Kent Place-Names Research Group

If you have an interest in the history and origins of place-names in Kent, we invite you to join our Group. The Kent Place-Names Group is dedicated to gathering, researching, and organising place-names found throughout Kent, and in doing so to contribute to the Survey of Kent Place-Names which is being conducted by its editor, Dr Paul Cullen. Paul is the Academic Advisor to the Group.

Some Background

A committee dedicated to supporting the survey of Kent place-names can be traced back to the 1930s. Its current incarnation, as a committee (now a Special Interest Group) of the Kent Archaeological Society, began in around 1997. Its terms of reference charged it ‘to promote and engage in the study of place-names in the ancient county of Kent, and to co-operate and consult with others in the field such as the English Place-Name Society’.

Dr Cullen is currently preparing a six-volume study of Kent Place-Names for publication by the EPNS in its County Surveys series. In recent years the Group has been active in supporting Paul in his work, by collecting spellings, inputting legacy transcriptions of name spellings, and having regular meetings twice yearly, in early Spring and early Autumn, to discuss progress.

It has in addition organised a popular biennial conference. This latter included papers on place-names, surnames and other types of names. Owing to recent losses of members, we decided we were unable to organise such a conference this year. We would now welcome new members to breath fresh life into the Group and are open to suggestions as to where it might concentrate its efforts in the future.

Next Steps

If you are interested in joining the group, or would like more information, we invite you to contact us at:

placenames@kentarchaeology.org.uk

You can find details of our recent activities at:

www.kentarchaeology.org.uk/news/tag/Place+Names+Research+Group

And finally, we intend to hold a virtual meeting for interested parties, at which they can hear about our work and ask any questions they might have. This will probably be in the summer, on a date to be announced.

[fg]jpg|Join us in supporting Kent place-names research.|Image[/fg]

All images courtesy of the Place Names Group, Kent Archaeological Society, 2026.