Collections and research

Our collections are an amazingly rich source of research information on the history of the county of Kent, its people and places. They can be used for a wide variety of areas of research - including family (PDF, 660k), local and house (PDF, 709k) history. They are also useful resources for all levels of education. Some of the collections are important and unique sources for national and international history. These include:

A gunpowder plot letter, 1605

A contemporary copy of letter to Lord Mounteagle that exposed the gunpowder plot 1605.

Signature of Oliver Cromwell, 1652

Cromwell’s signature on a certificate of discharge for a soldier, Major Gregory, who was `maimed in the parliament’s service’.

Diary of Sir Joseph Banks, 1769-1771

Banks was the botantist and scientist who travelled with Captain Cook on the Endeavour voyages in search of the southern continent, Australia.

A letter from Lord Nelson, 1804

This letter was written to his mistress, Emma Hamilton, from on The Victory and is one of a number of letters written by famous people which were collected by the Stanhope family.

Letters from Jane Austen, 1817

These letters were to her niece Fanny Knight, prior to Fanny’s marriage to Sir Edward Knatchbull. They are long and gossipy and refer to Fanny’s suitors, to Aunt Jane’s novels and the final one to Jane’s declining health in the year of her death. Fanny was the daughter of Jane’s brother Edward Knight who lived at Godmersham.

Illustration: Charter, with seal, issued by the abbot and convent of Faversham Abbey, with a licence to grant to Canterbury Cathedral Priory land in Faversham (Displayed courtesy of the Dean & Chapter of Canterbury Cathedral).

Collections

Detailed information about the types of collections we hold, and what can be found in each centre, is given in our collecting policy (PDF, 409k). Information about individual records can be found in our online catalogue. We are beginning to convert some of the items in our collections into digital format and some items are now available on the Here's History website which contains a wealth of historical information on parishes across the county.

For details of items held in Kent libraries' local history collections please consult the online library catalogue.

The service also looks after parish records for both diocese in Kent (excluding the Medway area). Our guide to parish records (PDF, 1865k) lists the records we have and where they can be found.

The Kent Archives Service offers a wide range of copying services to our customers. However, while we are happy to provide copies of records from our collections, not all records held can actually be copied due to copyright restrictions, terms of deposit or preservation concerns. Our policy is to copy original documents using reprographic processes that minimise the risk of damage to the records. For further details please check our copying services leaflet. (PDF, 333k)

Depositing material

In order to prepare our existing collections for the move to the History and Library Centre, we will stop taking in any new archive material from August 2010 until after the new centre opens in autumn 2012.

If you have material you would like to give to us or deposit with us before August 2010, contact one of our archive centres but please note we cannot accept everything that is offered to us. We prefer to have material given to us but if you do want to deposit materials instead, consult our loan agreement for the deposit of records (PDF, 39k). All gifts and deposits are by prior arrangement.

Please note: Records less than 100 years old may contain information of a personal or sensitive nature, and cannot always be made available in the public searchroom. To avoid disappointment, please contact the relevant archives office in advance of your visit to check that we have space for you and that the required records are available.