England, Kent, Manorial Documents - FamilySearch Historical Records

Image Visibility
Whenever possible, FamilySearch makes images available for all users. However, ultimate rights to view images on our website are granted by the record custodians. The England, Kent, Manorial Documents collection is available to the Family History Library, FamilySearch Centers, and to members of the supporting organization, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The images can be viewed at a FamilySearch Center near you.

For those in the United Kingdom, images may also be viewed by visiting the Kent History and Library Centre in Maidstone, England.

Record Description
The collection consists of manorial documents for the County of Kent. Availability of the records varies by year and locality.

Records of these courts give information about the day-to-day life on a manor (an estate held by a lord), including petty crimes, land transfers, manorial appointments, customs, rental fees, and so on. The court regulated the responsibilities and relationships of the manorial lord, his steward and bailiff (law officer), and the village people. Manorial court records began in 1066 and ended in the early 1900s.

Record Content
Manorial documents usually contain the following information:


 * Name of owner
 * Occupation
 * Year of purchase
 * Age

How to Use the Record
To begin your search, it would be helpful if you knew the following information:


 * Name of manor owner
 * Name of parish
 * Name of county

Search the Collection
To browse by image: To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒Select the appropriate "County" ⇒Select the appropriate "Manor" ⇒Select the appropriate "Event Type and Year Range (Catalog Reference)" which will take you to the images.

Search the collection by image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination.

Using the Information
The information from the documents that you have found will help you with the following:


 * Calculate the birth year of your ancestor using the age that is found on the document.
 * When you have located the document, you can use the place of purchase to help you determine the birth place of your ancestor.

Known Issues with This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached Wiki article. If you encounter additional problems, please email them to [mailto:support@familysearch.org support@familysearch.org]. Please include the full path to the link and a description of the problem in your e-mail. Your assistance will help ensure that future reworks will be considered.

Related Websites

 * Kent Archives
 * National Archives Manorial Documents
 * Description of manorial documents
 * Manorial Documents Register glossary
 * Manorial documents guide
 * England and Wales History Links
 * England and Wales Historic Maps

Related Wiki Article

 * England Manorial Court Records (National Institute)
 * England Manors and Their Records (National Institute)
 * England Finding and Using Manor Court Records (National Institute)
 * England Court Records
 * England

Citations for This Collection
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information; that is, cite your sources. This will help people find the record again and evaluate the reliability of the source. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records. Citations are available for the collection as a whole and each record or image individually.

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