Researching Your Family
History
The following fact sheet was compiled for people interested in
researching their family's Dover connections. It offers advice as
to the sources of available material to help in this endeavour,
from local studies facilities in Dover itself, to national centres
holding records relating to Dover and the surrounding area.
Addresses and contact details are at the bottom of the page.
1. Census Returns
The census has been held every 10 years since 1801 but only from
1841 are names written down. The census can not be released for 100
years so the latest currently available is 1901.
The local censuses are freely available to the public in four
places:
- Dover Library holds census returns on microfilm for the Dover
district area
- The County Records Office (CRO) holds returns for all of
Kent
- The East Kent Archives hold local census material
- National Archives, Kew, holds the returns for the entire
country.
Anybody can make use of these archives and no charge is made. It
is advisable to make appointments for Dover Library as it only has
a few microfilm readers, and only one reader/printer. The opening
hours of the East Kent Archives are limited and an appointment is
needed.
None of these archives will undertake any kind of research on
the public's behalf. You must either go in person or hire a
researcher. The CRO have in-house researchers for hire but it is
probably advisable to use one of the specialists in census
research. See the numerous adverts in 'Family Tree Magazine'
(available from any newsagent) or get a list of researchers from
SOG/AGRA (see addresses at end).
Be warned; if you do not know the address or area where your
ancestors lived, searching the census can take a very long
time.
All the census’s are now available on-line. The 1881 has been
transcribed by the Mormons (Church of Latter Day Saints) and is
available for free at www.familysearch.org.
The 1901 is available at www.1901censusonline.com for
a small fee although an index search is free. Other census,
including the 1841, 1851, 1861, 1871 and 1891 are now becoming
available on commercial websites where a membership fee or user fee
is payable i.e www.ancestry.co.uk or
www.findmypast.com
2. Births, Marriages and Deaths
I) Parish Records
The Parish records for Dover and the rest of Kent are held by
the CRO and the Diocesan Record Office, Canterbury Cathedral. They
have been copied onto microfiche and are available at both the CRO
and Dover Library. Both places also have transcripts and
alphabetical indices for many of the records. Churches only hold
recent Parish records, usually post-1960s. There is no charge to
researchers. County Archives can undertake research for a fee.
Many parish records are now scanned on to CD-ROM and can be
purchased along with many other types of interesting records from
the Kent Family History
Society
Most Parish Registers of Births and Marriages in Britain, and
indeed the world, have been indexed by the Genealogical Society of
Utah (the Mormons) which is known as the International Genealogical
Index (IGI). The IGI lists births and marriages up to about 1880
alphabetically, county by county, on a large set of microfiche. The
IGI can be viewed by researchers at the National Archives, in any
County Record Office, most Mormon churches, and in most main
libraries in Britain including Dover. It is also online at www.familysearch.org.
The IGI is notoriously inaccurate in some cases and some parishes
and/or time periods have not been transcribed
The Society of Genealogists
in London has transcripts of nearly every parish register in
Britain but they make a small charge for using their library.
Canterbury
Cathedral Diocesan Archives, which holds the Registers for
Dover St. Mary's and Dover St. James', are now part of Kent County
Archives.
You can check parish boundaries, existence of registers and
their location in ‘The Phillimore Atlas of Parish Registers’ by
Cecil Humphrey-Smith, available in most reference libraries.
Non-conformist/Quaker registers that survive are now at the FRC,
although some are in the PRO at Kew (microfilm copies at the
FRC).
Be aware that what is now the town of Dover also includes all or
part of the parishes of Guston, Hougham, Charlton, Buckland, River
and Whitfield.
ii) Certificates of Births, Marriages and
Deaths
These were held by the GRO, Family Record Centre, 1
Myddleton Street, Islington, London but this has now closed and
the indicies moved to the National Archives and also at the
City of Westminster Archives Centre. The registers are not
available to the Public but the Index Register can be viewed.
These list the names of everyone born, married or died since 1 July
1837, alphabetically, by annual quarters, along with a reference
number (although bear in mind that until the laws were tightened up
in the 1870s, a number of people did not both to register at all).
Once you have the reference number anybody can order a copy of the
certificate for £7 in person/on-line or £8.50 for postal
applications (£11.50 if you know the date of the event but have no
reference number). The GRO will not undertake any research on your
behalf but the Registers are freely available. There are a number
of researchers who specialise in the GRO Registers and will only
charge a few pounds extra to provide a certificate depending on how
much information you have on the person (typically £10-12 if you
know the date, £15-20 for a 10 year search). To find a GRO
researcher see their adverts in Family Tree Magazine or contact
SOG/AGRA.
