KEN 
George I. and the late king. Thefe monarchs (George I. 
excepted, who died at Hanover) all expired within its 
walls, as did prince George of Denmark, queen Anne’s 
confort, in 1703. During the prefent reign, Kenfington 
has been forfaken by the royal family ; though indeed 
lately it has been fitted up for the occafional residence of 
the princefs of Wales, and her mother, the duchefs of 
Brunfwick’, who fought an afylum in this country from 
the commotions on the continent; and the duke of Kent 
had alfo apartments here. 
Holland-houfe, the ancient manfion-houfe of the manor 
of Abbot’s Kenfington, is in the parifti of Kenfington, 
having from the public road a moll venerable and inter- 
efting appearance. It takes its name from Henry Rich, 
earl of Holland ; was built by his father-in-law, fir Wal¬ 
ter Cope, in 1607, and affords a very good fpecimen of 
the architecture of that period. The celebrated Addifon 
became pofieffed of this venerable manfion, in 1716, by 
his intermarriage with Charlotte countefs dowager of 
Warwick and Holland. Here was the fcene of his laft mo¬ 
ments, and of his affecting interview with his fon-in-law 
(communicated to the world by Dr. Edward Young) the 
earl of Warwick, to whom he had been tutor, and whofe 
licentioufnefs of manners he had anxioufly, but in vain; 
endeavoured to reprels. On the death of this young no¬ 
bleman, in 1721, unmarried, his eltates devolved to the 
father of the prefent lord Kenfington, (maternally de- 
fcended from Robert Rich, earl of Warwick,) who fold 
Holland-houfe, in 1762, to Henry Fox. Here was born 
the late C. J. Fox, uncle of the prefent proprietor, lord 
Holland. A gallery, which occupies the whole length of 
the weft wing, about 118 feet, is ornamented with por¬ 
traits of the Lenox, Fox, and Digby, families. 
KEN'SINGTON, a townfhip of United America, in 
Rockingham county, New Hampfhire; about fix miles 
fouth of Exeter, eight north of Newbury Port, and twenty 
from Portfmouth. It was incorporated in 1737; and con¬ 
tained, in 1790, eight hundred inhabitants. 
KEN'SINGEN. See Kentzingen. 
KENT, one of the counties of England, fituated at the 
fouth-eaft corner of the ifland, and from thence enjoying 
many advantages. The capacious ceftuaryof the Thames 
wafhes its northern parts, as the fea does the fouth-eall; 
whence fome, with no great impropriety, have ftyled it a 
feninfula. In point of extent, this is the fifth (hire in 
South Britain, little lefs in its dimenfions than the pro¬ 
vince of Holland ; larger in fize than the duchy of Juliers 
in Germany; and almoft exaftly equal to that of Modena 
in Italy. Kent is, with great appearance of truth, fup- 
pofed to be fo ftyled from the ancient Britifli word kant , 
fignifying a corner, or, when applied to a country, a head¬ 
land. It is certain, that the Romans beftowed the name 
of Cantium on the province, and on its molt confpicuous 
promontory the North Foreland ; and from the diftrift 
they inhabited, the people were called Cantii ; which has 
prevailed even to our times, when Kent, and the men of 
Kent, are the common appellatives. It is however proba¬ 
ble, that thefe Cantii were not the original inhabitants, 
but a later colony from the oppofite continent, eftabliftied 
here, like the Belgae, not long before the Roman invafion. 
At the time of Caefar’s coming, this fpacious and fertile 
region was divided into four principalities, or, as they 
are, according to the manners of thofe days, commonly 
called, kingdoms. It was his obfervation of thefe people, 
that they were particularly diftinguifhed by their civility 
and politenefs ; a character which their defcendants have 
preferved. When that people became mafters of the 
fouthern parts of the ifland, this province received the 
moft confpicuous marks of their attention, as appears from 
the Rations which they fo prudently eftablifhed, while 
their government flourifhed in its full vigour. The care 
they took of the ports on the fea-coaft as foon as it came 
to be in danger, and the feveral fortreffes which they 
eredted for the defence of their fubjedts againft the fud- 
den- attempts of barbarous invaders, are evidences of the 
KEN 67 \ 
fame kind. Thefe forts, fo prudently difpofed, and fo 
well fecured, were under the direction of a particular 
great officer, called Littoris Stixonici Comes, i. e. the Count 
of the Saxon Shore ; which office feems to have been pre¬ 
ferved by the Britifti monarchs who governed here, after 
the Romans quitted the i(le. The Saxon kings of Kent 
difcharged this truft in their legal capacity, from the mid¬ 
dle of the fifth to the beginning of the ninth century. 
