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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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