Contents [hide]

Kentish History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Kentish History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

The lineage of the name Kentish begins with the Anglo-Saxon tribes in Britain. It is a result of when they lived in the county of Kent. The surname Kentish belongs to the large category of Anglo-Saxon habitation names. As a general rule, the greater the distance between individuals and their homelands, the larger the territory they were named after. For example, people who only moved to another parish would be known by the name of their original village, while people who migrated to a different country were often known by the name of the region or country from which they came.

Early Origins of the Kentish family

The surname Kentish was first found in Berkshire, where they held a family seat from ancient times, some say before the Norman Conquest in 1066 A.D. The first record of this family was at Thatcham, shown in the Domesday Book as King's Land, containing a church and two mills. This is one of Berkshire's oldest villages.

The Hundreodumn Rolls had two early listings for the family and both had the Norman "de" prefix which was quite common at the time: Robert de Kent, Norfolk; and Gilbert de Kent, Lincolnshire. 1

Further to the north in Scotland, the family was "settled at Innerwick in East Lothian, in the middle of the twelfth century. Radulfus de Kent received some lands in Ennyrwic from Walter the Steward c. 1165, and before 1177 he witnessed the gift of the church of Cragin (Craigie) in Kyle to the monks of Paisley. " 2

Early History of the Kentish family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kentish research. Another 216 words (15 lines of text) covering the years 1165, 1190, 1296, 1379, 1383, 1390, 1391, 1392, 1393, 1394, 1401, 1402, 1404, 1405, 1406, 1409, 1410 and 1413 are included under the topic Early Kentish History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kentish Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Kentish has undergone many spelling variations, including Kent, Kents, Kentish and others.

Early Notables of the Kentish family

Notables of the family at this time include John Kent (died 1413), a politician from Reading in the English county of Berkshire, a mercer in the town of Reading and was elected Mayor there for the years 1391-1392, 1393-1394, 1401-1402...
Another 39 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Kentish Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Kentish family to Ireland

Some of the Kentish family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kentish migration to the United States +

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Kentish were among those contributors:

Kentish Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Richard Kentish, who arrived in Maryland in 1673 3

Kentish Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Ann Kentish, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1775

Kentish migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Kentish Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Charles Kentish, who arrived in Holdfast Bay, Australia aboard the ship "Canton" in 1838 4
David Joel Kentish, who arrived in Holdfast Bay, Australia aboard the ship "Canton" in 1838 4
Eliza Kentish, who arrived in Holdfast Bay, Australia aboard the ship "Canton" in 1838 4
Emma Mary Kentish, who arrived in Holdfast Bay, Australia aboard the ship "Canton" in 1838 4
Henry Kentish, who arrived in Holdfast Bay, Australia aboard the ship "Canton" in 1838 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Kentish migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Kentish Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

John Kentish, aged 29, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "Oriental" in 1840
Eliza Kentish, aged 29, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "Oriental" in 1840
Mr. John Kentish, (b. 1810), aged 29, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Oriental" arriving in Port Nicholson, Wellington, New Zealand on 31st January 1840 5
Mrs. Kentish, (b. 1810), aged 29, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Oriental" arriving in Port Nicholson, Wellington, New Zealand on 31st January 1840 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Kentish (post 1700) +

John William Kentish (1910-2006), English operatic tenor
Oliver John Kentish (b. 1954), English-born, Icelandic cellist, tutor, and composer
Shomari Kentish (b. 1983), Anguillan football forward
Kieran Kentish (b. 1987), Anguillan international football defender
Rupert Kentish (1914-1979), Australian politician, Member for Arnhem (1974–1977)
David Kentish (1923-1963), British artist, actor and producer, best known as the stage manager for Laurence Olivier in Anthony and Cleopatra (1951)
Esmond Seymour Maurice Kentish (1916-2011), West Indian cricketer

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) CANTON 1838. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1838Canton.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html