Maidstone’s Oldest Family Competition

Mon 17th Mar 2025 to Tue 1st Jul 2025 - All Day

As part of our exciting Local History Gallery redevelopment, we are thrilled to announce a competition where we’re seeking the Oldest Family in Maidstone! We invite you to delve into your family archives and uncover the longest record of your family’s presence in Maidstone. Could your family be the oldest in our town?

Competition Details:

Opening Date: March 17, 2025

Closing Date: July 1, 2025

How to Enter:

Research: Search through your family archives, including family trees, online research, birth and death certificates, and any other relevant documents.

Submit: Send an email with the below application form and copies of your findings to museumevents@maidstone.gov.uk, or drop-off a package with copies of documents to the Museum. Our letter box is situated at the entrance opposite the Fremlin Walk band-stand. Alternatively, you can drop-off documents to the Maidstone Museum reception from 10am to 4pm Wednesdays to Saturdays.

Review: A panel of experts will carefully review and ratify the submitted documents to determine the family with the longest recorded history in Maidstone.

Workshops:

Kent Family History Society will hold three workshops where they will be able to access databases and support you in furthering your research. The workshops are open to everyone wanting to learn more about their family history, and they can signpost you to country-specific databases should you have family members outside of the UK. The workshops will be on:

Tuesday 8^th April, 11am-3pm

Saturday 12 April, 11am-3pm

Saturday 19^th April, 11am-3pm

Feel free to drop into these workshops to chat with a member of the Society.

Criteria:

• Submissions must include verifiable documents such as family trees, birth and death certificates, and any other relevant historical records.
• All documents should clearly indicate the connection to Maidstone and the duration of your family’s presence in the town.
• Due to changes since the Charter of Maidstone regarding the town boundary, applicants must prove residence within the current Maidstone borough boundary. This means we will honour applications from areas that might not have historically been part of Maidstone, but is so today. Please find a map below for confirmation.

Prize:

The winning family will be immortalised in our Local History Gallery with a beautifully crafted wooden handheld information board. This board will detail the competition and the lineage of the winning family, ensuring their place in Maidstone’s rich history. Those shortlisted will be invited to the launch of the Local History Gallery to unveil the winner in July 2025.

Join us in celebrating our town’s heritage and uncovering the stories of Maidstone’s oldest families. We can’t wait to see what you discover!

For more information, please contact museumevents@maidstone.gov.uk