MAIDSTONE. 
152 
M*idftone, belongs to lord Romney. The right of election 
is in the freemen not receiving alms or charity. The num¬ 
ber of voters is fix hundred. Returning officer, the mayor. 
Maidftone extends about a mile in length, from north to 
fouth, and fomevvhat more than three quarters in breadth, 
from eaft to weft. The principal portion of its build¬ 
ings (lands on the eaftern bank of the river, by which it 
is watered, rifing gradually from its brink. It comprifes 
chiefly four principal ftreets, which interfeft each other, with 
fotne lefs ones branching oft' from them at right angles. 
The high ftreef, in particular, is very fpacious, and mollly 
well built. Every part of the town has been confiderably 
improved within thefe few years. In 1791, an act of par¬ 
liament was obtained for the purpofe of having it newly 
paved and lighted, and its different market-places repair¬ 
ed ; which aft has been carried into execution with great 
efficacy and judgment. The church, one of the largeft 
parochial edifices in the kingdom, is a very handfome em¬ 
battled building, confiding of a nave, aides, and chan¬ 
cel. It is adorned with a lofty embattled tower, which 
formerly fupported a fpire, but the latter was deftroyed 
by lightning in November 1730. The windows are large, 
and ornamented with rich tracery, particularly that facing 
the eaft. By whom this church was firft conltrufted, is 
uncertain ; but it is well afcertained to have been rebuilt 
by archbiffiop Courtney in the time of Richard II. from 
whom he obtained a licenfe to render it collegiate, for 
the ufe of the warden, chaplains, and other members, of 
the new college, then building clofe to the fouthern fide 
of the cemetery. This prelate was buried in the centre of 
the chancel, in a grave about five or fix feet deep, whence 
liis bones were difcovered in 1794; but his monument 
has been long fince deftroyed. On the north fide of the 
chancel (lands a very ancient defaced tomb, raifed in ho¬ 
nour of one of the Woodvilles, anceltors to king Edward 
IVth’s queen ; and in the vaults within the cominunion- 
\ rails feveral of the ennobled families of Aftley and Mar- 
fhatn lie buried. 
v At the corner of Eaft-lane is the priory, or friary, fo 
called from having been anciently the houfe of a convent 
of Francifcans, or Grey Friars, founded here by Edward 
III. but which was afterwards removed to Walfingham 
in Norfolk. Faith’s chapel, in the northern diltrift of the 
town, appears to have been long ufed as a place of wor- 
Ihip ; but its hiltory is very little known. The free gram- 
mar-fchool is a foundation of confiderable repute, fome 
of the firft literary charafters in this country having been 
educated here. The fchool-room, and part of the adjoin¬ 
ing buildings, originally formed the chapel and lodgings 
of the Fraternity of Corpus Chrifti, which was founded of 
a few of the inhabitants profeffing the rule of St. Benedift, 
Befides the free-fchool, there are two charity-lchools, tfta- 
blifhed through the intereftof the Rev. Dr. Jofiah Wood¬ 
ward ; two ranges of alms-houfes, and a poor-houfe, erefted 
in 1720. The (hire-hall, a good modern edifice, is appro¬ 
priated to public bufinefs. The affifes for the county are 
held here, as are alfo the quarterly feffions, and other 
county-courts. Adjoining to this place is a prifon, called 
the Brambles , which anciently belonged to the archbiffiops 
of Canterbury, but now to the corporation. The gaol, 
in Eaft-lane, erefted in 1741, has fince been much enlarged 
and improved. At the upper end of High-ftreet is a con¬ 
duit, which forms the chief refervoirfor fupplying the in¬ 
habitants with water. Another building, of the fame 
kind, alfo (food in the middle of this ftreet previous to 
the year 1793, when it was pulled down. A new ofta- 
gon (trufture, in the lower part of the town, contains a 
third refervoir. The water which Supplies thefe refervoirs 
is brought by pipes laid under the Medway, from an in- 
cloled (pring, called Rocky-hill, in the Weft Borough. 
The theatre, fituated on the weft fide of High-ftreet, is a 
neat (mail building. In Earl-ftreet is Earl’s Place, a cu¬ 
rious ancient (tone manlion, having a large oriel window, 
filled with painted glafs; and at a fliort diftance beyond 
\Yeek-ltreet are very extenfive barracks, both for infantry 
and cavalry, the ereftion of which has greatly increafed 
the population of the towm. 
