150 
M A I 
mnl fairs; Whit Wednefday, Michaelmas-day, and St. 
Andrew’s day. The revenues of the corporation conftft 
chiefly of the tolls of the market and bridge. The prin¬ 
cipal trade of the town is in malt, meal, and timber; and 
the inhabitants derive additional afliflance from the con¬ 
tinual paflage of travellers, for whofe accommodation fe- 
veral inns have been opened. In that part of the town 
which lies within the parifh of Cookham, is a chapel, ex¬ 
empt from epifcopal jurifdidtion ; the minifter is appointed 
by the mayor and bridge-mafters. In this divifion of the 
town is alfo an alms-lioufe for eight poor men and their 
wives, founded and endowed in 1659, by James Smith, efq. 
citizen of London : they are allowed four (hillings a-week, 
and one pound ten (hillings a-year for coals ; alfo a coat 
and gown once in two years. As this is the great tho¬ 
roughfare to Bath, Briltol, and other fouth-weft parts of 
England, the adjacent wood or thicket has been noted for 
many robberies. Here is a gaol both for debtors and 
felons. 
Harehatch is fix miles from Maidenhead on the Bath 
road, and thirty-two from London.—White Waltham is 
three miles from Maidenhead, where have been dug up 
the foundations of buildings, which, from the fize and 
nature of the (tones, are fuppofed to have been Roman. 
MA'IDENHEAD, a frnall neat village of America, in 
Hunterton county, New Jerfey, fituated on the road be¬ 
tween Princeton and Trenton; fix miles from each. 
MA'IDENLY, adj. Like a maid ; gentle, modeft, ti¬ 
morous, decent.—You virtuous afs, and baftiful fool; 
muft you be blufliing ? what a maidenly man at arms are 
you become ? Shakefpeare. 
’Tis not maidenly ; 
Our fex, as well as I, may chide you for it. Shakefpeare. 
MA'IDFORD, a village in Northamptonfliire, north- 
weft of Towcefter. 
MA'IDHAT, a town of Perfia, in the province of Irak: 
fifty-five miles fouth-fouth weft of Dainur. 
MA'IDHOOD, f. Virginity.'—By maidhood, honour, 
every thing, I love thee. Sha/tefpeare's Twe/ftk Night. 
MA'IDHURST, a village in Suflex, north-weft of 
Arundel. 
MAIDSMOR'TON, a village north-weft of Bucking¬ 
ham.—A village in Northamptonfliire, near Market Har- 
borough. 
MA'IDSTONE, a borough and market-town in the 
hundred of that name, and county of Kent. It is beau¬ 
tifully fituated on the banks of the river Medway, whence 
it is fuppofed to have derived its name. The origin of 
this place is wholly uncertain. Camden, and fome others, 
have conlidered it as the Vagniaca of Antoninus, though 
upon very infufficient evidence. A few writers have alfo 
conjectured it to be the Caer Meguiad, or Me gw ad, men¬ 
tioned in Nennius’s Catalogue of Britifli Cities; but this 
opinion is equally doubtful with the former. The Saxons 
named it Medwegefun ; and it occurs in Domefday-book, 
by the appellation Meddejlane ; of which terms its prefent 
name is an eafy and obvious corruption. 
This town is a borough by prefcription, and the capi¬ 
tal of the county of Kent. In ancient times it was go¬ 
verned by a portreve and twelve brethren. Edward VI. 
in the third year of his reign, formed it into a chartered 
corporation, by the ftyle of the “ mayor, jurats, and com¬ 
monalty;” and about the fame time members were firft 
returned from hence to ferve in parliament. Tiiefe privi¬ 
leges were not long afterwards forfeited by the rebellion, 
firft begun in this town by fir Thomas Wyatt, and other 
principal gentlemen of it, in the firft year of queen Mary. 
