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.
