Cowden, Kent
Historical Description
Cowden, a parish in Kent, on a headstream of the Medway river, at the boundary with Sussex. It has been described as "one of the prettiest villages in Kent," and has a station on the L.B. & S.C.R., 29 miles from London, and 7½ W of Tunbridge Wells, and a post, money order, and telegraph office under Edenbridge. Acreage, 3260; population, 676. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Canterbury; value, £313 with residence. The church is dedicated to St Mary Magdalene, and dates at least from the year 1320, when the present building was erected on the site of an older church which was destroyed by fire. There were a large number of altars and shrines in the old church. The high altar is and has always been that of St Mary Magdalene. The massive roof timbers and tower are worthy of notice. The pulpit is of oak, Jacobean, dated 1628. The hour-glass is still in situ, placed in a holder of old Sussex wrought-iron work, mounted upon a miserable cast-iron modern bracket.
Administration
The following is a list of the administrative units in which this place was either wholly or partly included.
| Ancient County | Kent | |
| Ecclesiastical parish | Cowden St. Mary Magdalene | |
| Hundred | Somerden | |
| Lathe | Sutton-at-Hone | |
| Poor Law union | Sevenoaks |
Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.
Church Records
The parish register dates from 1556.
Findmypast have the following online for Cowden, St Mary Magdalene: baptisms 1566-1864, marriages 1566-1919, burials 1566-1922
Churches
Church of England
St. Mary Magdalene (parish church)
The church of St. Mary Magdalene is of stone, in the Decorated and Perpendicular styles, and has a shingled tower and spire, resting on six upright oak beams, and containing a clock and 6 bells: the east window has some ancient stained glass, in the form of medallions, and dating from 1620: the pulpit, also dated 1620, retains an iron stand and hour glass: the church was restored in 1885 at a cost of £1,270, and affords 350 sittings.
Presbyterian
Trinity Presbyterian Church of England
Trinity Presbyterian Church of England, erected in 1894, will seat 120 persons.
Civil Registration
For general information about Civil Registration (births, marriages and deaths) see the Civil Registration page.
Directories & Gazetteers
We have transcribed the entry for Cowden from the following:
- Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Cowden (St. Mary Magdalene))
Maps
Online maps of Cowden are available from a number of sites:
- Bing (Current Ordnance Survey maps).
- Google Streetview.
- National Library of Scotland. (Old maps)
- OpenStreetMap.
- old-maps.co.uk (Old Ordnance Survey maps to buy).
- Streetmap.co.uk (Current Ordnance Survey maps).
- A Vision of Britain through Time. (Old maps)
Newspapers and Periodicals
The British Newspaper Archive have fully searchable digitised copies of the following Kent newspapers online:
- Kent & Sussex Courier
- Whitstable Times and Herne Bay Herald
- Dover Express
- Kentish Gazette
- Folkestone, Hythe, Sandgate & Cheriton Herald
- Kentish Chronicle
- Maidstone Telegraph
Visitations Heraldic
The Visitation of Kent, 1619 is available on the Heraldry page, as is also The Visitation of Kent, 1663-68.