In this (fate of disfranchifement the town remained till 
queen Elizabeth, by her letters-patent, December 4, in 
her fecond year, again incorporated it with the like ftyle 
as before, and fome other additional privileges,, among 
v. hicli was a confirmation of their ancient prefcriptive 
l ight of fending two burgefles to parliament, the granting 
to the mayor the authority of a juftice of the peace, and 
M A I 
the exempting of the townfmen from foreign feffion-s- 
Some years after, doubts arifing concerning the vali¬ 
dity and meaning of the different parts of the laft-men.- 
tioned letters-patent, a third charter of incorporation was 
granted by James I. by letters-patent dated December 31, 
in his fecond year, anno 1604, by the name and ftyle of 
“ tile mayor, jurats, and commonalty, of the king’s town 
and parifii of Maidftone,” wherein all the privileges of 
the former were confirmed, and new ones granted 'by it. 
After which a fourth charter was likewife granted by the 
fame king, in his feventeenth year, anno 1619. Charles IL 
by letters-patent in his thirty-fourth year, anno 1682, in¬ 
corporated.this town anew, by the like liyle and title as 
the former; which charter was made ufeof in the govern¬ 
ment of this place till the revolution in 1688, after which 
it was entirely laid alide. In the reign of George II. this 
corporation being dilfolved by judgment of oulter againft 
its principal members, upon informations of quo warranto, 
a new charter was granted by that king, by letters-patent 
dated at Weltminfter, June 17, in his twenty-firft year, 
anno 1748 ; in which it is recited, that, divers difputes 
having arifen of late within this town and corporation, 
and informations in nature of quo warranto having been 
profecuted in the King’s Bench, and judgment ot oufter 
obtained againft all the aiding jurats, io that the corpora¬ 
tion was then diffolved, and the town incapable of enjoy¬ 
ing their liberties and franchifes; therefore the king, for 
divers caufes therein mentioned, upon the petition of the 
freemen, freeholders, and other inhabitants, of the king’s 
town and parifii of Maidftone, granted that the town and 
parifh fliould be a free town and parifii of itfelf; and that 
the inhabitants of the lame (hould be one body politic and 
corporate, by the name of “the mayor, jurats, and com¬ 
monalty, of the king’s town and parifii of Maidftone, in 
the county of Kentand by that name to have perpetual 
fucceftion, and to acquire and hold lands, See. and to alien 
the fame, and by the aforementioned name to plead and 
be impleaded; and that they and their fuccefl’ors might 
have a common leal, and might break, change, and new 
make, the fame at their liking; and that the faid town 
and parifh, and the liberties and precinds thereof, fliould 
extend according to the former ancient boundaries there¬ 
of; and that there fliould be thirteen inhabitants of the 
faid town and parifii who fliould be chofen jurats of the 
fame, one of whom fliould be chofen mayor of the king’s 
town and parifh of Maidftone, which jurats, not being in 
the.office of mayor, fliould be afliftants to him in every 
thing; and that there fliould be forty of the remaining 
principal inhabitants chofen common councilmen of the 
fame, all of whom, viz. mayor, jurats, and common coun¬ 
cilmen, fliould have power, upon public fummons, to 
make bye-laws; and that the jurats fliould be elected 
by the mayor, jurats, and common councilmen, duly 
aflembled, and the common councilmen in like man¬ 
ner, with a fine at the diferetion of the faid mayor. 
Sec. for the refufal of thofe offices, any of whom fhould 
be removed by the mayor, Sec. duly aflembled, for any 
fufficient crime or notorious offence; and that the ju¬ 
rats fliould aflemble on the 2d day of November yearly, 
within the faid town, and then nominate two men, then 
being jurats, for the reft of the jurats and commonalty 
then prefent to eledt one out of the two to be mayor; 
and that the l perfon fo chofen (hould take an oath before 
the then laft mayor, or in his abfence the two fenior jurats 
then prefent, for the due execution of his office; and, in- 
cafe of his death, that a fucceffor fhould be chofen in like 
manner; and that the mayor, in cafe of ficknefs or ab¬ 
fence, fliould appoint one of the jurats a deputy-mayor 
for the time aforefaid ; and that the mayor and jurats 
fhould eleft a recorder, to hold his office during their plea- 
fure; and that he fliould have power to make a deputy- 
recorder during his pleafure; and that the mayor, jurats, 
and common council, fliould appoint one or two ferjeants 
at mace, who fliould bear one or two gilt or filver maces, 
engraved with the king’s arms, every-where within the 
3 . faid 
