Kenn, Somerset Genealogy

England Somerset

Parish History
KENN, a parish, in the union of Bedminster, hundred of Winterstoke, E. division of Somerset, 10 miles (N.) from Axbridge; containing 322 inhabitants. This place was for many generations the property of the Ken family, of whose manorial residence, now modernised, the moat is still discernible. Thomas Ken, their descendant, was created Bishop of Bath and Wells by Charles II., and was one of the seven prelates sent to the Tower by James II.; on the accession of William and Mary, refusing to transfer his allegiance, he relinquished his preferments, and retired from public life. The parish comprises by computation 1000 acres: the Bristol and Exeter railway passes within three miles of the village. The living is annexed to the vicarage of Yatton: the vicarial tithes have been commuted for £90. The church is a small ancient edifice, in the Norman and early English styles, with a low massive tower, and contains some monuments to the Ken family.From: 'Kenley - Kentmere', A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 652-659. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=51071 Date accessed: 08 March 2011.

Civil Registration
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
Contributor: Include here information for parish registers, Bishop’s Transcripts 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.

Probate records
Records of wills, administrations, inventories, indexes, etc. were filed by the court with jurisdiction over this parish. Go to Somerset 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.