News The Search for Maidstone’s Oldest Family, and ‘What Maidstone means to us.’
Maidstone Museum is undertaking an exciting redevelopment of its Local History Gallery and is looking to find the oldest family, with its roots based in the borough, to be a part of the new permanent exhibition.
Launching on Monday 17 March 2025, a competition has been opened in partnership with the Kent Family History Society (KFHS) to find the family who can trace their descendants to the earliest point in Maidstone’s history. It will close on Tuesday 1 July.
In addition to the competition, all residents are invited to submit short quotes about what making home in Maidstone means to them, however long they may have been part of this community, and these messages will form part of the gallery’s design. Quotes must be a maximum of 30 words and be submitted to MuseumEvents@Maidstone.gov.uk by Wednesday 30 April, with a full name and post code included.
To enter the ‘Oldest Family’ competition, entrants are asked to search through their archives, including family trees, online research, birth and death certificates, and any other relevant documents, and complete an application form which can be found on the Maidstone Museum website.
Completed entry forms and supporting evidence can be emailed to MuseumEvents@Maidstone.gov.uk or delivered to the Museum’s letter box at the entrance opposite Fremlin Walk bandstand, or dropped into the main Reception during opening hours.
After the competition has closed, a panel of KFHS experts will review the entries to determine the family with the longest recorded history in Maidstone. The shortlisted entrants will be invited to the re-opening the gallery, and the winner will be revealed. Maidstone’s oldest family will be immortalised in the gallery with a beautifully crafted wooden handheld information board which will detail the competition and their lineage.
Cllr Stephen Thompson, Maidstone Borough Council (MBC) Cabinet Member for Healthier Stronger Communities, commented on the competition, saying:
The search for Maidstone’s oldest family is a wonderful way to celebrate our borough’s rich history and the people that have played an important role in shaping our borough as we know it today. Here is an exciting opportunity to dig through the family archives and I encourage everyone to share their finds with the Museum team!
There will also be workshops at the Museum to come and meet KFHS, who have generously given their time, and will be available to access databases and support entrants in furthering their research. These workshops are open to everyone who wants to learn more about their family history. The workshops will be available to drop-in on:
- Tuesday 8 April, 11am to 3pm
- Saturday 12 April, 11am-3pm
- Saturday 19 April, 11am-3pm
Supported by a generous donation by The William and Edith Oldham Charitable Trust, the Local History Gallery will re-open in Summer 2025 as ‘The Oldham Gallery’.
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