In the history of the

courts of England and Wales The courts of England and Wales, supported administratively by His Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service, are the civil and criminal courts responsible for the administration of justice in England and Wales. The United Kingdom does not have a ...

, the Court of Probate was created by the

Court of Probate Act 1857 The Court of Probate Act 1857 (20 & 21 Vict. c. 77) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It transferred responsibility for the granting of probate, and letters of administration, from the ecclesiastical courts of England and Wal ...

, which transferred the

jurisdiction Jurisdiction (from Latin 'law' + 'declaration') is the legal term for the legal authority granted to a legal entity to enact justice. In federations like the United States, areas of jurisdiction apply to local, state, and federal levels. Jur ...

of the

ecclesiastical courts An ecclesiastical court, also called court Christian or court spiritual, is any of certain courts having jurisdiction mainly in spiritual or religious matters. In the Middle Ages, these courts had much wider powers in many areas of Europe than be ...

in testamentary matters to the new court so created. The Judge of the Court of Probate also presided over the

Court for Divorce and Matrimonial Causes In the history of the courts of England and Wales, the Court for Divorce and Matrimonial Causes was created by the Matrimonial Causes Act 1857, which transferred the jurisdiction of the ecclesiastical courts in matters matrimonial to the new cou ...

, but the two courts remained separate entities. On 1 November 1875, under the

Supreme Court of Judicature Act 1873 The Supreme Court of Judicature Act 1873 (sometimes known as the Judicature Act 1873) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom in 1873. It reorganised the English court system to establish the High Court and the Court of Appeal, and ...

and the

Supreme Court of Judicature Act 1875 In the history of the courts of England and Wales, the Judicature Acts were a series of Acts of Parliament, beginning in the 1870s, which aimed to fuse the hitherto split system of courts of England and Wales. The first two Acts were the Supre ...

, the Judge of the Court of Probate was transferred, as its

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

, to the

Probate, Divorce and Admiralty Division The High Court of Justice in London, known properly as His Majesty's High Court of Justice in England, together with the Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, are the Senior Courts of England and Wales. Its name is abbreviated as EWHC (England ...

of the

High Court of Justice The High Court of Justice in London, known properly as His Majesty's High Court of Justice in England, together with the Court of Appeal of England and Wales, Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, are the Courts of England and Wales, Senior Cou ...

Judges of the Court of Probate

* 6 January 1858: Sir Cresswell Cresswell * 26 August 1863: Sir James Plaisted Wilde (from 6 April 1869, Lord Penzance) * 14 November 1872:

Sir James Hannen James Hannen, Baron Hannen, PC, FRS (19 March 1821 – 29 March 1894) was an English barrister and judge. Biography Son of a London merchant, he was born at Peckham. He was educated at St Paul's School and at Heidelberg University, which wa ...

References

* * * * * Swabey and Tristram's Reports ** ** ** ** * Courts and tribunals established in 1857 1875 disestablishments in England Former courts and tribunals in England and Wales 1857 establishments in the United Kingdom Probate courts Courts and tribunals disestablished in 1875 {{UK-law-stub