Ashford, Kent Genealogy

England Kent  Kent Parishes

Guide to Ashford, Kent family history and genealogy: parish register transcripts, census records, birth records, marriage records, and death records.



Parish History
ASHFORD (St. Mary), a market-town, parish, and the head of the union of West Ashford, in the hundred of Chart and Longbridge, lathe of Shepway, E. division of Kent, 20 miles (S. E. by E.) from Maidstone, and 54 (E. S. E.) from London. There are places of worship for Particular Baptists, the Society of Friends, the Connexion of the Countess of Huntingdon, and Wesleyans.

Ashford is a town and borough in Kent, see Ashford Wikipedia

Ashford St Mary the Virgin is an Ancient Parish for the market town of Ashford which included Alfred and Newton Ashford in the parish. A map of the parish boundary as well as toher Anglican parishes in the town may be viewed at A church near you

The church is mentioned in the Domesday survey and the current church on the site dates from 1250 with restoration and enlargement in subsequent centruries. The latest restoration underway in 2011 is to provide both a place of worship for the town and parish and a performance space to seat 350 for the town and surrounding community.

See Edward Hasted 'The town and parish of Ashford', The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent: Volume 7 (1798), pp. 526-545 at British History Online and Kent Churches website

From this parish Ashford Christ Church was formed Christ Church Ashford Wikipedia to serve the growing population of the town. See also Kent Churches website for Ashford Christ Church.

The church of St Mary Church Road Kingsnorth has been designated as a grade II listed building British listed building

The church of Christ Church South Ashford which dates from 1867 has been designated as a grade C listed building British listed building

The Centrepiece Church, Bank Street is part of the The South Kent Methodist Circuit Church Website other churches in the circuit include

Kennnington United Reformed/ Methodist Church Ashford Church website

Cade Road United Reformed/Methodist Church South Ashford Church website

Civil Registration
See West Ashford Registration District Ashford Registration District

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
parish registers of christenings, marriages and burials are available online for the following years:

Archdeacon's transcripts, 1560-1812; Bishop's transcripts, 1603-1896 at the Canterbury Cathedral Archives, Canterbury, Kent.

Some early pages damaged, and the 1813-1896 transcripts damaged by fire.

Canterbury Cathedral Archives no.: DCa/BT/4; DCb/BT1/7; DCb/BT2/10

Land Tax
Images for Ashford are available at FamilySearch Records see England, Kent, Land Tax Assessments (FamilySearch Historical Records) 1780-1831

Census records
Census returns for Ashford, 1841-1891

FamilySearch Records includes collections of census indexes which can be searched online for free. In addition FamilySearch Centres offer free access to images of the England and Wales Census through FHC Portal Computers here have access to the Family History Centre Portal page which gives free access to premium family history software and websites that generally charge for subscriptions.

to locate local Family History Centres in UK

to locate outside UK.

Many archives and local history collections in public libraries in England and Wales offer online census searches and also hold microfilm or fiche census returns.

Images of the census for 1841-1891 can be viewed in census collections at Ancestry (fee payable) or Find My Past (fee payable)

The 1851 census of England and Wales attempted to identify religious places of worship in addition to the household survey census returns.

Ancestry UK Census Collection

Find my Past census search 1841-1901

Prior to the 1911 census the household schedule was destroyed and only the enumerator's schedule survives.

The 1911 census of England and Wales was taken on the night of Sunday 2 April 1911 and in addition to households and institutions such as prisons and workhouses, canal boats merchant ships and naval vessels it attempted to include homeless persons. The schedule was completed by an individual and for the first time both this record and the enumerator's schedule were preserved. Two forms of boycott of the census by women are possible due to frustration at government failure to grant women the universal right to vote in parliamentary and local elections. The schedule either records a protest by failure to complete the form in respect of the women in the household or women are absent due to organisation of groups of women staying away from home for the whole night. Research estimates that several thousand women are not found by census search. Find my Past 1911 census search

Poor Law Unions
West Ashford 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.

See England, Kent, Wills and Probate (FamilySearch Historical Records)

Local Family History Centre
Canterbury Family History Centre, Kent

Maidstone Family History Centre, Kent


 * FHC Portal This centre has access to the Family History Centre Portal page which gives free access in the centre to premium family history software and websites that generally charge for subscriptions.
 * Publication of the restricted access images England, Kent, Wills and Probate (FamilySearch Historical Records) and England, Kent, Land Tax Assessments (FamilySearch Historical Records) means that it is advisable to telephone the centre to reserve a computer if you wish to view these

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

 * Kent Online Parish Clerks (OPC)