Godmersham, Kent

Historical Description

Godmersham, a village and a parish in Kent. The village stands on the river Stour, 2 miles SSW of Chilham station on the S.E.R., and 6 NE by N of Ashford; was once a market-town, and has a post office under Canterbury; money order and telegraph office, Chilham. Acreage of parish, 3106; population, 329. Godmersham Park belonged formerly to the Valoigns, the Astyns, and the Broadnaxes; and has richly-wooded grounds. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Canterbury; gross value, £140 with residence. Patron, the Archbishop of Canterbury. The church belonged to the prior and monks of Canterbury; had a chantry, and, having become much dilapidated, has been entirely restored. The prior's residence was built in the time of Richard II., and still exists.

Administration

The following is a list of the administrative units in which this place was either wholly or partly included.

Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.

Church Records

Findmypast have the following online for Godmersham, St Lawrence: baptisms 1600-1883, marriages 1600-1927, burials 1600-1841

Directories & Gazetteers

We have transcribed the entry for Godmersham from the following:

• Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Godmersham (St. Lawrence))

Maps

Online maps of Godmersham 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.