The Probate Office and its predecessor, the Principal Probate Registry
From the Norman invasion in the 12th century until 1858, church authorities in Ireland were responsible for the administration of all testamentary matters. In the aftermath of the Reformation in the 16th century, testamentary jurisdiction came within the province of the Church of Ireland, the established State church. The Probate Act of 1857 brought testamentary matters under the jurisdiction of the High Court through the establishment of the Principal Probate Registry as an office of the High Court and it commenced operation in 1858. The Principal Probate Registry subsequently became the Probate Office.
The business of the office is concerned only with the non-contentious probate jurisdiction of the High Court and its main functions are of admission of wills to proof; the issuing of grants of representation (i.e. grants of probate and of administration); the maintenance and preservation of probate records; making available probate records inspection; the provision of certified copies of probate documents and the processing of court applications to the Probate Judge, including filing and issuing of citations, caveats, subpoenas and court motions, and the issuing of court orders made pursuant to the Rules of Court.
(Right) Bond to administer the estate of Michael Collins, Commander-in-Chief of the National Army, dated 21 September 1922 - please double-click to enlarge.
When a person makes a will, he or she sets out his or her intentions in relation to certain matters, usually the disposition or administration of his or her property after death. The person making the will, called the testator (or testatrix if female), sets out his or her intentions in relation to certain matters, usually the disposition of his or her property on death. The testator also names an executor, who must undertake to administer the estate of the deceased person and to exhibit a true inventory of the estate.
District Probate Registries located outside Dublin under the control of County Registrars with authority to issue grants of representation where the deceased at the time of his/her death had a fixed place of abode within the area of jurisdiction of the District Registry. Like the Principal Probate Registry, these commenced operation in 1858. While eleven district registries were established in 1858, the number has fluctuated over the years as registries in different locations were established and others closed.
Under the Public Records (Ireland) Act, 1867, the Principal Probate Registry and its district probate registries were obliged to transfer their records to the Public Record Office of Ireland once they were twenty years old or more.
Testamentary Index from 1983
Testamentary records held by the National Archives from 1983 can be searched on our website and include the following:
| Probate Office, Dublin | 1983 – 1985 |
Castlebar District Probate Office |
1983 – 1986 |
| Cavan District Probate Office | 1983 – 1985 |
| Clonmel District Probate Office | 1983 – 1987 |
| Cork District Probate Office | 1983 – 1987 |
| Dundalk District Probate Office | 1983 – 1986 |
| Galway District Probate Office | 1983 – 1985 |
| Kilkenny District Probate Office | 1983 – 1985 |
| Letterkenny (Lifford) District Probate Office |
1983 – 1987 |
| Limerick District Probate Office | 1983 |
| Mullingar District Probate Office | 1983 – 1986 |
| Sligo District Probate Office | 1983 – 1986 |
| Tralee District Probate Office | 1983 – 1986 |
| Waterford District Probate Office | 1983 – 1986 |
| Wexford District Probate Office | 1983 – 1986 |