England, Kent, Manorial Documents - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
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.

Image Visibility
Whenever possible, FamilySearch makes images available for all users. However, rights to view images on our website are granted by the record custodians. Images in this collection are available for viewing if you are a registered FamilySearch user. You can register for a free FamilySearch account here. The images can also be viewed at the Family History Library or a Family History Center near you.

These images are viewable to users who have contributed to the FamilySearch Indexing effort. Learn how to be a part of FamilySearch indexing here.

For additional information about image restrictions, please see the Restrictions for Viewing Images in FamilySearch Historical Record Collections page.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
Manorial documents usually contain the following information:


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

How Do I Search This Collection?
To begin your search, it would be helpful if you knew the following information:


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

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the :
 * 1) Select County
 * 2) Select Manor
 * 3) Select Event Type and Year Range (Catalog Reference) to view the images.

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Save or print a copy of the image if possible
 * If an age is found, calculate and estimated birth year and search for a birth record
 * Use the names of relatives listed to search for families in prior census records
 * Continue to search the index for people with the same surname to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * Check for variants of given names and surnames
 * Spelling was not standardized for much of the period of this collection, so pay special attention to how the name should have been pronounced and try variations on the pronunciation
 * Individuals might also have been listed under a middle name, a nickname, or an abbreviation of their given name
 * Vary the search terms. For example, search by either the given name, surname, or expand the date range to return a broader list of possible matches
 * Search the records of nearby areas
 * Essex to the north
 * London and Surrey to the west
 * East Sussex to the south

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in Kent.
 * Kent Guided Research
 * England Record Finder
 * England Research Tips and Strategies

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.


 * Collection Citation: "England, Kent, Manorial Documents, 1241-1976." images. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : 14 June 2016. Kent Archives Office, Maidstone.