Two miles south-east of Margate lies the coastal area known as St Peter’s-in-Thanet. The local beaches are known for their white cliffs, where fossils and rock pools can be seen at low tide. The parish has a rich history extending dozens of generations. Do you have ancestors from St Peter’s-in-Thanet?

A Brief Description of the Parish

The parish of St Peter’s historically comprised of the village by its name, along with Broadstairs, Kingsgate, and 22 hamlets (The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland, published 1868, later transcribed by Colin Hinson). Nowadays, the parish is known as Broadstairs and St Peter’s.

The population of St Peter’s in 2011 was 24,903— a massive growth since the 19th century. The 1861 census reported 2,855 inhabitants, a drop from the 2,975 ten years earlier.

By 1868, the parish had national schools for boys and girls. An almshouse for the aged poor had been presented to the parish by Mrs. Nuckell in 1837. By 1868, both the Baptists and Wesleyans had their own places of worship.

The Environment

“The lands open and uninclosed, the soil a dry chalk, with frequent hill and dale interspersed throughout it… surrounded with trees, which is rather uncommon in these parts… bounded by the high chalk cliffs on the sea shore towards the north and east.”
—The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent: Volume 10 (originally published 1800 by W. Bristow, Canterbury)

The soil was valuable for farming, ideal for cultivating potatoes, grapes, canary, radish and spinach seeds (The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland, published 1868, later transcribed by Colin Hinson).

Broadstairs

Broadstairs, also known as Bradstow, had a population of about 90 families in 1800. A valuable description is provided by The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent: Volume 10, originally published by W. Bristow in 1800.

This book informs us that the sea played an important role in the lives of locals. The population was chiefly employed in the Iceland cod fishery. Fishermen made a considerable trade from cod liver oil, which they stored in casks.

The harbour at Broadstairs was well-situated, providing shelter to smaller ships during harsh weather.

The locals at Broadstairs enjoyed bathing in the sea, without the inconvenience of overcrowdedness.

A Brief History

By 1800, many Brass coins had been found on a cliff near Broadstairs, uncovered by rain and frost. These coins have been dated to Roman times, however they are so worn and damaged that it is difficult to identify them specifically.

In the 5th century, Hengist and Horsa landed nearby St Peter’s. These two brothers were legendary leaders of the first Anglo-Saxons in Britain.

In 1563, the population of St Peter’s (the parish) comprised 186 households.

In 1683, King Charles II landed in this parish. Thereafter, Bartholomew’s Gate became known as Kingsgate.

In the 1840s, the town was visited often by Charles Dickens. Tablets have been placed to mark the houses associated with him.

The next two subheadings describe other intriguing events that occurred in this parish.

The “Monstrous Fish”

In 1574, near Broadstairs, “a monstrous fish”, likely a whale, was beached on the sand. Due to lack of water, the creature died the next day. While it was alive, its “roaring” was said to have been heard from more than a mile away. The History and Topographical Survey (1800) also preserves the following description:

• “His length, says Kilburne, was twenty-two yards”
• “The nether jaw opening twelve feet”
• “One of his eyes was more than a cart and six horses could draw; a man stood upright in the place from whence his eye was taken”
• “The thickness from his back to the top of his belly (which lay upwards) was fourteen feet; his tail of the same breadth”
• “The distance between his eyes was twelve feet”
• “Three men stood upright in his mouth”
• “Some of his ribs were fourteen feet long”
• “His tongue was fifteen feet long”
• “His liver was two cart loads”
• “A man might creep into his nostril”

Whether or not any of these descriptions are exaggerated is unknown, but in any case the creature must have been quite impressive.

The History and Topographical Survey (1800) also reported that some years prior, four “whales, or monstrous large fish,” had been towed ashore by fishermen. One had been found floating in the sea dead. One of the four was likely the 61-foot spermaceti whale beached in 1762.

The Hackingdown Banks

The History and Topographical Survey (1800) also describes “two large barrows, or banks of earth,” situated near the cliffs not far from Kingsgate. Tradition told that these banks were the graves of English and Danish soldiers killed in a battle, the larger mound being that of the Danes, who were defeated.

This tradition likely refers to the battle that took place in 853 CE, when a considerable Danish force attempted to invade the island and were attacked by the English. As the battle took place so close to the sea, some soldiers were pushed in and drowned.

In 1743, the larger bank was opened as hundreds of observers looked on. The History and Topographical Survey (1800), quoted earlier, explains: “Several graves were discovered, cut out of the solid chalk and covered with flat stones; they were not more than three feet long, in an oblong oval form, and the bodies seem to have been thrust into them almost double; a deep trench was dug in the middle, and the bodies laid on each side of it; two of the skulls were covered with wood-coals and ashes.

“The skeletons seem to have been of men, women, and children, and by the smallness of the latter, these were conjectured to have been unborn. Three urns made of very coarse black earth, not half burnt, one of them holding near half a bushel, were found with them, which crambled into dust on being exposed to the air. The bones were rather of a large size, and for the most part perfectly found.”

The smaller bank was opened in 1765. The excavation showed similar findings to the previous, but no urns were uncovered. 

Genealogical Records Available for St-Peter’s-in-Thanet

Forebears.io provides an extensive list, including parish registers, census records, historical newspapers, wills, court records, land tax assessments, and other resources. Access via this link.

A valuable collection of transcribed wills is available on Kent Genealogy, a site created by Maureen Rawson. This site also includes links to other resources, and is well-worth a search!

The Kent Archaeological Society (KAS) has provided an extensive collection of wills from medieval and Tudor times. Access via this link. It might also be worth checking their list of exchequer pipe rolls. Access via this link.

And don’t forget Google! Try searching the name of your ancestor in quotation marks to see exact results from various sites. If adding the keyword “St Peter’s” still produces too many irrelevant search results, it might be better to trade it for “Thanet” instead. For example: “Stephen Norwood” Thanet, or “Ed Bayley” Thanet. Patience might be required, but you never know what you could find!