Under the northern princes this polt was again revived, 
though with a change of title, in the Lord Warden of the 
Cinque Ports. Indeed, under all governments, the people 
of Kent have been efpecially conlidered; as appears from 
their claim to the poft of honour in our land-armies, and 
the privileges granted to their havens, in confideration of 
their undertaking the defence of our channel. 
As to the climate of this county, it varies according to 
the iituation of places. In the low flat lands, and eVpe- 
cially in the marlhes, the air is heavy, moift, and un¬ 
healthy ; and yet not to fucn a degree as it has been 
fcmetimes reprefented; for, with a little care and caution, 
ftrangers, as well as natives, quickly reconcile their con- 
llitutions to the temperature even of thefe parts, and live 
in them without much inconvenience or apparent dan¬ 
ger. But, in reference to the reft of the county, the air 
is as thin, pure, and wholefome, as in any part of Eng¬ 
land. There is no region more happily or more beauti- 
full}' diverfified in regard to foil, fo that every kind there¬ 
of is, fomewhere or other, to be met within its bounds; 
and in no lhire are any of thefe foils more fertile than 
they are in this. The Weald yields variety of fine-tim¬ 
ber, particularly of chefnut; the middle part has very rich; 
arable land, annually bearing every fpecies of grain in 
immenfe plenty, and thefe excellent in their feveral forts. 
There are alfo many beautiful orchards, which produce a 
variety of fine fruits, and more efpecially apples and 
cherries, which were introduced here from Flanders by 
one Richard Harris, who was the king’s fruiterer, in the 
reign of Henry VIII. The flat country is renowned for 
its meadows ; and Rumney-marfti has hardly its equal. 
We may from this concife defcription very eafily collect, 
that the natural products of Kent are numerous, and of 
great value. In the bowels of the earth they find, in fe¬ 
veral places, a rough hard ferviceable (tone-for paving, 
which turns to fome advantage ; but not fo much as theis? 
exquifite fullers’-earth, rich marl, and fine chalk, which 
are there in abundance. If we except iron-ore, indeed 
they have no mines; but there are prodigious heaps of 
copperas-ftones thrown on the coaft. The Ifte of Shep- 
pey, and all the adjacent (bore as far as Reculver, is juftly 
famous for its wheat. Thanet is in no lefs credit for its 
barley, or rather was fo ; for now it produces, through 
the painful induftry and (kilful hulbandry of its inhabi¬ 
tants, copious crops of good wheat as well as barley. 
Horfes, black cattle, and Iheep, they have in great num¬ 
bers, and remarkable in point of fize ; and hop-grounds 
in all parts of the county, which turn to very confidera- 
ble account. To which we may add weld, or as fome 
call it dyers' weed, which is a very profitable commodity, 
and of which there grows much in the neighbourhood of 
Canterbury ; alfo madder, which is, or has been, occa- 
fionally cultivated. The rivers and fea-coafts abound 
with fi(h of different kinds. The excellency of its oyfters 
on the eaftern fhores is celebrated by the Roman poets. 
Thofe of Feverfliam and Milton are not only in great 
efteem at the London market, but are likewife lent in 
great quantities to Holland. 
The many rich commodities produced in this county, 
is the reafon why moft of our writers have reprefented it 
as in a manner void of manufactures ; which, how'ever, 
as appears upon a ftriCt and impartial examination, is very 
far from being the cafe. Of iron-works there were an¬ 
ciently many ; and there are ftill fome, where, kettles, 
bombs, bullets, cannon, and fuch like, are made. At 
Deptford, fir Nicholas Crifpe.had in his life-time a very 
famous copperas-work ; as, indeed, there that ingenious 
j gentleman, 
