Kent County, area 2,458 km² (949 sq mi) is a historic county in the Canadian province of

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

. The county was created in 1792 and named by

John Graves Simcoe John Graves Simcoe (25 February 1752 – 26 October 1806) was a British Army general and the first lieutenant governor of Upper Canada from 1791 until 1796 in southern Ontario and the watersheds of Georgian Bay and Lake Superior. He founded Yor ...

in honour of the English

County A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

. The county is in an alluvial plain between Lake St. Clair, and

Lake Erie Lake Erie ( "eerie") is the fourth largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also h ...

, watered by two

navigable A body of water, such as a river, canal or lake, is navigable if it is deep, wide and calm enough for a water vessel (e.g. boats) to pass safely. Such a navigable water is called a ''waterway'', and is preferably with few obstructions against di ...

streams, the

Thames River The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

and the Sydenham River. On January 1, 1998, the county, its townships, towns, and Chatham were amalgamated into the single-tier city of Chatham-Kent.

Original townships

Camden

Area: . Camden Township was conceded by treaty in 1790, and the Gore was surrendered by treaty in 1819. Surveyed in 1794 and named from the Earl of Camden. Also referred to earlier as Camden Township and Gore, and in the 1861 census as Camden & Gore Township. Containing some of the best farmland in Ontario, the township was originally parcelled as a grid with Concessions 1 to 7 running north-westward, Lots 1 to 18 running north-eastward and Concession A along the road to Thamesville.Southwestern Ontario Digital Archive: Map Of Camden Township 1882
Accessed 25 Dec 2021. The Gore of Camden is a rectangular section of land in the north and northwest area of the township. The Camden Gore contains Concessions 1 to 14 running eastward and Lots 1 to 10 running northward. The Gore was variously administered by Lambton and Kent counties as the population changed and road improvements were made.Ontario Heritage: Kent County Townships
Accessed 25 Dec 2021. Community centres:

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label= Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth ...

, Thamesville

Chatham

Area: Chatham Township was conceded by treaty in 1790, and the Gore was conceded by treaty in 1796. Surveyed in 1794. Also referred to earlier as Chatham Township and Gore. The township was originally parcelled as a grid with Concessions 1 to 19 running north-westward and Lots 1 to 25 running north-eastward.McGill University Library: Map of Chatham Township, Kent County
Accessed 25 Dec 2021. The Gore of Chatham is a rectangular piece of land in the north-northwest of the township. The Chatham Gore contains four Concessions running northward and 25 Lots running eastward. The Gore was variously administered by Lambton and Kent counties as the population changed and road improvements were made. Community centres: City of Chatham,

Wallaceburg Wallaceburg ( 2016 population 10,098) is an unincorporated community in the municipality of Chatham-Kent in Southern (Southwestern) Ontario, Canada. Originally a small settlement, it was recognized for its significant contribution to the lumber ...

Dover

Area: . Dover Township was named after

Dover, England Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maidston ...

. It was surveyed in 1794 and incorporated in 1850. Within the boundaries of Dover along the Chenail Ecarté of the river St. Clair is the site of Lord Selkirk's Baldoon Settlement, established in 1803. Community centres: Mitchell's Bay, Grande Pointe, Dover Centre and Pain Court

Harwich

Area: . Surveyed in 1794 and named from the English port at the mouth of the Thames. A resident of Harwich, Valintine Zimmer, co-founded with friends of the same nationality the German Concession of Harwich. Community centres: Blenheim, Erieau, Erie Beach, Shrewsbury

Howard

Area: . Surveyed in 1794 and named after Thomas Howard, Earl of Effingham, father-in-law of Sir Guy Carleton. Community centres:

Morpeth Morpeth may refer to: *Morpeth, New South Wales, Australia ** Electoral district of Morpeth, a former electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in New South Wales * Morpeth, Ontario, Canada * Morpeth, Northumberland, England, UK ** Morpeth (UK ...

Ridgetown Ridgetown is a community located in south-east Chatham-Kent, Ontario, Canada. It is home to the University of Guelph Ridgetown Campus. It has a 2021 population of 2,797 and is one of many small farming communities in Chatham-Kent. The town mott ...

Orford

Area: . Surveyed in 1794 and named from the English port of Orford, Suffolk. Community centres:

Highgate Highgate ( ) is a suburban area of north London at the northeastern corner of Hampstead Heath, north-northwest of Charing Cross. Highgate is one of the most expensive London suburbs in which to live. It has two active conservation organisat ...

Raleigh

Area: . Surveyed in 1794. Likely named for

Walter Raleigh Sir Walter Raleigh (; – 29 October 1618) was an English statesman, soldier, writer and explorer. One of the most notable figures of the Elizabethan era, he played a leading part in English colonisation of North America, suppressed rebelli ...

. Community centres: Charing Cross

Romney

Area: , Surveyed in 1794. Named for the Kentish port in England. Community centres: Wheatley

Tilbury East

Area: . Surveyed in 1794, named for the English Tilbury fort in Essex. Community centres: Merlin,

Tilbury Tilbury is a port town in the borough of Thurrock, Essex, England. The present town was established as separate settlement in the late 19th century, on land that was mainly part of Chadwell St Mary. It contains a 16th century fort and an ancie ...

Zone

Area: . Separated from Orford in 1821 to provide a special organizational district, "the zone", for the Indians of the Moravian Mission on the Thames. Community centres: Bothwell

Municipalities (as of 1997)

* Town of Chatham: County Seat, largest population centre in the county. * Town of Blenheim: Incorporated in 1885. * Town of Bothwell: Incorporated in 1867. * Town of

: Incorporated in 1882. * Town of

: Incorporated in 1875. * Town of

: Incorporated as Village of Tilbury Centre in 1887 and Town of Tilbury in 1910. * Town of

: Incorporated as a village in 1875 and a town in 1896. * Village of Erie Beach * Village of Erieau * Village of

* Village of Thamesville * Village of Wheatley * Township of Camden * Township of Chatham * Township of Dover * Township of Harwich * Township of Howard * Township of Orford * Township of Raleigh * Township of Romney * Township of Tilbury East * Township of Zone

Notable residents

* W. B. George (1899–1972), president of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association and agriculturalist at Kemptville Agricultural School, was born in Highgate in Orford Township.