(UPP)

UFFCULME - A PECULIAR PARISH

Transcribed by Mary Fraser

Historical background and the Source (UPP)

In 1997 the Uffculme Archive Group published a book entitled Uffculme, a Peculiar Parish, the source for our set of UPP source items. It was edited by Peter Wyatt and Robin Stanes. Its companion volume, The Uffculme Wills and Inventories, was published by the Devon and Cornwall Record Society in the same year (see UFWI). As is stated in the introduction to the UFWI source, wills and administrations and inventories of people who lived in Uffculme have survived due to the fact that the parish, though in Devon, fell under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Salisbury, the records therefore being kept in Salisbury rather than Exeter. Uffculme, a Peculiar Parish, is a detailed history of the parish, and makes reference to a great number of records. Pages 197 to 294 deal mainly with wills and inventories, virtually all the wills mentioned being proved in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury (PCC) in London, rather than in Salisbury.

DWP's editing process

All the wills shown in the book are listed in our source UPP. However, it should be noted that the wills in this source will almost certainly also be listed in our index within other sources. All those proved at the PCC should also appear with the source being shown as PROB 11. The book Uffculme, a peculiar parish also includes the transcription/abstracts of 36 Uffculme wills that were proved at Salisbury. These same 36 wills will also be found listed in both our UFWI (abstracts) set of items and our WSA (originals) items.

Locating the source and acquiring copies

Copies of PCC wills can of course be obtained online from The National Archives. However the administrations and inventories are not available online (as yet). To obtain copies of these contact The National Archives or the Wiltshire and Swindon Record Office, as appropriate. The book Uffculme, a Peculiar Parish is available in various reference libraries around the U.K. and abroad. It is no longer in print.