Old Romney, Kent Genealogy

England   Kent



Parish History
Old Romney St Clement is an Ancient Parish and as the name suggests formed the original settlement of Romney Marsh. This was also the original port of Romney which gradually extended along the Rother toward the sea with either end called "Old" and "New" Romney. As the harbour silted up the importance of Old Romney lessened and soon only St Clement and the settlement remained by the 17th century.

The village and civil parish are on an island in the River Rother estuary,known in Roman Times as Vetus Rumllenum. The village church of St Clement is Norman in origin with later additions and restoration.

The church has been a film location for two films. The 1960's restoration of the church was funded by the Disney Corporation who preferred to film here rather than at Dymchurch for Dr Syn, Alias The Scarecrow (1962) Also known as "The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh": based on the novel by Russell Thorndike. Walt Disney felt that the story of a fictional smuggling vicar of Dymchurch was better set in this location. The Loves of Joanna Godden (1947) Based on the novel "Joanna Godden" by Sheila Kaye-Smith was also fimed here.

Derek Jarman,film maker, is buried in the churchyard.

Civil Registration
Kent County Council (KCC) has a certificate centre at the Mansion House in Tunbridge Wells which holds all the completed registers for Kent since 1 July 1837 and can supply a certified copy of any Kent birth, death or marriage entry from any register within its custody or a Kent civil partnership registration from the government online database.

The Mansion House (Certificate Centre) Grove Hill Road Tunbridge Wells Kent TN1 1EP

Birth, marriages and deaths were kept by the government, from July 1837 to the present day. The civil registration article tells more about these records. There are several Internet sites with name lists or indexes. A popular site is FreeBMD.

Church records
Original deposited registers are held at:

Centre for Kentish Studies,County Hall,Maidstone,Kent ME14 1XX

01622 694363

Fax: 01622 694379

archives@kent.gov.uk

Contributor: Include here information for parish registers, Bishop’s Transcripts, non conformist and other types of church records, such as parish chest records. Add the contact information for the office holding the original records. Add links to the Family History Library Catalog showing the film numbers in their collection

Census records
Contributor: Include an overview if there is any unique information, such as the census for X year was destroyed. Add a link to online sites for indexes and/or images. Also add a link to the Family History Library Catalog showing the film numbers in their collection.

Poor Law Unions
Romney Marsh Poor Law Union, Kent

Probate records
Records of wills, administrations, inventories, indexes, etc. were filed by the court with jurisdiction over this parish. Go to Kent Probate Records to find the name of the court having primary jurisdiction. Scroll down in the article to the section Court Jurisdictions by Parish.

Maps and Gazetteers
Maps are a visual look at the locations in England. Gazetteers contain brief summaries about a place.


 * England Jurisdictions 1851
 * Vision of Britain

Web sites
Contributor: Add any relevant sites that aren’t mentioned above.