PARRY Family History

Probate Indexes in the National Library of Wales

This page contains listings of some probate records proved in the Courts of Brecon and Llandaf for the names Parry, Harry and their variants.

The listings are taken from LDS film numbers 1788460 Items 2-4 (Brecon Probate Index, 1660-1857), 1788480 Item 3 (Nansi Jones, "Archdeaconry of Brecon Probate Records. Vol. 1"), 1788460 Items 7-8 and 1788465 Items 1-2 (Llandaf Probate Index, up to 1857). The films are of original records held in the National Library of Wales and the details are included here with their permission. No guarantee can be given as to the completeness or accuracy of my listings and you are advised to check the original records for yourself.

Please note that Harry and variants have not been transcribed for the period 1753-1857 from the Brecon records.

The Lists

• Brecon Pre-1660 - because of the more common occurrence of patronymic names in this section, the names have been listed in first name order, along with the relevant page number from the original source.
• Brecon 1660-1857 - listed alphabetically by surname*, then first name.
• Llandaf Pre-1858 - listed alphabetically by surname*, then first name.

Notes on the names

Please note that I am not actively researching the HARRY surname, or its variants. The reason for the inclusion of those names here is that the surname PARRY is a patronymic surname. This means that it was derived from the Welsh naming system in which people were referred to by their father's name, ie as "son of Harry" which in Welsh was "Ap Harry". In the process of the surnames becoming fixed, descendants of some of these "Harry"s might therefore have become "Parry" families.

However, I have not recorded any of the other surnames where a first name of "Harry" occurred, so a full examination of the patronymic system would require the extraction of those records as well, since children of these individuals might then have been referred to as "son of Harry".

Neither have I recorded entries relating to the names "Henry" or "Penry", but since Harry and Henry were often used interchangeably, these could prove to be relevant for some families.

Although final names have been capitalised, given the nature of the patronymic system, these should not necessarily be treated as surnames in the usual sense.

For more details on surnames in Wales, see work by John & Sheila Rowlands.

Notes on the records

In 1858 the Principal Probate Registry took over the proving of Wills and Administrations, and a national index has been produced since that date. However, prior to 1858, Wills were proved in a variety of Church Courts. I would suggest that you read about these Church Courts for yourself, since it is not always easy to determine where a Will might have been proved. Suggested starting points are the Public Record Office Leaflets and the National Library of Wales.

As a rough guide with regard to the information shown here, the Brecon Index includes Brecon and most of Radnor, plus some parishes in the counties of Monmouth, Montgomery, and Hereford, whilst the Llandaf Index includes all of Monmouthshire, and part of Glamorgan (not the Deanery of Gower).

It was possible for Welsh Wills to be proved at the Prerogative Court of Canterbury so if you are unable to find a record here, check out the PCC Parry listing for the period up to 1810. These records, and those for between 1810 - 1857, as well as PCC Wills for all other surnames are being made available online via the PRO. The National Library of Wales is also planning to make their probate indexes available online during 2003.

In the original records, the Brecon and Llandaff Indexes are each divided into three separate date ranges (Brecon - 1660-1699, 1700-1749, 1750-1857, Llandaf - 1568-1699, 1700-1752, 1753-1857). The Brecon Pre-1660 Index is divided into two date sections, pre-1600, and 1600-1660, both of which are then subdivided into a surname index and a patronymic index.

Brecon Pre-1660

Brecon 1660-1857

Llandaf 1568-1857