History of Maidstone
Encyclopedia
The History of Maidstone and its environs goes as far back as Mesolithic
times. It has seen settlement by the Romans
and the Normans
and played its role in pivotal moments of English
history such as the Peasants' Revolt
and the English Civil War
. It has also hosted a large Army barracks since Napoleonic times and was an important centre for Kent's brewing and papermaking industries.
Maidstone Museum has evidence of many prehistoric peoples inhabiting the area. Artefacts dating as far back as Mesolithic times have been unearthed in area along with many Neolithic
finds have been made locally, notably at Kit's Coty
and the Countless Stones
. The Romans
brought Maidstone greater importance; their road from Watling Street
at Rochester to Hastings
passed through the site, connecting with the iron industry of the Weald
: two villas and a number of other sites, have been discovered nearby. They were also among the first to extract stone (the sandstone
known as Kentish ragstone) from the area. A great many other finds relate to this period.
The Normans
, in their turn recognised the worth of the area. By the time of Domesday Book
. Heathland to the north of the town (today the suburb of Penenden Heath
) was the site of shire moot
s or regional assemblies and the location of a key trial
in the years immediately following the Norman Conquest
. In 1146 the Cistercians from Clairvaux
built an abbey
at Boxley
, to the northeast of the town; it was destroyed in 1538.
In the same period there were two hospitals here built for the care of wayfarers, especially those on pilgrimage; and a “college” of secular priests
. In the early Middle Ages
the town was the home of the Guild of Corpus Christi. Members of the guild employed a chaplain
who said prayers for their souls when they died and looked after its members in old age and in times of sickness.
The Archbishop's Palace
, situated on the banks of the River Medway was gifted to the Archbishops of Canterbury
in the 13th century. It was here in 1381 that Chancellor Sudbury
, the incumbent Archbishop at the time, imprisoned the radical preacher John Ball
. Ball was subsequently freed on the June 11th that year by the peasant army led by Wat Tyler
, on its way from Canterbury
to London
to protest about the new poll tax
.
Maidstone saw the death of Thomas Hitton
, generally considered to be the first English
martyr
of the Reformation
, in 1530. Hitton, described by Thomas More
as "the devil's stinking martyr", was a follower of reformer William Tyndale
who had fled to the Low Countries
with Tyndale to escape persecution in England. On a brief visit to England in 1529 to contact the supporters of Tyndale and to arrange for the distribution of smuggled books such as the first English Psalter translated by George Joye
, he was seized near Gravesend
and arrested on the grounds of heresy. After imprisonment and interrogation he was condemned by Archbishop William Warham
and Bishop John Fisher
and burned at the stake
at Maidstone on 23 February.
Maidstone’s town status was confirmed when, in 1549, it was incorporated. It had originally been governed by a portreeve, 12 brethren and 24 commoners under the direction of the Archbishop of Canterbury
. Under the terms of this incorporation, the town was authorised to build a grammar school
, which survives to this day as Maidstone Grammar School
.
When the people of Maidstone rebelled against the crown in support of Thomas Wyatt
in 1551, the charter of incorporation was revoked, although a new charter was established five years later, when Maidstone was created a borough.
On June 18, 1557, the miller of Frittenden
, William Allin and his wife Katherine were burned at the stake at Fairmeadow, along with five other protestants as part of the Marian Persecutions
. The Allins had fed the poor, sold corn at half price and read scriptures to people.
The town’s charter was ratified in 1619 under James I
, and a coat of arms
was designed (see main article
)
’’’ the Battle of Maidstone
took place. About 2,000 Royalist forces were defending the town, governed by Sir Gamaliel Dudley, and his lieutenant, Sir John Mainy, and their junior-lieutenant, Sir Conor Forker, who had arranged earthworks and other defences. General Fairfax and a body of dragoons approached in the afternoon, following the Medway Valley from Farleigh
Bridge, which had been only lightly guarded, and the first skirmishes took place on the outskirts of the town around 7 o'clock.
