1606 DN/INV21 195

1607 DN/INV21 1

1608 DN/INV22 135

1609 No inventories surviving

1610 DN/INV23 202

1611 DN/INV24 342

1612 DN/INV25 60

1613 DN/INV26 259

1614 DN/INV27 196

1615; 1616 DN/INV27 181

1617 DN/INV28 174

1618 DN/INV29 298

1619 DN/INV30 236

1620 No inventories surviving

1621 DN/INV31 123

1622; 1623; 1624 No inventories surviving, but see DN/INV26/93

1625 DN/INV32 262

1626 DN/INV33 330

1627 No inventories surviving

1628 DN/INV34 (& see DN/INV54) 181

1629 DN/INV35 248

1630 DN/INV36 282

1631 DN/INV37 (& see DN/INV54) 232

1632 DN/INV38 (& see DN/INV54) 111

1633 DN/INV39 (& see DN/INV54) 290

1634 DN/INV40 (& see DN/INV54) 199

1635 DN/INV41 (& see DN/INV54) 205

1636 DN/INV42 (& see DN/INV54) 197

1637 DN/INV43 & see DN/INV54& 55 172

1638 DN/INV44 (& see DN/INV54) 212

1639 DN/INV45 274

Total of inventories 5662

1640 DN/INV46 (and see DN/INV55) 194

1641 No inventories surviving

1642 DN/INV47 (and see DN/INV55) 179

1643 No inventories surviving

1644 See DN/INV55

1645 No inventories surviving

1646 DN/INV47 130

1647 DN/INV48 (and see DN/INV55) 153

1648 See DN/INV55

1649 See DN/INV55

1650 DN/INV49 81

1651 DN/INV49 35

1652 DN/INV49 (and see DN/INV55) 6

1653 No inventories surviving

1654 No inventories surviving

1655 No inventories surviving

1656 See DN/INV55

1657 See DN/INV54 and DN/INV55

1658 See DN/INV54 and DN/INV61

1659 See DN/INV54 and DN/INV61

1660 See DN/INV54 and DN/INV61

1661 DN/INV49 (and see DN/INV54, DN/INV55 and DN/INV61) 19

1662 DN/INV50 (and see DN/INV54, DN/INV55 and DN/INV61) 129

1663 DN/INV50 (and see DN/INV54 and DN/INV55) 137

1664 DN/INV50 and DN/INV51 (and see DN/INV54 and 55) 64

1665 DN/INV51 (and see DN/INV55 and DN/INV61) 104

1666 DN/INV52 (and see DN/INV54, DN/INV55 and DN/INV61) 105

1667 DN/INV52 (and see DN/INV54, DN/INV55 and DN/INV61) 124

1668 DN/INV53 (and see DN/INV54, DN/INV55 and DN/INV61) 98

1669 DN/INV53 (and see DN/INV54, DN/INV55 and DN/INV61) 141

1628-1668 DN/INV54 129

1637-1668 DN/INV55 148

1670 DN/INV56 (and see DN/INV61) 142

1671 DN/INV57 (and see DN/INV61) 91

1672 DN/INV57 (and see DN/INV61) 61

1673 DN/INV58 (and see DN/INV61) 76

1674 DN/INV58 (and see DN/INV61) 89

1675 DN/INV59 (and see DN/INV61) 79

1676 DN/INV59 (and see DN/INV61) 86

1677 DN/INV60 (and see DN/INV61) 172

1678 DN/INV60 (and see DN/INV61) 127

1662-1678 DN/INV61 65

1679 DN/INV61 92

1680 DN/INV61 88

1681 DN/INV62 104

1682 DN/INV62 62

1683 DN/INV63 69

1684 DN/INV63 50

1685 DN/INV63 57

1686 DN/INV64 119

1687 DN/INV64 50

Total Inventories 3635

1688 DN/INV65 90

1689 DN/INV65 90

1690 DN/INV65 102

1691 DN/INV65 102

1692 DN/INV66

1693 DN/INV66 143

1694 DN/INV67 113

1695 DN/INV67 113

1696 DN/INV67 113

1697 DN/INV67 103

1698 DN/INV67 103

1699 DN/INV68 74

1700 DN/INV68 82

1701 DN/INV68 82

1701 - 1721 DN/INV69 (D). pp. 214-16 55

1702 DN/INV68 51

1703 DN/INV86

1704 DN/INV69 and DN/INV86 1

1705 - 1707 DN/INV86 and 87

1708 - 1709 DN/INV69 20

1709 - 1710 DN/INV70: see also DN/INV69 275

1710 DN/INV71/72 403

1711 DN/INV71/72 403

1712 DN/INV71/72 403

1713 DN/INV71/72 403

1714 DN/INV71/72 403

1715 DN/INV71/72 1

1716 DN/INV73

1717 DN/INV73 246

1718 DN/INV74

1719 DN/INV74 322

1720 DN/INV74

1721 DN/INV74

1722 DN/INV75 83

1723 DN/INV75 153

1724 DN/INV76 68

1725 DN/INV76 120

1726 DN/INV76 76

1727 DN/INV77 87

1728 DN/INV77 96

1729 DN/INV78 173

1730 DN/INV78 79

1731 DN/INV79 47

1732 DN/INV79 48

1733 DN/INV79 25

1734 DN/INV79 28

1735 DN/INV79 57

1736 DN/INV80 46

1737 DN/INV80 30

1738 DN/INV80 37

1739 DN/INV80 22

1740 DN/INV80 38

1741 DN/INV81 31

1742 DN/INV81 26

1742 - 1763 DN/INV81 98

1742 - 1763 DN/INV82 162

1763 - 1787 DN/INV83 107

1788 - 1849 DN/INV84 53

Unidentified undated or fragmentary DN/INV85 not listed

Total 13168 excluding those in DN/INV86 and DN/INV87

FOREWORD BY THOMAS F. BARTON

A short explanation of the work done in preserving the inventories and preparing these lists may be helpful.

