A View of the Parish

Orpington is, ecclesiastically, in the diocese of Canterbury [from 1860 to 1905 when it was returned to the diocese of Rochester], in the archdeaconry of Maidstone and in the deanery of Dartford.  The church is named All Saints with registers commencing 1560.

Orpington, a village and a parish in Bromley district, Kent.  The village stands adjacent to a station of its own name, on the Direct Tunbridge railway, 4 miles SE of Bromley;  is a pleasant place;  and has a post office under Bromley, Kent, and a fair on Holy Thursday.  The parish contains also the hamlet of Crofton and comprises 3,477 acres.  Real property in 1860, £6,142.  Population in 1851, 1,203;  in 1861, 1,727.  Houses, 320.  The increase of population arose from the operations of a building society.  The property is divided among a few.

The manor of Great Orpington belongs to Sir P. H. Dyke, Bart.;  and that of Little Orpington, to J. G. Stapelton, Esq..  Crofton Hall is the seat of sir R. M. Bromley;  Crofton House, of J. F. Skeggs, Esq.;  Aynscombe House, of A. Jackson, Esq.;  the Priory, of C. Barry, Esq.;  and Bark Hart, of H. D. Francis, Esq..

Hops and all kinds of fruit are plentifully grown.  The springs are so numerous as frequently to flood the village.  Brick making is carried on.

The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Canterbury;  and, till 1868, was united with St. Mary Cray.  Value, £420 with a habitable glebe house.  Patron, the Archbishop of Canterbury.  The church is mainly early English;  includes Norman portions;  and has a low embattled tower.

There are a British school, and charities £39.  Queen Elizabeth was entertained at Bark Hart, in 1573, by Sir P. Hart.¹

¹ John Marius Wilson, comp.  The Imperial Gazatteer of England and Wales. (London, England: A. Fullerton & Co., 1870).

Orpington Bibliography

-- various. 'Archaeologia Cantiana'. Publisher: Kent, England: Kent Archaeological Society, various dates. Volumes 1 through 139 are available to view free on the Kent Archaeological Society website.  . [Note: The following volumes can be found on archive.org: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 (1876), 11, 12, 13 (1880), 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 32, 34, 35, vol. 1907 supplement.]

• General references to Orpington: vol. 10, p. 278; vol. 14, pp. 229, 231, 356; vol. 15, pp. 181, 197, 216, 229; vol. 16, p. 106; vol. 18, p. 279; vol. 20, pp. 16, 20, 65, 164; vol. 22, p. 309; vol. 23, pp. 75, 125, 145; vol. 38, pp. 56, 191
• alms houses vol. 31, p. 197; vol. 75, p. 38; vol. 76, p. lxx
• "Anchor and Hope," vol. 41, p. xlviii.
• Barkhart House vol. 71, pp. 237-240
• Bowen, Mrs. M. vol. 80, p. liv.
• brasses vol. 50, p. 118
• brass of Thomas Wilkynson, vol. 31, p. 150;
• Catholic Church inscriptions vol. 105, p. 254
• chapel vol. 99, p. 111; vol. 119, pp. 295, 296
• Church, All Saints vol. 71, p. 238; vol. 73, p. 1; vol. 124, pp. 52, 58, 59
• church, Anglo-Saxon vol. 81, p. 242
• church vol. 13, pp. 374-381; vol. 23, p. 145; vol. 35, p. 112; vol. 44, p. 52; vol. 59, pp. 5-6; vol. 62, pp. 63-64, 68, 71; vol. 119, pp. 290, 296, 303
• church and priory vol. 12, p. xliii; vol. 14, pp. 145, 163; vol. 73, p. l; vol. 81, p. lx; vol. 82, pp. lvi-lvii; vol. 83, p. lxix; vol. 84, p. l; vol. 85, p. xlix; vol. 86, p. l; vol. 128, p. 50
• churchgoing vol. 128, pp. 344, 345, 346, 355, 356
• church goods, inventory of parish vol. 10, p. 287
• church tower vol. 18, p. 384
• Eldridge, A. vol. 72, p. 211
• Esthall, John de, vol. 80, p. 164
• fines of lands vol. 11, pp. 323-4, 333; vol. 12, p. 303, vol. 13, pp. 292, 307, 320; vol. 14, pp. 250, 279; vol. 15, p. 310; vol. 18, pp. 346, 349
• Hampden, Christopher vol. 119, p. 33
• Historical Record Society vol. 69, p. xxxviii; vol. 60, p. 101; vol. 61, p. xliii; vol. 63, p. xliii;
• swine pasture vol. 76, p. 72
• Horse plague 1795, vol. 87, p. 237
• Hospital, Sevenoaks Road vol. 130, p. 379
• John, V., vol. 40, p. 55
• manor vol. 13, p. 374; vol. 31, p. 2; vol. 74, p. 94; vol. 117, p. 49
• market vol. 117, pp. 91, 94, 99
• non-conformity 1676, vol. 94, p. 68
• old cottages vol. 42, p. xlix
• Open fields vol. 56, p. 55
• rectors vol. 13, pp. 382-4; vol. 119, pp. 295, 303
• Saunders, Anthony and Mrs. L. vol. 72, p. 211
• swine pasture vol. 76, p. 72

Cooper, Robert M., contr.. 'The Literary Guide & Companion to Southern England'. Publisher: Athens, OH: Ohio University Press, 1998.