The Royalists
put up a spirited resistance and managed to repulse Fairfax's pikeman. Reinforcements from the town arrived and heavy hand-to-hand fighting took place. Fairfax was astonished that his disciplined New Model Army
soldiers where thrown into confusion. Fairfax himself, who had been observing the action from a carriage a short distance away, took to horse and lead his troops on a charge which, following further heavy close fighting, forced the Royalists to retreat. Fairfax pushed on, and the storming of the town began at 9 o'clock. By midnight, the remaining Royalists had been driven into the churchyard, and surrendered.
300 Royalists had died in the battle, and 1,300 captured. Between 30 and 80 of Fairfax's men were believed killed.
visited Mote Park
in the town to inspect around 3,000 assembled troops of the Kent Volunteers, a local militia
trained to defend the county from a possible invasion by Napoleon I of France
. A Doric-style
temple
was constructed to commemorate the occasion.
Maidstone prison lies to the north of the town centre. Designed by Daniel Asher Alexander
(the architect of Dartmoor Prison), it was completed in 1819 to replace the bridewell and old gaol in the centre of the town. Building work was carried out by French
prisoners-of-war
. The first inmates moved in at the end of 1818. On 28 April 1868, the last woman to be publicly hanged in Britain was Frances Kidder
, a 25-year-old woman who had murdered her stepdaughter; the execution took place outside Maidstone Prison.
The first of Maidstone's two army barracks was built in 1797 as a reaction to the threat of Napoleon and the barracks became the home of the West Kent Regiment. By 1813 the barracks along the Sandling Road were used to train the cavalry’s young horses and 20 years later they became the Army Riding School. It was also a staging post for the colonies and in the 1860s 600 men could be stationed here.
Kent County Council
first met in Maidstone in 1889.
, just to the North of the town and now the home of the Kent Showground
, was a Naval Air station during the First World War
, and served the Royal Air Force
during the Second World War
. Around 1939, a number of other airfields were developed near the town, including RAF West Malling
and RAF Lashenden. Maidstone suffered damage from Luftwaffe
bombers dumping their loads when unable to reach their primary targets. V-1 flying bomb
s and V-2 rocket
s also fell in the area. On 13 June 1944, the first night of the flying bomb attacks on London, Maidstone was hit by eight shells, nearby Otham
by one, and Folkestone
twenty-four. This shelling from the French coast was the furthest that the German guns ever reached. The shelling stopped at 4 am, and the first flying bomb followed minutes later, landing in Swanscombe
at 4:18.
The headquarters of No 1 Group Royal Observer Corps
was situated in Maidstone until the organisation was disbanded in 1995.
s that could be used for many purposes: fulling, corngrinding, papermaking etc.
The existence of trade attracted craftsmen such as Andrew Torrens and other artisans adding to a supporting manufacturing economy.
The quarrying of building stone around Maidstone has always been important and continues even today. Some of the sandstone is also used in the glass industry. The nearby chalk pits in Burham
had been in use as long ago as the Roman occupation. In the 17th century the Wealden cloth industry
reached as far north as the town; for here were deposits of Fuller's earth
used for degreasing the wool
and, perhaps more importantly, the means of transporting the finished products — the river.
In Maidstone there were many small breweries at the end of the 19th century, the river being useful for transport and water for the beer production. One of the biggest, the Style & Winch brewery, was on the river bank in the centre of the town. It shut in 1965 and the building was demolished in 1976. There were five other breweries; today only a small one — Goachers
— remains. Parts of the former Fremlins brewery are now incorporated in the Fremlin Walk
shopping arcade.
Paper mills, known locally as “the treacle mines”, also developed near the river. Paper was produced at places such as Turkey Mill and Hayle Mill, and what was to become the Reed group had several paper and cardboard milling plants in Maidstone.
Mesolithic
The Mesolithic is an archaeological concept used to refer to certain groups of archaeological cultures defined as falling between the Paleolithic and the Neolithic....
times. It has seen settlement by the Romans
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
and the Normans
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
and played its role in pivotal moments of English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
history such as the Peasants' Revolt
Peasants' Revolt
The Peasants' Revolt, Wat Tyler's Rebellion, or the Great Rising of 1381 was one of a number of popular revolts in late medieval Europe and is a major event in the history of England. Tyler's Rebellion was not only the most extreme and widespread insurrection in English history but also the...
and the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
. It has also hosted a large Army barracks since Napoleonic times and was an important centre for Kent's brewing and papermaking industries.
