The Parishes in Our Kentish Genealogy
Kent's parishes were an outgrowth of the manorial system. They were connected to the local church, but became the lowest level of local administration after Tutor dynasty gave the Church of England a virtual monopoly of the nation's religious affairs.
Parliament gave local parishes the power to levy a rate for the needy by the Act for the Relief of the Poor 1601.
The local parish was theoretically controlled by its ratepayers, who invest authority in officers like:
- Churchwardens are volunteers who represent the parish laity and co-operate with the clergy. They maintain order and peace in the church and churchyard at all times, and are responsible for all the property and movable goods belonging to a parish church. They have a duty under ecclesiastical law to keep an up to date terrier of the property and an inventory of the valuables, and to produce these lists for inspection in case of a visitation or other inspection.
- Overseers of the Poor is a volunteer position created by the position was created by the Act for the Relief of the Poor of 1597. They estimated how much money was needed for poor relief, collected the poor rate within the parish, administered poor relief such as money, food, and clothing. This position ceased to exist as a result of the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834.
Our parishes grew up within two larger administration units, which persisted throughout the period being studied.
Kent is divided into Five Lathes, which descend from seven in the Domesday Book's era. They are believed to have grown out of settlements from the old Jutish era.
- Sutton-At-Hone - a half lathe called "Sutton" in the Domesday Book
- Aylesford - originally a Royal Manor
- Scray - Originally the half lathe of Milton and the lathe called "Wiwart" in the Domesday Book and centred around Wye
- St. Augustine's - which incorporates two lathes from the Domesday Book: "Borowart," based around Canterbury, and Eastry.
- Sherway - Called "Limowart" - based around Lyminge
At the time of the Domesday Book, there were more than 60 "hundreds" within these lathes. (F. W. Jessup, A History of Kent, edition of 1995, pp 34,35) This is an old Saxon term, thought to originate with areas able to field 100 warriors.
My parishes in the Lathe of Aylesford
- In the Hundred of Aylesford: Aylesford,
- In the Hundred of Eyhorne: Bicknor, Frinsted, Hollingbourne, Stockbury, Thornham, Yalding, Yelsted
- In the Hundred of Larkfield: East Malling
- In the Hundred of Maidstone: Boxley, Barming, Maidstone
My parishes In the former Lathe of Milton, now part of the lathe of Scray
- In the Hundred of West Milton: Borden, Bobbing,
- In the Hundred of East Milton: Bredgar, Sittingbourne, Tong, Tunstall
My parishes in the Lathe of Scray
- In the Hundred of Faversham: Eastling, Otterden, Stalisfield, Throwley
- In the Hundred of Feldborough: Challock