MAIDSTONE. 
faid town and parifh, before the mayor. And whereas 
queen Elizabeth, by her letters-patent, December 4, in 
her fecond year, granted to the faid mayor. See. one mar¬ 
ket within the faid town on a Thurfday, weekly, with all 
tolls, cuftoms, and other profits; and alfo four fairs in the 
faid town, viz. one from noon on April 30th to noon on 
May ad; another at noon on the eve of the fealt of St. 
Edmund the King and Martyr to noon on the morrow af¬ 
ter the faid fealt; another at noon on the eve of the feaft: 
of St. Faith until the noon on the morrow of the faid feaft; 
and the other on the noon of the feaft of Purification un¬ 
til the noon of the morrow of the faid feaft ; with all tolls, 
tributes, profits, &c. and a pie-powder court to be held 
in the fame fairs and markets;—and whereas king James, 
by his letters-patent, December 31, in his fecond year, re¬ 
granted and confirmed the markets and fairs, and other 
liberties and privileges granted as aforefaid ; and by other 
letters-patent, July 28, in his feventeenth year, did ratify 
and confirm the laid markets, fairs, courts of pie-powder, 
tributes, cuftoms, tolls, See. and further granted, that it 
fhould be lawful for the faid mayor to extend the market 
beyond the place called the market-place, or to hold it in 
any other place within the faid town : therefore the king, 
being willing to Ihow further grace and favour to the 
mayor, &c. ratified and confirmed the faid markets, fairs, 
courts, Sec. and granted them to the mayor, Sec. and their 
fucceffors, de novo ; and that the mayor, jurats, and com¬ 
monalty, fhould nominate, elect, and admit, any perfon 
or perfons, being inhabitants of the town and parifh, free¬ 
men of the fame; and that the recorder, deputy-recorder, 
jurats, common councilmen, and freemen, fhould feverally 
make oath before the mayor and jurats for the due exe¬ 
cution of their office, as had been accultomed ;—and 
whereas queen Elizabeth, by her letters-patent, did grant 
to the mayor and jurats and commonalty, full power to 
hold a court before the mayor in the faid town, from four¬ 
teen days to fourteen days, on a Tuefday, for pleas, as 
well of affife of novel dijfeifn, as other pleas, actions, fuits, 
Sec. concerning lands, Sec. in the faid town and parifh, 
al'though they fhould or fhould not exceed the fum of 
forty (hillings ; and did grant that the faid town and parilh, 
and the liberties of the tame, fhould extend themfelves by 
the water of Medway from Eaft Farleigh-bridge unto 
Hawkwood, as in the faid letters-patent more fully ap¬ 
peared ; and whereas the water of Medway between the 
faid bridge and Hawkwood flowed by and through the 
faid town and parifh of MakMtone, and by and through 
the feveral towns of Eaft Farleigh, Harming, Loze, Boxley, 
Allington, and by certain ftreets called Milhale and New- 
hythe in the parifh of Eaft Mailing, in the county of Kent: 
and the town and parifh of Maidftone, extending itfelf 
promifcuoufly in, by, and through, the town of Loze and 
Linton, and beyond ; and alfo by the faid towns of Eaft 
Farleigh, Banning, and Boxley, and by the town ot Otham, 
according to certain information given : the king, intend¬ 
ing to put into certainty, and to limit into what parifh, 
towns, hamlets, &c. and how far the liberties and jurif- 
diffions of the mayor. Sec. of the faid town and pariffi 
fhould reach and extend, as to the hearing and determin¬ 
ing pleas in the faid court, granted and declared, that the 
liberties of the fame, and the jurifdiftion of the mayor. 