Early history
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
finds have been made locally, notably at Kit's Coty
Kit's Coty House
Kit's Coty House or Kit's Coty is the name of the remains of a Neolithic chambered long barrow on Blue Bell Hill near Aylesford in the English county of Kent. It is one of the Medway megaliths....
and the Countless Stones
Countless Stones
The Countless Stones, also known as Little Kit's Coty House, is the name of the remains of a Neolithic chambered long barrow on Blue Bell Hill near Aylesford in the English county of Kent. The site is one of the Medway megaliths...
. The Romans
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
brought Maidstone greater importance; their road from Watling Street
Watling Street
Watling Street is the name given to an ancient trackway in England and Wales that was first used by the Britons mainly between the modern cities of Canterbury and St Albans. The Romans later paved the route, part of which is identified on the Antonine Itinerary as Iter III: "Item a Londinio ad...
at Rochester to Hastings
Hastings
Hastings is a town and borough in the county of East Sussex on the south coast of England. The town is located east of the county town of Lewes and south east of London, and has an estimated population of 86,900....
passed through the site, connecting with the iron industry of the Weald
Weald
The Weald is the name given to an area in South East England situated between the parallel chalk escarpments of the North and the South Downs. It should be regarded as three separate parts: the sandstone "High Weald" in the centre; the clay "Low Weald" periphery; and the Greensand Ridge which...
: two villas and a number of other sites, have been discovered nearby. They were also among the first to extract stone (the sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
known as Kentish ragstone) from the area. A great many other finds relate to this period.
The Normans
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
, in their turn recognised the worth of the area. By the time of Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
. Heathland to the north of the town (today the suburb of Penenden Heath
Penenden Heath
Penenden Heath is a suburb in the town of Maidstone in Kent, England.As the name suggests it is nucleated around a former heath .-History:...
) was the site of shire moot
Shire Court
Shire Court or Shire Moot was an Anglo-Saxon institution dating back to the earliest days of English society. The Shire Court referred to the magnates, both lay and spiritual, who were entitled to sit in council for the shire and was a very early form of representative democracy. The practice of...
s or regional assemblies and the location of a key trial
Trial of Penenden Heath
The Trial of Penenden Heath occurred in the decade after Norman Conquest of England in 1066, probably in 1072, and involved a dispute between Odo Bishop of Bayeux, half-brother of William the Conqueror and Lanfranc, Archbishop of Canterbury and others....
in the years immediately following the Norman Conquest
Norman conquest of England
The Norman conquest of England began on 28 September 1066 with the invasion of England by William, Duke of Normandy. William became known as William the Conqueror after his victory at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, defeating King Harold II of England...
. In 1146 the Cistercians from Clairvaux
Clairvaux Abbey
Clairvaux Abbey is a Cistercian monastery in Ville-sous-la-Ferté, 15 km from Bar-sur-Aube, in the Aube département in northeastern France. The original building, founded in 1115 by St. Bernard, is now in ruins; a high-security prison, the Clairvaux Prison, now occupies the grounds...
built an abbey
Abbey
An abbey is a Catholic monastery or convent, under the authority of an Abbot or an Abbess, who serves as the spiritual father or mother of the community.The term can also refer to an establishment which has long ceased to function as an abbey,...
at Boxley
Boxley
The large village and civil parish of Boxley in the Maidstone District of Kent, England lies below the slope of the North Downs, four miles NE of Maidstone town...
, to the northeast of the town; it was destroyed in 1538.
In the same period there were two hospitals here built for the care of wayfarers, especially those on pilgrimage; and a “college” of secular priests
College of All Saints, Maidstone
The College of All Saints was an ecclesiastical college in Maidstone, Kent founded in 1395 by Archbishop Courtenay. It was part of the establishment of the nearby Archbishop's Palace, but was closed in 1546. The College church was the neighbouring Church of All Saints...
