General Chat

Hi All,

I have a memory of being confirmed by the Archbishop of Canterbury (Michael Ramsey at the time) in the late '60s, but I don't know if it is possible to track down the record or even the location. It wasn't at my home parish church, but at a church in a village somewhere to the south or south-east of Sittingbourne in Kent. Probably between 1966-69. Is there a way to track down this information? Most records I can find online only go up to 1913 or 1923.

Cheers,
Grahame.

I think you would need to know which church it was, then their record of services books could be checked.
Each church keeps a book listing regular services, etc. and baptisms, weddings and burials and probably confirmations would be listed there.

Whether individual candidates names would be listed within those pages, I can't say, but maybe your home parish church at the time could tell you which church was used for the service and maybe kept a record of their own parish candidates.

There are quite a lot of churches in the Sittingbourne area.

https://www.canterburydiocese.org/acny#Sittingbourne

I remember it being a fair journey from Upchurch along the A2 and out the other side of Sittingbourne before heading south - it may have been late/early in the year too, as I think it was dark on the way back. I remember being told by our vicar, Rev Bradshaw, to be in Scout uniform as Dr Ramsey was keen on scouting. As for the rest, I don't remember that much now. I live quite way from the area now and about to extend that distance too.

One of the following links might be useful.

https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/a?_ref=105

https://canterburypress.hymnsam.co.uk/books/9781853119392/confirmation-register

Sorry, I don't know that part of Kent.

Maybe other Kent folk will recognise your description.

Hi AndysMum - Thanks for the links. I've looked through those sites already but didn't get any useful information. The book in the second link doesn't give any information or way to view any sample pages to see what its scope is. I suppose without knowing the date or location it was always going to be a big ask. :-)

Grahame, look up where Michael Ramsey served and you may find out whether you were within his remit at the time of your confirmation.

Would local papers report on the visit of an Archbishop of Canterbury?

Each Church keeps a register of confirmations with a list of names, similar to a Baptism register. Confirmations are often done en masse at 1 Church, possibly on rotation, so candidates are not necessarily confirmed at their Parish Church, but at a local one, almost certainly in the same Diocese and Deanery.

I'd start by asking at my Parish Church, they might have some records of some sort.

Thanks for your input everyone. I've found the website for my local (at the time) church, so I'll try emailing them first to see if they have the records.

To JoyLouise - he was the Archbishop of Canterbury at the time, so his remit was the whole Anglican Church, second only to the Queen. I think that Upchurch and wherever it was that I was confirmed were also within the Diocese of Canterbury anyway.