1553-1603

The system originally adopted in the Registry was to start a new file for the inventories exhibited in each ecclesiastical year (commencing 26th March). The file was begun with a quantity of blank sheets used for preparing an alphabetical index as the file grew and held together by a tag or thong: behind these were placed the inventories, which were given a consecutive number as they were exhibited. Each inventory bears (or should bear) a short endorsement showing when and by whom it was exhibited. These endorsements are in Latin, always abbreviated, and often very brief. While the full endorsement is never found at length, all endorsements take their origin from some such formula as follows, though they may not include all the information: -

Exhibitum fuit huiusmodi Inventarium = die

mensis = Anno Domini = stilo Anglicano in registrum

Curie Consistorialis Episcopalis Norwicensis per

A B

executorem testamenti ultimi

administratorem bonorum iurium et creditorum in nomine

procuratorio X Y executoris etc. administratoris etc.

C D defuncti pro vero et pleno

Inventario emnium et singulorum bonorum iurium et creditorum que ad manus dicti executoris/administratoris pervenerunt sub protestacone de addendo alia bona iura et credita que imposterum ad manus dicti executoris/administratoris pervenerint quod si etc.

The inventory is usually signed at the foot by some or all of the apprizers and also in some instances by the person exhibiting it.

In the course of time many bundles had become dispersed owing to the breaking of the thongs and many individual inventories had become so fragile that it was impossible to refer to them on the original file without damage to them or to other inventories on the file.

Accordingly all loose inventories and broken files were first sorted and boxed by the year of exhibition. Next the original file was reconstituted so far as possible by the use of the original indexes where available, the original numbering and the notes of the dates of exhibition. This was remarkably successful and very few inventories remained unplaced, mostly where the heading, which contains the name of the deceased, was missing. Finally in order to prevent further damage to the individual inventories they were removed from the original files individually folded and tied in bundles of 50 following the procedure instituted by Mr. F. W. Steer F.S.A. who had previously dealt with several bundles. The original numbering and arrangement has been preserved and some original files which were in good condition have been left untouched to show the original system. A small amount of repair work has also been done.

In preparing the lists the spelling of the surname as given in the heading of the inventory has throughout been preserved but Christian names and place names have mostly been modernised. There may be up to four variants of the surname: in the heading; in the endorsement; in the personal representative's signature; and finally in the index.

The references in brackets after the entry of an inventory eg. (12 Knightes) are to the will in the appropriate register of wills proved in the Norwich Consistory Court. These references have been furnished by inspection of the Will Indexes printed by the Norfolk Record Society and not from the original documents; they are therefore in some cases conjectural owing to differences in spelling. The absence of a will reference is not conclusive that there is no corresponding will: the entry of the will may not have been recognised under a different spelling. Clearly however there will not be a will for every inventory since many were exhibited on the death of the deceased intestate. Where the information in the will index supplements that given on the inventory e.g. in stating the occupation or identifying the place more precisely the addtional information is included in these lists but where the two conflict the information derived form the inventory is given precedence.

The first volume of lists has been taken down to 1603 to correspond with the volume of Will Indexes which ends at the same point.

Many inventories have previously been listed by other workers - Mr. F. W. Steer, Rev. J. F. Williams and Mr. Ryden Harris, to name the principal ones. Their lists have again been checked in preparing these lists: for any errors therefore - and errors are inevitable in a task of this magnitude - I am responsible.

1604-1639

There appears to have been no change in the practice in the Registry in the period 1604-1639, though the endorsements stating when the inventories were exhibited are less detailed and at times omitted. References will be found in the list of boxes to boxes DN/INV54 and DN/INV55; these contain bundles of inventories of mixed years.

Again these lists incorporate the results of previous workers in this field and those results have again been checked by me.

1640 - 1687

There are three boxes DN/INV54, DN/INV55 and DN/INV61, which contain inventories of mixed years. However, the bundles have been endorsed as if they were normal yearly bundles. Some of the inventories in these bundles are duplicates of those appearing in the normal bundles and these mixed bundles need more examination in order to discover precisely why they were formed.

In the lists of the contents of these boxes the year of exhibition is stated against each inventory unless the entry also refers to the original will and the inventory was exhibited in the year of probate. If the date of exhibition is not endorsed the date given is the date of the inventory. Endorsements of the date of exhibition are much more sketchy than in earlier years, particularly in the middle of the period covered by this volume.

This volume includes the latest lists in point of date made by other workers and I have checked their work before including it.

1688-1849

This completes the listing of inventories filed as such in the Diocesan Archives. There are others among the Court files in later years though not many.

They have been listed in the same manner as in previous years but as the Wills have not been indexed, references to them have for the most part had to be omitted.

The attribution of the County i.e. Norfolk, Suffolk or at times Cambridgeshire in general follows that given in the Inventory but is often patently wrong.

It is my only regret that I could not produce alphabetical lists but the work involved would be beyond accomplishment in the time I could give to it.

All items are available on microfilm

Church of England, Diocese of Norwich, Norfolk

DN/INV69D was received by Norfolk Record Record office in 1963. All other files were received on an unknown date.

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