. In the early Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
the town was the home of the Guild of Corpus Christi. Members of the guild employed a chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
who said prayers for their souls when they died and looked after its members in old age and in times of sickness.
The Archbishop's Palace
Archbishop's Palace, Maidstone
The Archbishop's Palace is an historic 14th-century and 16th-century building on the east bank of the River Medway in Maidstone, Kent. Originally a home from home for travelling Archbishops from Canterbury, the building is today principally used as a venue for wedding services...
, situated on the banks of the River Medway was gifted to the Archbishops of Canterbury
Archbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
in the 13th century. It was here in 1381 that Chancellor Sudbury
Simon Sudbury
Simon Sudbury, also called Simon Theobald of Sudbury and Simon of Sudbury was Bishop of London from 1361 to 1375, Archbishop of Canterbury from 1375 until his death, and in the last year of his life Lord Chancellor of England....
, the incumbent Archbishop at the time, imprisoned the radical preacher John Ball
John Ball (priest)
John Ball was an English Lollard priest who took a prominent part in the Peasants' Revolt of 1381. In that year, Ball gave a sermon in which he asked the rhetorical question, "When Adam delved and Eve span, who was then the gentleman?".-Biography:Little is known of Ball's early years. He lived in...
. Ball was subsequently freed on the June 11th that year by the peasant army led by Wat Tyler
Wat Tyler
Walter "Wat" Tyler was a leader of the English Peasants' Revolt of 1381.-Early life:Knowledge of Tyler's early life is very limited, and derives mostly through the records of his enemies. Historians believe he was born in Essex, but are not sure why he crossed the Thames Estuary to Kent...
, on its way from Canterbury
Canterbury
Canterbury is a historic English cathedral city, which lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a district of Kent in South East England. It lies on the River Stour....
to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to protest about the new poll tax
Poll tax
A poll tax is a tax of a portioned, fixed amount per individual in accordance with the census . When a corvée is commuted for cash payment, in effect it becomes a poll tax...
.
16th/17th centuries
Thomas Hitton
Thomas Hitton is generally considered to be the first English Protestant martyr of the Reformation, although the followers of Wycliffe, the Lollards had been burnt at the stake as recently as 1519. . Hitton was a priest who had joined William Tyndale and the English exiles in the Low Countries...
, generally considered to be the first English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
martyr
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
of the Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
, in 1530. Hitton, described by Thomas More
Thomas More
Sir Thomas More , also known by Catholics as Saint Thomas More, was an English lawyer, social philosopher, author, statesman and noted Renaissance humanist. He was an important councillor to Henry VIII of England and, for three years toward the end of his life, Lord Chancellor...
as "the devil's stinking martyr", was a follower of reformer William Tyndale
William Tyndale
William Tyndale was an English scholar and translator who became a leading figure in Protestant reformism towards the end of his life. He was influenced by the work of Desiderius Erasmus, who made the Greek New Testament available in Europe, and by Martin Luther...
who had fled to the Low Countries
Low Countries
The Low Countries are the historical lands around the low-lying delta of the Rhine, Scheldt, and Meuse rivers, including the modern countries of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and parts of northern France and western Germany....
with Tyndale to escape persecution in England. On a brief visit to England in 1529 to contact the supporters of Tyndale and to arrange for the distribution of smuggled books such as the first English Psalter translated by George Joye
George Joye
George Joye was a 16th-century Bible translator who produced the first printed translation of several books of the Old Testament into English , as well as the first English Primer .-Education:...
, he was seized near Gravesend
Gravesend, Kent
Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, on the south bank of the Thames, opposite Tilbury in Essex. It is the administrative town of the Borough of Gravesham and, because of its geographical position, has always had an important role to play in the history and communications of this part of...
and arrested on the grounds of heresy. After imprisonment and interrogation he was condemned by Archbishop William Warham
William Warham
William Warham , Archbishop of Canterbury, belonged to a Hampshire family, and was educated at Winchester and New College, Oxford, afterwards practising and teaching law both in London and Oxford....
and Bishop John Fisher
John Fisher
Saint John Fisher was an English Roman Catholic scholastic, bishop, cardinal and martyr. He shares his feast day with Saint Thomas More on 22 June in the Roman Catholic calendar of saints and 6 July on the Church of England calendar of saints...
and burned at the stake
Execution by burning
Death by burning is death brought about by combustion. As a form of capital punishment, burning has a long history as a method in crimes such as treason, heresy, and witchcraft....
at Maidstone on 23 February.
