Explore millions of Kent family history records online

Kent has a colourful history. It's been occupied by Iron Age tribes, the Romans, Anglo Saxons and Germanic tribes down the centuries. The county also became England’s centre of Christianity. Canterbury was the country’s first cathedral.  

Kent has a long history of building warships. Some of its coastal towns still belong to the Cinque Ports, a confederation created for military and trade purposes, but now solely ceremonial.   

The county has a diverse economy ranging from agriculture to aggregates, and orchards to designated areas of outstanding natural beauty. 

Kent is noted for its food and drink production and boasts an array of traditional recipes. The quality of its wine is widely acknowledged. 

Maybe your Kentish ancestors were some of the first to experience the convenience of eating sandwiches, a delicacy named after the county’s 4th Earl of Sandwich. Or perhaps they grew the hops for England’s oldest brewery, Shepherd Neame, which dates to 1698 and is still on its original site in Faversham.