Personal callers at the Dover Register Office can also ask the
Registrar to find a reference number and provide a certificate for
£7, for Dover inhabitants since 1837. A number of main libraries
(usually cities) also have the GRO indices on microfiche.
Certificates can also be purchased from the local Registrar, by
person or by post, for £7. The Registrar for Births, Marriages and
Deaths in Dover recently amalgamated with Thanet and moved to 69
Ellington Road, Ramsgate, 01843 591417. The Dover office is now
part-time.
There is currently an on-going project to transcribe the GRO
registers from 1837 and put them online for free. This is now
virtually complete up to 1910 and partial to 1930. See
freebmd.org.uk
to search those done so far. Numerous commercial websites are also
now offering on-line access to the index; www.findmypast.com
is an example. The records for Kent are in the process of being
made searchable on-line by the Registration Service (certificates
cost £25 though), but you have to know a year for the event as
blanket searches are not possible – see extranet3.kent.gov.uk/sp/rois/home.html
iii) Wills
All post-1858 wills had to go to probate registry and are now
held at the Principal Probate Registry, First Avenue House, 42 – 49
High Holborn, London WC1V 6NP (Telephone 020 7947 6000). Pre-1858
wills are held at the PRO Kew and the CRO’s, SOG and the FRC all
have indices to them. Many wills are transcribed or copied in the
CRO as are inventories for probate. Wills proved in the Prerogative
Court of Canterbury (PCC) from 1384 to 1858 are now available
on-line from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
(the PCC covers most of southern England and Wales)
iv) Burials & Cemeteries
Church graveyards are the responsibility of the individual
churches but, since the 1870’s, most people have been buried in
Municipal cemeteries such as Deal’s Hamilton Road or the Copt Hill
Municipal cemeteries of St. Mary’s, St. James and Charlton in
Dover. The Registers of Burials, and other relevant records, are
held for safe keeping with the Planning and Technical Services
Department of Dover District Council. No records are kept at the
cemeteries, and therefore queries should be directed to the staff
at the Council Offices and not to the cemetery staff, as it is
unlikely that they will be able to be of any assistance. (E-mail:
burials@dover.gov.uk
or telephone (01304) 872407). Dover Library has transcripts of the
burial registers of the Dover churches.
Churchyard burial registers are held at the Canterbury Cathedral
Archives but have mostly been transcribed, along with other parish
registers, and are available at Dover Library and many are on
CD-ROM from KFHS
Many burial records are now being put on-line; see www.deceasedonline.com
All churches ‘recycle’ their graveyards and few have extant
graves over 200 years old, some much less. As an example, when St.
James’s graveyard was excavated in the 1970’s just 357 grave
markers or stones were logged but over 3000 burials were
excavated.
3. Military History
Dover Museum has a large amount of material on local military
history, especially the World Wars but little specifically on
individuals. There are no local archives available as all Dover
material is included in the general military archives.
These are mostly held at the National Archives, Kew, (see
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk)
particularly information on individuals pre-1914. The most useful
for Dover are the War Office (WO) and Admiralty (ADM) records.
The NA facilities are available freely but they will not
undertake any research for you although in-house researchers can be
hired. The NA, Kew, provides very useful information sheets on all
aspects of their enormous collections, but currently are not
available by post. See www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
for more information
Various other military resources are becoming available on-line
via the various pay-to-view sites, especially www.findmypast.com,
which includes Soldiers who Died in the Great War, the National
Roll of the Great War, Army Lists 1656-1888, Armed Forces Births
Deaths and Marriages and odds and sods such as lists for the East
India Co. regiments. First World War soldiers personnel records
(the "burnt papers") are available at www.ancestry.co.uk, along
with all the pension records, medal rolls, etc.
i) Service Records – Army & Royal Navy
All surviving records for the Army and RFC up to 1920 are held
by the PRO, Kew, and also for the Royal Navy up to 1924 (1926 for
Royal Marines). Many of the 1914-18 records were destroyed in the
Blitz of 1940 and some of those that survived were damaged by the
fire brigade's hose-water. The records for the Royal Navy between
1873 and 1923 are now available on-line at
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/royal-navy-service.asp.
National Archives in partnership with www.ancestry.co.uk/
have now put the service and pension records of First World War
soldiers on-line.