Maidstone’s town status was confirmed when, in 1549, it was incorporated. It had originally been governed by a portreeve, 12 brethren and 24 commoners under the direction of the Archbishop of Canterbury
Archbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
. Under the terms of this incorporation, the town was authorised to build a grammar school
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
, which survives to this day as Maidstone Grammar School
Maidstone Grammar School
Maidstone Grammar School is a grammar school located in Maidstone, United Kingdom. It was founded in 1549.-Admissions:The school takes boys at the age of 11 and over by examination and boys and girls at 16+ on their GCSE results. The school currently has almost 1200 students and approximately 120...
.
When the people of Maidstone rebelled against the crown in support of Thomas Wyatt
Thomas Wyatt the younger
Sir Thomas Wyatt the younger was a rebel leader during the reign of Queen Mary I of England; his rising is traditionally called "Wyatt's rebellion".-Birth and career:...
in 1551, the charter of incorporation was revoked, although a new charter was established five years later, when Maidstone was created a borough.
On June 18, 1557, the miller of Frittenden
Frittenden
Frittenden is a village and civil parish in the Tunbridge Wells District of Kent, England. The parish is located on the flood plain of one of the tributaries of the River Medway, 15 miles to the east of Tunbridge Wells: the village is three miles south of Headcorn. It is in a very rural...
, William Allin and his wife Katherine were burned at the stake at Fairmeadow, along with five other protestants as part of the Marian Persecutions
Marian Persecutions
The Marian Persecutions were carried out against religious reformers, Protestants, and other dissenters for their heretical beliefs during the reign of Mary I of England. The excesses of this period were mythologized in the historical record of Foxe's Book of Martyrs...
. The Allins had fed the poor, sold corn at half price and read scriptures to people.
The town’s charter was ratified in 1619 under James I
James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
, and a coat of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
was designed (see main article
Maidstone
Maidstone is the county town of Kent, England, south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town linking Maidstone to Rochester and the Thames Estuary. Historically, the river was a source and route for much of the town's trade. Maidstone was the centre of the agricultural...
)
The Civil War
On 1 June 1648, during the ‘’’Second English Civil WarSecond English Civil War
The Second English Civil War was the second of three wars known as the English Civil War which refers to the series of armed conflicts and political machinations which took place between Parliamentarians and Royalists from 1642 until 1652 and also include the First English Civil War and the...
’’’ the Battle of Maidstone
Battle of Maidstone
The Battle of Maidstone was fought in the Second English Civil War and was a victory for the attacking parliamentarian troops over the defending Royalist forces.- Background :...
took place. About 2,000 Royalist forces were defending the town, governed by Sir Gamaliel Dudley, and his lieutenant, Sir John Mainy, and their junior-lieutenant, Sir Conor Forker, who had arranged earthworks and other defences. General Fairfax and a body of dragoons approached in the afternoon, following the Medway Valley from Farleigh
East Farleigh
East Farleigh is a village and civil parish in the local government district of Maidstone, Kent, England. The village is located on the south side of the River Medway about two miles upstream of the town of Maidstone...
Bridge, which had been only lightly guarded, and the first skirmishes took place on the outskirts of the town around 7 o'clock.
The Royalists
Cavalier
Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I and son Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration...
put up a spirited resistance and managed to repulse Fairfax's pikeman. Reinforcements from the town arrived and heavy hand-to-hand fighting took place. Fairfax was astonished that his disciplined New Model Army
New Model Army
The New Model Army of England was formed in 1645 by the Parliamentarians in the English Civil War, and was disbanded in 1660 after the Restoration...
soldiers where thrown into confusion. Fairfax himself, who had been observing the action from a carriage a short distance away, took to horse and lead his troops on a charge which, following further heavy close fighting, forced the Royalists to retreat. Fairfax pushed on, and the storming of the town began at 9 o'clock. By midnight, the remaining Royalists had been driven into the churchyard, and surrendered.