Sec. fhould extend only as to the cognizance and deter¬ 
mination of aftions and replevins, and to no other intent 
and-purpofe, into, by, and through, the faid towns and 
parifhes of Eaft Banning, Loze, Boxley, Allington, Mil- 
hale, Newhythe, Linton, and Otham; and that, for the 
better executing the faid actions, they might make and 
execute all attachments and legal procefles into and 
through all the faid parifhes, ftreets, Sec. —and whereas 
queen Elizabeth granted that the inhabitants of the faid 
town and parifh fhould be exempted from ferving on ju¬ 
ries and inquifitions, except in the town of Maidftone; 
the king therefore granted and confirmed, that the faid 
inhabitants fhould not be impannelled on any juries or 
inquifitions whatfoever, without the.laid town and.parifh 
im 
and that the mayor and recorder, and three fenior jurats, 
during their offices, fhould be juftices of the peace within 
the faid town and pariffi; and that no juftice of the county 
fhould in any wife intermeddle within the faid town and 
parifh ; which mayor, recorder, and three jurats, aforefaid, 
fhould take an oath before the reft of the jurats for the 
due execution of their office; and the mayor, recorder, 
and three jurats, as aforefaid, or any three of them, of 
whom the mayor and recorder to be two, fhould hear and 
determine all trefpaftes and mifdemeanors within the town 
and parifh, as the juftices of the county were ufed to do, or 
any two or more of them can or may do, as well in and out 
of their feffions, by the king’s commiffion, fo that they ne- 
verthelefs in no wife pretended to the determining of any 
treafon or felony, or any other offence touching the lqfs 
of life or member, without the king’s fpecial mandate in 
that behalf; and that the mayor, jurats, and common¬ 
alty, fhould receive all fines, forfeitures, and hide of jurors 
for non-appearance, and the like for trefpaftes, Sec. before 
the faid juftices within the faid town and parifh; and 
that the mayor for the time being fhould be coroner within 
the faid town and parifn, and fhould make oath before 
the laft mayor, or, on his death, &c. before two or more, 
of the jurats, of the due execution of his office; and that 
no coroner for the county enter within the faid tow n and 
and pariffi, Sec. and he granted to the faid mayor, Sec. 
all waifs, eftreats, fines, forfeitures, goods and chattels 
of felons and fugitives, Sec. before granted by the faid 
letters-patent of queen Elizabeth, and to the faid mayor 
all return of writs, Sec. within the faid town and parifh ; 
fo that the flieriff, coroner, or efeheator, or other the king’s 
minifters, in no wife intermeddle within the laid town 
and parifh ; and that the mayor, jurats, and commonalty* 
fhouid have and enjoy to their own proper ufe all wharf¬ 
age, anchorage, and groundage, of fliips and veffels coming: 
to the faid towm and parifh, and reafonabie fees and wages 
for lading and unlading of merchandifes, goods, and 
chattels, in the faid fliips and veffels there to be laded, 
and unladed into or out of the fame ; and that they fhould 
have through the water as aforefaid, from Eaft Farleigh- 
bridge to Hawkwood, the privilege of keeping and pre- 
ferving fwans and cygnets, and a fwan-mark, and the fame 
to alter at their plealure ; and alfo all fwans and cygnets 
through the faid waters, within the bounds and limits- 
aforefaid, and the banks and ground of the fame, building, 
nefts, breeding or frequenting, and not legally marked 
with the fwan-mark aforefaid, and full power to purfuev 
retake, or bring back, the fwans and cygnets aforefaid,, 
fwimtning or wandering by water and land out of the li¬ 
mits aforefaid, without hindrance of the king, his officers, 
or minifters, or other perfons whatfoever ;—and that the 
faid mayor, &c. for the better fupport of the charges of 
the town and pariffi aforefaid, or for other reafonabie. 
caufes, or for the public good and benefit of the faid town, 
and parifh, and of the inhabitants thereof, fhould from, 
time to time make and affefs reafonabie taxes and aflefT- 
ments upon themfelves and every inhabitant there, and 
levy the fame by di ft refs, or any other legal manner, as- 
they have hitherto been ufed and accultomed 5 and he- 
likewife confirmed to them all lands, goods, liberties, and 
franchifes, as they had ever heretofore held, ufed, and 
enjoyed, the fame, with a non objlanie to all omiffions, or 
other matter whatfoever; and that they fhould have the 
fame fealed with the great feal, without fee or reward, &c. 
By the above charter the corporation att at this time;' 
their exclufive jurifdiftion as f'uch extending over the 
town and parifh of Maidftone, and on the river Medway 
from Eaft Farleigh-bridge to a piece of land called Hawk¬ 
wood in Burham, in all matters whatfoever as within the 
fame; and, for the cognizance and determination of actions- 
and replevins, to the further extent of the towns and pa- 
rillies of Eaft Farleigh, Banning, Loze, Boxley, Alling¬ 
ton, Linton, and Otham, and the hamlets of Mithale iit 
Aylesford, and Newhythe in the parifh of Eaft Mailing*. 
The manor, which extends over the whole hundred ot 
Maidftone^, 