Great Britain, Public Record Office. 'Calendar of the patent rolls preserved in the Public Record Office--Edward II, Vol. 1. 1307-1313'Each volume has own index. Publisher: Genealogical Society of Utah d.b.a Historical Books on FamilySearch

Great Britain, Public Record Office. 'Calendar of the patent rolls preserved in the Public Record Office--Edward II, Vol. 4 Great Britain. Public Record Office Great Britain - Public records - Inventories, registers, catalogs; Great Britain - History - Plantagenets, 1154-1399 - Sources; Genealogical Society of Utah d.b.a Historical Books on FamilySearch

Great Britain, Public Record Office. 'Calendar of the close rolls preserved in the Public Record Office--Edward III, Vol. 4. 1337-1339'. Publisher: Genealogical Society of Utah d.b.a Historical Books on FamilySearch

Great Britain, Public Record Office. 'Calendar of the patent rolls preserved in the Public Record Office--Edward IV, A.D. 1461-1467'. Publisher: Genealogical Society of Utah d.b.a Historical Books on FamilySearch

Great Britain, Public Record Office. 'Calendar of the close rolls preserved in the Public Record Office--Henry VI, Vol. 5. 1447-1454'. Publisher: Genealogical Society of Utah d.b.a Historical Books on FamilySearch

Great Britain, Public Record Office. 'Calendar of the patent rolls preserved in the Public Record Office--Philip and Mary, Vol. 2. 1554-1555. Publisher: Genealogical Society of Utah d.b.a Historical Books on FamilySearch

Great Britain, Public Record Office. 'Calendar of the patent rolls preserved in the Public Record Office--Philip and Mary', Vol. 3. 1555-1557. Publisher: Genealogical Society of Utah d.b.a Historical Books on FamilySearch

Great Britain, Public Record Office. 'Inquisitions and assessments relating to feudal aids : with other analogous documents preserved in the Public Record Office, A. D. 1284-1431', Vol. 3. Publisher: Genealogical Society of Utah d.b.a Historical Books on FamilySearch; http://www.familysearch.org.

Great Britain, Exchequer. 'The book of fees commonly called testa de nevill, pt. 3'. The Book of fees contains information about the holdings of feudal tenants. Publisher: Genealogical Society of Utah d.b.a Historical Books on FamilySearch; http://www.familysearch.org.

Hall, Hubert, 1857-1944. 'The Red book of the Exchequer - Liber rubeus de Scaccario, Vol. 3'. The Red book of the Exchequer was a register intended to preserve important documents comprising charters, statutes of the realm, public acts (Placita), private deeds and ordinances, correspondence. Publisher: Genealogical Society of Utah d.b.a Historical Books on FamilySearch; http://www.familysearch.org.

Glencross, Reginald Morshead. 'Administrations in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, Vol. 1. 1559-1571'. Publisher: Genealogical Society of Utah d.b.a Historical Books on FamilySearch; https://www.familysearch.org.

Hasted, Edward. 'The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent; Containing the antient and present state of it, civil and ecclesiastical; collected from public records, and other authorities: illustrated with maps, views, antiquities, etc. The second edition, improved, corrected, and continued to the present time'. 12 volumes. Publisher: Canterbury: Printed by W. Bristow, 1797-1801. URL: British History Online

Hussey, Arthur. 'Notes on the churches in the counties of Kent, Sussex, and Surrey, mentioned in Domesday book, and those of more recent date'. Publisher: London J.R. Smith,(1852).

Letters, Dr. Samantha. 'Kent', Gazetteer of Markets and Fairs in England and Wales to 1516 (2005).  URL: British History Online.

Page, William, 1861-1934, ed.. 'The Victoria history of the county of Kent'. Publisher: London: Constable (1908).  URL: British History Online

Sharp, J. E. E. S., ed.. 'Inquisitions Post Mortem, Edward I', Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem, various volumes: Edward I. Published:(1906).  URL: British History Online.

Sharp, J. E. E. S., ed.. 'Inquisitions Post Mortem, Edward II', Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem, various volumes: Edward II. Published:(1910).  URL: British History Online.

Sharp, J. E. E. S., ed.. 'Inquisitions Post Mortem, Edward III', Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem, various volumes: Edward III. Published:(1938).  URL: British History Online.

Sharp, J. E. E. S., ed.. 'Inquisitions Post Mortem, Henry III', Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem, various volumes: Henry III. Published:(1904).  URL: British History Online.

Kirby, J. L., ed.. 'Inquisitions Post Mortem, Henry IV', Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem, various volumes: Henry IV. Published:(1992).  URL: British History Online.

Kirby, J. L., ed.. 'Inquisitions Post Mortem, Henry V', Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem, various volumes: Henry V. Published:(1995).  URL: British History Online.

Cyril Flower, M. C. B. Dawes and A. C. Wood, ed.. 'Inquisitions Post Mortem, Henry VII', Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem, various volumes: Henry VII. Published:(1955).  URL: British History Online.

M. C. B. Dawes, H. C. Johnson, M. M. Condon, C. A. Cook and H. E. Jones, ed.. 'Inquisitions Post Mortem, Richard II', Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem, various volumes: Richard II. Published:(1988).  URL: British History Online.

Location of Records

The following list of records is not intended to be exhaustive.  There are many records that are awaiting discovery in archive offices throughout Kent and England.  This list is intended only to set out those records that are available via at least two relatively easy-to-access avenues.  If you have used or discover a record that would be of benefit to other researchers, that is not on this list, please send me an email with the details of the archive - name, address and archival call number.

Census | Church of England | Non-Conformist | Parish chest | Workhouse and Poor Law | Land | Assizes and Sessions | School

Census

Church Records, Church of England

Church Records, Non-Conformist

Parish chest records

Workhouse and Poor Law Records

Land Records

Assizes and Sessions Records
(poor laws, jail terms, oaths, and other municipal and public records)

School Records