Place:Bridge Rural, Kent, England

Watchers
NameBridge Rural
TypeRural district
Located inKent, England     (1894 - 1934)
See alsoBridge Blean Rural, Kent, Englandrural district into which it was absorbed in 1934
Canterbury District, Kent, Englanddistrict municipality covering the area since 1974

Bridge Rural District in Kent, England existed from 1894 until 1934 and covered a number of civil parishes for the most part located south of Canterbury. In 1934 the rural district was abolished as was the Blean Rural District further north. The remaining rural parishes in the whole area became parishes in the Bridge Blean Rural District. As will be noted, two parishes from Bridge Rural were absorbed into Canterbury.

Parishes

ParishJoinedEndAlteration
Adisham 1894 1934 to Bridge Blean Rural District in 1934
Barham 1894 1934 to Bridge Blean Rural District in 1934
Bekesbourne 1894 1934 to Bridge Blean Rural District in 1934
Bishopsbourne 1894 1934 to Bridge Blean Rural District in 1934
Bridge 1894 1934 to Bridge Blean Rural District in 1934
Chartham 1894 1934 to Bridge Blean Rural District in 1934
Fordwich 1894 1934 to Bridge Blean Rural District in 1934
Harbledown 1894 1934 to Bridge Blean Rural District in 1934
Holy Cross Westgate Without 1894 probably 1911 to Canterbury in 1911
Ickham and Well 1894 1934 to Bridge Blean Rural District in 1934
Kingston 1894 1934 to Bridge Blean Rural District in 1934
Littlebourne 1894 1934 to Bridge Blean Rural District in 1934
Lower Hardres 1894 1934 to Bridge Blean Rural District in 1934
Milton (Canterbury) 1894 1934 to Bridge Blean Rural District in 1934
Nackington 1894 1934 to Bridge Blean Rural District in 1934
Patrixbourne 1894 1934 to Bridge Blean Rural District in 1934
Petham 1894 1934 to Bridge Blean Rural District in 1934
St. Nicholas Hospital 1894 1934 to Canterbury in 1934
Stodmarsh 1894 1934 to Bridge Blean Rural District in 1934
Thanington Without 1894 1934 to Bridge Blean Rural District in 1934
Upper Hardres 1894 1934 to Bridge Blean Rural District in 1934
Waltham 1894 1934 to Bridge Blean Rural District in 1934
Wickhambreaux 1894 1934 to Bridge Blean Rural District in 1934
Womenswold 1894 1934 to Bridge Blean Rural District in 1934

Research Tips

  • Kent County Council Archive, Local Studies and Museums Service. James Whatman Way, Maidstone, Kent ME14 1LQ. This incorporates the Centre for Kentish Studies in Maidstone and the East Kent Archives Centre near Dover.
  • Canterbury Cathedral Archives see the Archives web pages on the Canterbury Catherdral site.
  • For information on the area around the Medway Towns, have a look at Medway Council's CityArk site.
  • Ordnance Survey Maps of England and Wales - Revised: Kent illustrates the parish boundaries of Kent when rural districts were still in existence and before Greater London came into being. The map publication year is 1931. An earlier map of 1900 may also be useful. The maps blow up to show all the parishes and many of the small villages and hamlets. Maps in this series are now downloadable for personal use.
  • Census records for Kent are available on FamilySearch, Ancestry and FindMyPast. The first site is free; the other two are pay sites but have access to microfilmed images. Steve Archer produced a very useful round-up of the available sources, but this information may not be up to date.
  • Registration Districts in Kent for the period 1837 to the present. By drilling down through the links you can follow any parish through the registration districts to which it was attached.
  • England, Kent, Parish Registers, 1538-1911 The full database from Kent Archives Office, Maidstone, has been available online from FamilySearch since June 2016.
  • Kent had five family history societies (now only four):
  • Volume 2 of the Victoria County History of Kent (published 1926) is available online through the auspices of British History Online. It includes accounts of the early history of Canterbury and Rochester cathedrals, and of several sites now within the conurbation of London.
  • Volume 3 of the Victoria County History of Kent (published 1932) This includes the text of, and the index to, the Kent Domesday survey. It has been provided by the Kent Archaeological Society.
  • In place of the other volumes of the Victoria County History, British History Online has transcriptions of the numerous volumes of The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent by Edward Hasted (originally published 1797)
  • English Jurisdictions 1851, a parish finding aid provided by FamilySearch, is particularly helpful in locating parishes in large ancient towns and cities like Canterbury.
  • Kent Probate Records Numerous links provided by Maureen Rawson
  • GENUKI lists other possible sources, however, it does not serve Kent so well as it does some other counties.