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 Parish
 * 3) Select Event Type and Year Range (with Volume) 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?

 * Calculate the birth year of your ancestor using the age that is found on the document
 * When you have located the document, you can use the place of purchase to help you determine the birth place of your ancestor

Known Issues with This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached article. If you encounter additional problems, please email them to [mailto:support@familysearch.org support@familysearch.org]. Please include the full path to the link and a description of the problem in your e-mail. Your assistance will help ensure that future reworks will be considered.

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.

"England, Kent, Manorial Documents, 1241-1976" Images. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : accessed 2017. Kent Archives Office, Maidstone.
 * Collection Citation:

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