Records of service after the 1920’s are available to
ex-servicemen and women (free) or relatives of deceased servicemen
(for a fee) from;
Army (for deceased soldiers only)
Army Personnel Centre,
Historical Disclosures,
Mail Point 400,
Kentigern House,
65 Brown Street,
Glasgow,
G2 8EX
Royal Navy/Royal Marines
DNCM
Data Protection Cell
Building 1/152
PP65
Victory View
HMNB Portsmouth
PO1 3LS
Telephone Numbers: 02392 727531 / 723114 / 726063
If your ancestor’s records are not found, the fee is not
returned.
See http://www.veterans-uk.info/service_records/service_records.html for
more details and order forms
ii) Service Records – RFC, RNAS & RAF
The service records of officers in the Royal Flying Corps have
recently been transferred to the Public Record Office at Kew (see
the Army section above). All post 1922 Royal Air Force service
records remain in the custody of the Ministry of Defence and close
relatives should apply to:
PMA IM 1B RAF
Room 5Building 248A
RAF Personnel Management Agency
RAF Innsworth
Gloucester
GL3 1EZ
Tel: 01452 712612 (ext: 7622)
Wartime casualty records are held by the Air Historical Branch
at:
Ministry of Defence,
Air Historical Branch,
Lacon House,
Theobalds Road,
London
WC1X 8RY
See http://www.veterans-uk.info/service_records/service_records.html
iii) Service Records – Home Guard
There are no known surviving Local Defence Volunteer or Home
Guard records surviving but brief records of those who were
eligible for the Defence Medal are held by the army. Please
contact:
Officer in Charge
The Army Medal Office
Building 250
RAF Innsworth
Innsworth
Gloucester
Gloucestershire GL3 1EZ.
They are only available to, or by written permission of, the
nearest surviving relative.
iv) Casualty Records
Casualty records for servicemen who died in the two World Wars
can be obtained at the following address:
Commonwealth War Graves Commission,
2 Marlow Road,
Maidenhead,
Berks
SL6 7DX
Telephone: 01628 634221
Fax: 01628 771208
There is an online search facility on the Commonwealth War
Graves Commission website:
www.cwgc.org.
Two different local projects are underway to list on-line all
the names on all the various war memorials in Dover, including
those in schools and churches, and to provide as much background to
each soldier or civilian killed as possible.
See www.doverwarmemorial.co.uk
and doverwarmemorialproject.org.uk
iv) Medals
Indices of both campaign and meritorious service awards are
available in the medal rolls at the Public Record Office. The
formal records are still held by the Ministry of Defence and they
can advise on replacement of lost medals but replacements for
medals issued before 1920 are no longer available. The address for
correspondence (all services) is:
Armed Forces Personnel Administration Agency
Building 250
RAF Innsworth
Gloucester
GL3 1HW
Email: JPAC@afpaa.mod.uk
Fax: 0141 224 3586
Free Phone: 0800 085 3600
The First World War Medal Rolls, held by the National Archives,
are now available on-line at:
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/medals.asp
4. Merchant Seamen and Shipping
The County Archive holds local ships' logs from the 17th century
onwards and the Registers of Shipping at Dover from the 18th
century onwards. The PRO, Kew holds the muster rolls/crew lists and
crew agreements for all Dover ships from 1747 to 1860. After 1860 a
10% sample for each year is held at Kew and much of the remaining
90% is at the National Maritime Museum or the University of
Newfoundland, Canada. Kew also holds the Registers of Seamen
1835-1918.
The Lloyds Archive, which includes all registers, lists,
shipping indices, wrecks and losses, is held by the Guildhall
Library in London. Copies of Lloyds Register (which list all UK
vessels), Lloyds List (which lists all sailings), the Captains
Registers (which list all captains and mates from 1869), and other
similar Lloyds records are held on microfiche in many other record
centres and libraries in Britain and elsewhere.
The Second World War Merchant Seamen Medals Roll is available
on-line at
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/seamens-medals.asp
and includes all 1939-45 campaign medals issued from 1946 to
2002
Passenger lists were not usually compiled for cross-Channel
trips. Local newspapers often had lists of ‘visitors’ who were
staying in the town awaiting passage. Any surviving lists or
manifests will be in the county archives. Passenger lists to the
USA, lists of immigrants entering the USA, UK passport
applications, etc. are now all available on-line at pay-to-view
sites – see www.findmypast.com
as an example
5. Other Resources
A good source for information is the Kent Family History
Society. As well as having its own library and archives it also
sells transcripts containing a variety of muster rolls, militia
lists, indices and other resources, as well as guides to available
records. Members receive a regular journal and access to advice.
