Kent Church Records

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Beginning Research
Record Types
Kent Background
Local Research Resources
Canterbury Cathedral - Portal Nave Cross-spire

Original Records[edit | edit source]

Records of the Church of England parishes are deposited in several record repositories in Kent. The first two in the list hold the records of the majority of parishes, and the others hold records for specific areas. Click on a repository link to go to their website and online catalogues:

Parish Registers[edit | edit source]

Images of many of Kent's parish registers are available online at findmypast and at FamilySearch:


Baptisms

Marriages

Burials

Marriage Licences[edit | edit source]

88,166 Canterbury marriage licences are indexed in Boyd's Marriage Index at Findmypast ($) covering the years 1568 to 1751.[6]

Canterbury marriage licences have been published:

Diocese of Rochester marriage allegations (1637-1639, 1715-1716, 1731-1742, 1748-1798) have been digitized, but not indexed. The images are included in the


Archives[edit | edit source]

Kent History and Library Centre
James Whatman Way
Maidstone, Kent ME14 1LQ UK

Telephone: 03000 413131
Email: historyandlibrarycentre@kent.gov.uk
Website

Kent History and Library Centre replaces the Centre for Kentish Studies, East Kent Archives, County Central and Maidstone (St Faiths Street) libraries. They house approximately 14 kilometres of documents relating to Kent dating back to 699 AD and makes these publicly accessible. Covering a vast range of subjects, the resources will be helpful whatever your interest.

For East Kent:

Canterbury Cathedral Archives
Cathedral House
11 The Precincts
Canterbury, Kent CT1 2EH UK

Telephone: 1227 865330
Email: enquiries@canterbury-cathedral.org
Website

The Archives & Library hold a huge wealth of information in the form of manuscripts, photographs, maps and other records dating back to the late 8th century. These make up an extraordinarily rich resource. In the Archives, you can find out more about the Cathedral, its history, its buildings and its community. You can explore the history of Canterbury and the surrounding area, and you can research East Kent family history.

For Greenwich, Woolwich, Eltham, Charlton, Kidbrooke once in Kent until 1885:

Royal Greenwich Heritage Trust
Charlton House
Charlton Road, London
SE7 8RE, UK

Telephone:+44 (0) 20 8856 3951
E-mail:office@rght.org.uk
Website

Our archive resources include photographs, manuscripts, records, prints, newspapers, and books. These documents cover Royal Greenwich, the former Metropolitan Boroughs of Greenwich and Woolwich, and their predecessors (Greenwich, Woolwich, Eltham, Charlton, Kidbrooke).

For Lewisham Lee, and surrounding villages once in Kent:

Lewisham Local History and Archives Centre
Lewisham Library
199 201 Lewisham High Street
Lewisham, London SE13 6LG UK

Telephone: 020 8314 8501
Email: local.studies@lewisham.gov.uk
Website

We can help you to discover the history of the borough, the history of houses in the borough (when they were built, and who lived there), the history of an area within the borough, for a school project or for general interest, your family history (ancestors in Lewisham, or general information), and local information on specific topics (for example, famous people who have lived in the borough).

In 1998, Rochester, Chatham, Gillingham and Rainham left the administrative county of Kent to form the Unitary Authority of Medway.

Medway Archives Centre
32 Bryant Road
Strood, Rochester, Kent ME2 4AU UK

Telephone: 01634 332714
Email: malsc@medway.gov.uk
Website

Medway Archives Centre is the place to visit for anyone researching their family history, or the history, geography and people of Medway. We cover Rochester, Strood, Chatham, Gillingham, Rainham, and surrounding villages and communities, including the Isle of Grain.

In 1965, the London boroughs of Bromley and Bexley were created from nine towns formerly in Kent.

Bromley Historic Collections
2nd floor Central Library
High Street
Bromley, London BR1 1EX UK

Telephone: 020 8461 7170
Email: historic.collections@bromley.gov.uk
Website

Bexley Local Studies and Archive Centre
Central Library
Townley Road
Bexleyheath, London DA6 7HJ UK

Telephone: 020 3045 3369
Email: archives@bexley.gov.uk
Website
Local history research enquiries including baptism and marriage certificates

The Bexley Local Studies and Archive Centre holds a variety of sources for local and family historians and people researching the history of a building or house. Our archives date from the 14th century and relate to every town, village and parish in Bexley.

References[edit | edit source]

  1. 'Coverage of Kent parish baptism records,' Findmypast, accessed 2 September 2013.
  2. 'Genoot Library - British Isles Vital Record Index Breakdown,' Genoot, accessed 1 September 2013.
  3. 'Boyd's Marriage Index - Parish details by county,' British Origins, (Wayback Machine) accessed 31 August 2013.
  4. 'Genoot Library - British Isles Vital Record Index Breakdown,' Genoot, accessed 1 September 2013.
  5. 'Parish Records - National Burial Index Records 1538 - 2005 Coverage', Findmypast, accessed 1 September 2013.
  6. "Boyd's Marriage Index - Parish details by county," Origins.net, accessed 13 March 2012.