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The Blaker Society © Chichester Consistory: above which was the Prerogative Court of
BLAKER WILLS
Canterbury.
The Prerogative Court of Canterbury had overarching jurisdiction
over the province of Canterbury, i.e. all the kingdom of England except
the northern province of York. Because the prerogative court actually did
business in London, despite the fact that there was a mosaic of minor
probate jurisdictions in London and Middlesex, and exercised by the City
of London, in practice most London and home counties wills were proved
there. Certainly, any wills relating to property in more than one diocese,
or London, or overseas, would be dealt with by the prerogative court.
During the Commonwealth all the ecclesiastical probate courts
were abolished and replaced by a single principal probate registry. On the
Restoration the records of this civil probate registry were assimilated into
those of the revived Prerogative Court of Canterbury.
Peculiars
For various historical reasons there were exempt areas, usually
single parishes, in ‘peculiar’ probate jurisdictions. There were four such
peculiars in Sussex:
A. The Archbishop of Canterbury’s Exempt Deanery of South Malling:
covering the parishes of Edburton, Lindfield, Buxted, Framfield, Isfield,
Uckfield, Mayfield, Wadhurst, Glynde, Ringmer, St Thomas at Cliffe,
South Malling and Stanmer
B. The Peculiar of Battle (Bellum): covering Battle parish
C. The Peculiar of Chichester: covering most of Chichester, New
Fishbourne and Rumboldswyke
D. The Archbishop of Canterbury’s Exempt Deanery of Pagham and
Tarring, comprising the parishes of Durrington, Heene, Patching, part of
Horsham, West Tarring, East Lavant, Pagham, Slindon, South Bersted,
Tangmere and the parish of All Saints (the Pallant) in Chichester.
By and large, the survival of probate records from the peculiars is
not as good as that from the archdeaconry, consistory and prerogative
courts.
The division between Chichester and Lewes archdeaconries was
similar to but not the same as the modern division between West Sussex
and East Sussex respectively. The ancient centre of Blaker settlement —
around Cuckfield — is in the east of the county, and well within Lewes
archdeaconry. However, the western Blaker area, in Bramber and Lewes
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