See www.kfhs.org.uk.
Many local records, including those of the Centre for Kentish
Studies (County Record Office), East Kent Archive and Canterbury
Cathedral Archives, are listed and described on-line on “A2A”, a
searchable database of archives of the UK, run by the National
Archives. You can search for the occurrence of specific names in
specific places. See www.a2a.org.uk.
i) Burials
Dover Library has indexes for all the local cemeteries and
churches in Dover up to about 1980.
ii) Newspapers
County Archives and Dover Library have most local newspapers on
microfiche/microfilm from 1825 onwards. Prior to 1825 Dover was
covered by various regional papers, mostly out of Canterbury. The
British Museum Newspaper Library in London also holds copies of
local papers. Go to www.bl.uk/catalogues/newspapers.html
to search for all Dover-related titles with dates of publication;
as well as the British Library, all the titles should be available
at either Dover Library or the County Record Office.
iii) Cinque Ports
The Cinque Ports Archives are held by County Archives and date
back to the medieval period. Much of it has been microfilmed and is
available at Dover Library. Trinity House (which took over the
Cinque Port Pilots in 1852) have deposited their archives in the
Guildhall Library, London. Dover Museum holds a large amount of
post-1830 material on the Dover Cinque Port Pilots, including the
Pension Accounts. Pilot’s licence records are held by the EKA up to
1852. After that date the Trinity House licences (from 1808 to
1986) are held by the Guildhall Library.
iv) Council Minutes and Corporation
Archives
Dating from the 13 th century, these have all been deposited at
County Archives and are at the EKA, Whitfield, although Dover
Museum holds copies of the Council Minutes for Dover from 1900.
Dover Library has most of the minutes on microfilm and also many of
the Corporation Archives such as workhouse and Gaol registers. All
Council business was reported in full in local papers up to about
the Second World War (see ‘Newspapers’)
The areas outside Dover were covered by Dover Rural District
Council and Eastry Rural District Council. The archives of both are
held by the EKA
v) Freemen/Apprenticeships
The Freemen's Rolls (1601 – 1826) and apprenticeship rolls (1674
– 1892) for Dover are all held by County Archives at the EKA and
are also available on microfilm at Dover Library. Dover Museum
holds the Register of Freemen from 1664 (index), the Rolls for 1826
to date, and the Honorary Freemen Rolls (1886 – 1974).
vi) Maps
Dover Library has complete sets of all editions of the OS for
Dover and district. Dover Museum has some OS maps and a number of
original one-off maps from the 16th century onwards. Unusual and
one-off maps for Dover exist in most archives, particularly the
British Library and county record office. Many architects’
drawings, maps and plans are included within other deposited
archives such the Dover Harbour Board and Dover Borough Council
records held by the EKA
Kent County Council's Kent Landscape Information System
(KLIS) is a website giving access to modern and historic
Ordnance survey maps for Dover and all of Kent, including the 1871,
1897, 1907 and 1929 editions, and also other resources such as
aerial photographs, land use, etc. The site is http://extranet7.kent.gov.uk/klis/homemain.htm
vii) Photographs, Paintings and Other
Images
Dover Museum has an enormous collection of photographs,
watercolours, oils etc. relating to Dover and Dover people and also
to Deal, Sandwich and the local villages. Dover Library also has a
good collection on Dover and the villages, as does the CRO. All
will provide copies for the appropriate fee.
viii) Customs & Excise/Smuggling
The PRO, Kew, (National Archives) has the enormous Customs &
Excise Archives (CUST) which provides very detailed information not
only on officers and men but also on the smugglers they caught.
Dover Museum also holds a fair amount of material relating to
smuggling in Dover and Deal.
ix) Companies, Industries and Individuals
The CRO/EKA holds many records for local factories and companies
and also the personal and family papers of many important locals.
They also hold many pedigrees, family trees and family histories
deposited by researchers and genealogists. However, it is unusual
for company records to survive at all, especially those for sole
traders, shops and other small businesses.
x) Dover Harbour
The records of Dover Harbour Board, including leases for all
property on the Seafront and Snargate St., are deposited at the
East Kent Archive Centre although Dover Museum has a large archive
relating to the development of the harbour.
xi) Criminal/Justice
Dover Police records (Watch Committee), Assizes records,
coroner’s records and magistrates records are all held at the East
Kent Archive Centre. All Court proceedings including Brewster
courts for pub licensing, etc, were reported in full in local
newspapers until after the Second World War (see ‘Newspapers’
above).
