Guides and finding aids

The following guides and publications relating to our collections are available (some can be downloaded on this page). We have also compiled a list of useful websites which may be of interest.

General guides

• Researching your family history (PDF, 660k) 
• Researching your house history (PDF, 709k)
• General Handling Guidelines (PDF, 82k)
• Guide to parish records (PDF, 1865k) This guide includes details of original parish registers, bishops' transcripts and transcripts held in Kent Archives. 
• Black and non-European people in Kent (PDF, 208k) - Evidence from the collections of the Kent Archives Service.
• Guide to archive copying services (PDF, 333k)
• Women In Kent - An illustrated booklet produced by Kent Archives constituting a compilation of documents held about women and the events that took place in their lives. You can get a taster of the booklet's content by viewing our Women in Kent page. 

• Guide for new users (PDF, 404k) 
• A brief guide to the collections (PDF, 317k)
• A guide to the local history collection (PDF, 815k)
• Apprentices' database - The apprentices' database, containing more than 19,000 entries, is now available on a CD-ROM which can be consulted in the searchroom. The database can be searched in a variety of ways, for example, by name, place and occupation. It contains details of both apprentices and masters.
• The history of health and medicine (PDF, 408k) - an introduction to sources available in Kent Archives