Sources for Canterbury
Local History Sources for Canterbury
including William Somner's Antiquities of Canterbury and texts written by Victorian scholar Joseph Meadow Cowper
"There is much to gladden the heart in the simple entries which I have copied."
John Meadow Cowper. Our parish books, & what they tell us; Holy Cross, West gate, Canterbury. 1885
Archaeologia Cantiana
Learned journal for Kent Archaeological Society. Searchable for online articles here
An older website is here
Below are the articles on Canterbury Churchwardens’ accounts, including transcriptions.
Churchwardens’ Accounts for Canterbury Parishes in Archaeologia Cantiana:
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Charles Cotton, F.R.C.P.E., M..R.G.S. Eng. "Churchwardens' Accounts of the Parish of St Andrew, Canterbury, 1483 to 1625: - Introduction. Part I 1485-1509." Archaeologia Cantiana 32 (1917):181-246.
Charles Cotton, F.R.C.P.E., M..R.G.S. Eng. "Churchwardens' Accounts of the Parish of St Andrew, Canterbury, 1483 to 1625:- Part II., 1509-1523" Archaeologia Cantiana 33 (1918): 1-62.
Charles Cotton, F.R.C.P.E., M..R.G.S. Eng. "Churchwardens' Accounts of the Parish of St Andrew, Canterbury, 1483 to 1625:- Part III., 1524-1557" Archaeologia Cantiana 34 (1920): 1-46.
Charles Cotton, F.R.C.P.E., M..R.G.S. Eng. "Churchwardens’ Accounts of the Parish of St Andrew, Canterbury, 1558-1596, Part IV" Archaeologia Cantiana 35 (1921): 41-108.
Charles Cotton, F.R.C.P.E., M..R.G.S. Eng. "Churchwardens' Accounts of the Parish of St Andrew, Canterbury, 1485 to 1625: PART V., 159-1625" Archaeologia Cantiana 36 (1923): 81-122.
J. M. Cowper, F.R. Hist. Soc. "Churchwardens' Accounts of St Dunstan's, Canterbury 1484-1514" Archaeologia Cantiana 16 (1886): 289-321.
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The Becket Story - 3D Map of Medieval Canterbury
UKRI Project for Becket 2020 celebrations. 3D reconstructions of medieval Canterbury and the Cathedral from University of York, plus new research from Caroline Barron on Becket and London. See also overview.
British History Online
Founded by Institute for Historical Research and History of Parliament Trust in 2003: Canterbury + primary sources available here.
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Canterbury Archaeological Trust (CAT)
Archaeologists based in Canterbury, under directorship of Prof. Paul Bennett MBE; a useful website.
CAT annual reports are online via ISSU. CAT list of papers submitted to Archeaologia Cantiana.
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Website hosted by Stephen Bax with photographs and details of many important buildings in the city
Canterbury Cathedral Archives and Library
Probably the best cathedral archive in UK (we may be biased).
Library Catalogue accessed via Templeman Library, University of Kent
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Canterbury Cathedral Picture This . . .
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This website hosts a series of peer-reviewed blogs on items and books held by Canterbury Cathedral Archives and Library, written by postgraduates from University of Kent and Canterbury Christ Church University, each piece has a short bibliography.
Canterbury Probate Records Database
Canterbury Cathedral Archives host this database covering records from 1396 to 1858.
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Canterbury Cathedral Inventories
W. J. Legge and W. H. St J. Hope, Inventories of Christchurch Canterbury; with historical and topographical introductions and illustrative documents (London, Archibald & Co., 1902), e-book:
CHAS Canterbury Historical and Archaeological Society
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The CHAS website has photographs and some notes on key sites.
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Christ Church University Canterbury UNESCO Heritage A-Z
A series of articles on aspects of Canterbury’s UNESCO World Heritage status for 30th anniversary in 2019
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Citizens of Canterbury
William Urry’s article on portreeves, pdf from Canterbury City Council.
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Cowper: Online Books
Joseph Meadows Cowper was a Victorian scholar (and gunpowder plant manager) from Faversham. Cowper’s volumes contain mainly Canterbury primary sources (e.g. lists of Freemen and parish registers) but he published some county and national sources too (via Hathi Trust – not downloadable).
Full list of J. M. Cowper’s books.
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Below are the links to e-books on Canterbury sources edited by J. M. Cowper
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Joseph Meadows Cowper edited works on Canterbury sources:
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The booke of regester of the parish of St. Peter in Canterbury, for christninges, weddinges and buryalls, 1560-1800. (Canterbury, Cross & Jackman, 1888)
Canterbury marriage licences. (Canterbury, Cross & Jackman, 1892-1906)
Ginder's handbook for Canterbury and Canterbury cathedral. (Canterbury, Ginder, 1886) [Limited search].
Intrantes: a list of persons admitted to live and trade within the city of Canterbury, on payment of an annual fine, from 1392 to 1592, (Canterbury, Eng. : Cross and Jackman, 1904)
The lives of the deans of Canterbury, 1541 to 1900 / (Canterbury: Cross & Jackmann, 1900)
The Names of them that were chrystened, marryed and buryed in the paryshe of Saynt Mary Magdalene in Canterbury, 1559-1800 / (Canterbury : Cross & Jackman, 1890) [Limited search].
The Register book of christenings, marriags burialls in the parishe of St. Paule, without the walles of the citie of Canterburie, 1562-1800 / (Canterbury : Cross & Jackman, 1893) [Limited search].
The register booke of christeninges, marriages and burialls in Saint Dunstan's, Canterbury, 1559-1800. (Canterbury, Cross & Jackman, 1887)
The register booke of the parish of St. George the Martyr, within the citie of Canterburie, of christenings, marriages and burials. 1538-1800. (Canterbury, Cross & Jackman, 1891)
The roll of the freemen of the city of Canterbury from A.D. 1392-to 1800 / (Canterbury, Eng. : Printed by Cross and Jackman, 1903).
Hasted
Edward Hasted, Antiquarian and Historian (1732-1812) from Kent: the first of his Canterbury volumes contains a thematic history of the city, and the second is an historical survey of the cathedral priory.
A local history website hosted by Tina Machado with many photographs, prints, and primary sources
Institute of Historical Research
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Freely downloadable books and chapters. Several e-books are available, including medieval/EM volumes. For example:
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Gender in medieval places, spaces and thresholds, eds. Blud, Heath, Klafter (London: IHR, 2019)IHR e-book on medieval and early modern gender issues via a locational lens; three chapters on Canterbury.
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This tale of Chaucer’s pilgrims arrival was perhaps written by a Canterbury monk in time for 1420 Jubilee.
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A scholarly source for the study of women’s religious communities 400-1600. Has useful translations of Lanfranc, other monastic sources, and links to other sites.
William Urry's article on the Normans in Canterbury and also
Canterbury after the Norman Conquest: Urry, W. (1958) The Normans in Canterbury‘, Annales de Normandie, 8, 119-138.
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Somner’s Antiquities of Canterbury, published 1640
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St Augustine's Foundation - useful material about the missionary college including stories of some of the students.
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Wellcome Collection
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Duncombe, J. and N. Battely. The history and antiquities of three Archiepiscopal Hospitals… with other small religious houses in Canterbury,1785.​
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Workhouse
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Photographs of the Canterbury old and new Workhouses, and there are records in the Canterbury Cathedral Archives on bastardy (affiliation) claims, e.g. CCA-U3-245/15/C/6.
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