Maid (lone has been long celebrated as the firft hop- 
market in the kingdom. Some manufaftures, however, 
are likewife carried on here. The linen-trade, firll efta- 
blifhed by a few refugees from the Netherlands, in the 
reign of queen Elizabeth, dill continues to flourilh. There 
are befides many paper-mills in the immediate neighbour¬ 
hood, an extenfive diftillery of Engliffi fpirits, or Maidfione 
Geneva, and fome very confiderable beer and porter brew¬ 
eries. The circumllance of the tide rendering the Med¬ 
way navigable for veffels of fifty or fixty tons, contributes 
much to facilitate and encourage the trade of this town, 
in all its departments. Here is a fine ftone bridge; and 
a little river falls in here from Lenham. The culfody of 
weights and meafures, renewed by the ftandard of Henry 
VII. was committed to this town by parliament, as beinc 
in the centre of Kent; for which reafon the knights of 
the (hire are always elefted, and the courts of jultice al¬ 
ways held, here, and generally thealfifts. This town is a 
peculiar of the archbifhop of Canterbury, who is the pro¬ 
per incumbent, and puts in a curate to officiate for him. 
The archbiffiop had a palace here, now demolifhed. Here 
are four charity-lchools, in which are above one hundred 
boys and girls, who are vifited once a-week, and cate- 
cbifed, by the minifter. 
This is fuch a plentiful country, and the lands .here¬ 
abouts are fo rich, that London is (upplied with more 
commodities from hence than from any market-town in 
England, particularly with the large bullocks that come 
from the Weald of Kent, which begins but fix miles off; 
with timber, wheat, and great quantities of hops, apples, 
and cherries ; with a fort of paving-ftone, eight or tea 
inches fquare, that is exceeding durable; and with the 
fine white fand for glafs-houfes and ftationers. The mar¬ 
ket here, which is the belt in the county, is on Thurfday ; 
it has another on the fecond Tuefday in every month, 
granted them by George II. in 1751; and fairs on Febru- 
ary 13, May 12, June 20 (called Garlick fair), and Ofto- 
ber 17. In 1648, this town made fuch a (land for king 
Charles I. againft general Fairfax with near 10,000 mea, 
that he could not take it, till he had ltormed it twice. 
About the year 1720 feveral canoes were dug up in the 
marffies of the Medway above this town. This pariffi was 
anciently taxed towards the repair of the fifth arch or pier 
of Rochefter bridge. 
Maidftoneisten miles fouth-eaft of Rochefter,and thirty- 
fix from London. The neighbourhood is adorned with a 
number of gentlemen’s feats, fpread throughout a fertile 
vale, where meadows, woodlands, rich orchards, and flou- 
rifhing hop-grounds, combine to exhibit a molt extenfive 
variety of picturefque and romantic fcenery.—Gibraltar- 
houfe, on the oppolite fide of the river from the town, forms 
an agreeable place of refort during the fummer feafon.— 
The Mote, the feat of the earl of Romney, lying about a 
mile to the fouth-eaft of the town, was anciently the re(i- 
denceof the Wyatt family, and forfeited upon the attainder 
of fir Thomas by queen Mary. In the park, which is ex¬ 
tenfive, is erefted a pavilion, on the fpot where his majefty 
was entertained after the review of the Kent volunteers, 
in 1799.—Allington-caftle, on the weftern fide of the river, 
is (till an interelling ruin. It is faid to have been ori¬ 
ginally erefted in the time of the Saxons by the noble fa¬ 
mily of the Columbavii ; but, being razed by the Danes, 
was rebuilt by the great earl Warrene. It was fome time 
alfo the property of Wyatts, and afterwards of the Alt- 
leys. The chapel, a fmall gloomy edifice, contains feveral 
monuments in honour of the latter family. 
Near Maidftone is Boxley-abbey, where once flood a 
famous rood of grace, (as it was called in popifli times,) 
and the image of St. Rumbald, with which the monks 
played fuch tricks to pick the people’s pockets, that they 
became a public fcandal; and thereupon their rood and 
image were taken from them, and broke to pieces at St. 
Paul’s Crofs, in 1538, after their cheats and juggles had 
been 