Dover Library has copies of much of the above on microfilm, as
well as the Debtor's Prison records, Quarter Sessions, etc.
xii)Schools/Education
All surviving Dover school records are held by the East Kent
Archive Centre. Annual meetings, orphanage trustee meetings,
prize-giving, etc are all usually reported in full in the local
papers until after the Second World War and usually list many staff
and pupils.
IMPORTANT NOTE
Except where indicated, all of the archives mentioned above are
open to anybody, free of charge, although the PRO and County
Archives will ask for a form of identification and maybe a passport
photo prior to issuing a Readers Ticket (which you then produce at
each subsequent visit). Few of these archives have the staff or
resources to answer written inquiries and those that do may ask a
fee for any research undertaken.
Dover Museum's current policy is to provide 30 minutes research
free on written inquiries. We would be pleased to undertake further
research or more -in-depth work but will charge a fee. We would
also be pleased to arrange a local researcher to undertake work on
your behalf.
Addresses
Dover Museum
Market Square
Dover
Kent CT16 1PB
Telephone: 01304 201066
Fax 01304 241186
www.dovermuseum.co.uk
Dover Library
Dover Discovery Centre
Market Square
Dover CT16 1PB
Tel: 01304 204241
Fax: 01304 225914
email: doverlibrary@kent.gov.uk
Centre For Kentish Studies (CRO)
County Hall
Maidstone
Kent ME14 1QX
Telephone: 01622 694363
kent.gov.uk
East Kent Archives Centre
Enterprise Zone
Honeywood Road
Whitfield
Dover
Telephone: 01304 829306
Fax 01304 820783
Kent County Council
Public Record Office
Ruskin Avenue
Kew
Richmond
Surrey TW9 4DU
Telephone: 0181 876 3444
www.pro.gov.uk
Principal Probate Registry
First Avenue House
42 – 49 High Holborn
London WC1V 6NP
Telephone 020 7947 6000
www.courtservice.gov.uk
Family Tree Magazine
61 Great Whyte
Ramsey
Huntingdon
Cambs PE17 1HL
Telephone: 01487 814050
www.family-tree.co.uk
SOG
Society of Genealogists
14 Charterhouse Buildings
Goswell Road
London EC1M 7BA
Telephone: 0171 2518799
www.sog.org.uk
AGRA
Assoc. of Genealogists & Record Agents
29 Badgers Close
Horsham
W Sussex RH12 5RU
www.agra.org.uk
Family Record Centre (FRC) (+GRO Register Office and PRO Census
Reading Room)
1 Myddleton Street
Islington
London EC1R 1UW
Telephone: 0181 392 5300
www.familyrecords.gov.uk
GRO (Postal Applications - reference needed)
General Register Office
Smedley Hydro
Southport
Merseyside PR8 2HH
Telephone: 0151 4714371
www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content
Local Registrars Office - Thanet with Dover
The Superintendent Registrar
The Register Office
Aberdeen House
68 Ellington Road
Ramsgate. SP1 2LX
Tel: (01843) 591417 Births, Deaths and General enquiries
(01843) 597283 Marriages only
e-mail: thanet.register-office@kent.gov.uk
Registrar of Births, Marriages & Deaths
Maybrook House
Queens Gardens
Dover CT17 9UL
(By appointment only – telephone Thanet with Dover 01843
591417)
Ministry of Defence
Army Personnel Centre
Historic Disclosures
Mailpoint 400
Kentigern House
65 Brown Street
Glasgow G2 8EX
Telephone: 0141 224 2023
0141 224 3303
National Maritime Museum
Park Row
Greenwich
London SE10 9NF
Telephone: 020 8858 4422
Fax 020 8312 6632
www.nmm.ac.uk
Guildhall Library
Aldermanbury
London EC2P 2EJ
Telephone: 0171 260 1868
www.cityoflondon.gov.uk
Canterbury Cathedral Archives (Diocesan Records Office)
8 The Precinct
Canterbury
Kent
Telephone: 01227 463510
www.canterbury-cathedral.org
Kent Family History Society
Vice-Chairman & Journal Editor
A.R. Makey
3 Preston Court
Canterbury Road
Faversham ME13 8LL
www.kfhs.org.uk
This document is copyright of Dover Museum. Please apply to
Dover Museum if you wish to reproduce it in any way.