GENEALOGICAL
lNFORMATlON
CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL ARCHIVES
"In books lies the soul of the whole Past Time; the articulate
audible voice of the Past, when the body and material substance
of it has altogether vanished like a dream." Thomas Carlyle
The material held in Canterbury Cathedral Archives provides a
rich resource for those local and family historians whose
researches bring them to the city of Canterbury and the East
Kent region. The core of the archive is formed by the
administrative records of the cathedral, city and diocese of
Canterbury. The service is provided by the Dean and Chap‘ )>f
Canterbury in partnership with Kent County Council. There is
no charge for access to the records. This leaflet is a very general
introduction to the available sources. Archives stafi‘ are on hand
in the ojfice to help with specific enquiries.
THE COLLECTIONS
Sources for researching family history include:
O Church of England parish registers for parishes in the
archdeaconry of Canterbury for the 16th-20th centuries.
0 Bishops‘ Transcripts of registers from parishes in the diocese of
Canterbury for the 16th-20th centuries.
0 Marriage licence records for Canterbury diocese, 1 7 th-1 9th
centuries. There are printed indexes to these records.
0 The 1988 International Genealogical Index for Kent C7’ Sussex
and several local directories are available on microfiche. .5 )
0 Census microfilm for Canterbury registration district 1851-
1 891 .
Other material which may be useful for
genealogists:-
O Registers of Canterburyfreemen (indexed) 1 753-1883.
0 Register of Canterbury apprentices 1 7 65-1 835 .
HISTORY OF
BUILDINGS
)
MAPS AND PLANS
PHOTOGRAPHS
..}
DEAN AND CHAPTER
OF CANTERBURY
O Registers ofelectors 1832-1833, 1895-1 915, 1 945-1 991.
0 Records of Canterbury diocesan clergy, 1564-1900.
O Diocesan and Archdeaconry church court records, especially
deposition books.
0 Manorial court rolls and books.
0 School records, 19th and 20th centuries.
O Canterbury taxation records.
Possible sources for tracing the history of a
building include:-
0 Maps and plans of Canterbury and other local areas 1580-
1 980.
0 Canterbury City Council and Dean and Chapter lease books
and title deeds, 12th-19th centuries.
0 Church faculties and terriers, 1 7th—20th centuries.
I Family and estate collections.
A wide variety of maps and plans are held. Canterbury is very
well covered, but other Kent areas are also represented. Tithe
maps for the mid 19th century are held for parishes in the
diocese of Canterbury, along with large scale Ordnance Survey
maps for East Kent.
There are over 1,000 photographs held in the archives, with
Canterbury and the cathedral being very well represented.
Below are listed some of the other classes of
records held by the archives:-
Including records of:-
0 Estates in Kent, Surrey, Essex, Suflolk, Norfolk, Oxfordshire,
Buckinghamshire and Devon.