300 Royalists had died in the battle, and 1,300 captured. Between 30 and 80 of Fairfax's men were believed killed.
18th/19th centuries
In 1799, King George III and Prime Minister William PittWilliam Pitt the Younger
William Pitt the Younger was a British politician of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He became the youngest Prime Minister in 1783 at the age of 24 . He left office in 1801, but was Prime Minister again from 1804 until his death in 1806...
visited Mote Park
Mote Park
Mote Park is a 180 hectare multi-use public park in Maidstone, Kent. Previously a country estate it was converted to landscaped park land at the end of the 18th century before becoming a municipal park. It includes the former stately home Mote House together with a miniature railway, pitch and putt...
in the town to inspect around 3,000 assembled troops of the Kent Volunteers, a local militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
trained to defend the county from a possible invasion by Napoleon I of France
Napoleon I of France
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
. A Doric-style
Doric order
The Doric order was one of the three orders or organizational systems of ancient Greek or classical architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian.-History:...
temple
Temple
A temple is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites. A templum constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest, or augur. It has the same root as the word "template," a plan in preparation of the building that was marked out...
was constructed to commemorate the occasion.
Maidstone prison lies to the north of the town centre. Designed by Daniel Asher Alexander
Daniel Asher Alexander
Daniel Asher Alexander was a British architect and engineer, born in London.-Life:Daniel Asher Alexander was educated at St Paul's School, London, and admitted to the Royal Academy Schools in 1782....
(the architect of Dartmoor Prison), it was completed in 1819 to replace the bridewell and old gaol in the centre of the town. Building work was carried out by French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
prisoners-of-war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
. The first inmates moved in at the end of 1818. On 28 April 1868, the last woman to be publicly hanged in Britain was Frances Kidder
Frances Kidder
-Crime:Twenty-five-year-old Kidder was executed in front of Maidstone Goal at 12 noon on 2 April 1868, following her conviction on 12 March for murder. It was alleged that she had drowned her 11-year-old stepdaughter, Louisa Kidder-Staples, in a ditch...
, a 25-year-old woman who had murdered her stepdaughter; the execution took place outside Maidstone Prison.
The first of Maidstone's two army barracks was built in 1797 as a reaction to the threat of Napoleon and the barracks became the home of the West Kent Regiment. By 1813 the barracks along the Sandling Road were used to train the cavalry’s young horses and 20 years later they became the Army Riding School. It was also a staging post for the colonies and in the 1860s 600 men could be stationed here.
Kent County Council
Kent County Council
Kent County Council is the county council that governs the majority of the county of Kent in England. It provides the upper tier of local government, below which are 12 district councils, and around 300 town and parish councils. The county council has 84 elected councillors...
first met in Maidstone in 1889.
Two world wars
DetlingDetling
Detling is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Maidstone in Kent, England. The parish is located on the slope of the North Downs, north east of Maidstone, and on the Pilgrims' Way....
, just to the North of the town and now the home of the Kent Showground
Kent Showground
The Kent Showground, formerly known as the Kent County Showground is an area of land in Detling, Kent, England, north of the county town of Maidstone...
, was a Naval Air station during the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, and served the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
during the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Around 1939, a number of other airfields were developed near the town, including RAF West Malling
RAF West Malling
RAF West Malling was a Royal Air Force station near West Malling in Kent, England.Originally used as a landing area during the first World War, the site opened as a private landing ground and in 1930, then known as Kingshill, home to the Maidstone School of Flying, before being renamed West Malling...
and RAF Lashenden. Maidstone suffered damage from Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
bombers dumping their loads when unable to reach their primary targets. V-1 flying bomb
V-1 flying bomb
The V-1 flying bomb, also known as the Buzz Bomb or Doodlebug, was an early pulse-jet-powered predecessor of the cruise missile....
s and V-2 rocket
V-2 rocket
The V-2 rocket , technical name Aggregat-4 , was a ballistic missile that was developed at the beginning of the Second World War in Germany, specifically targeted at London and later Antwerp. The liquid-propellant rocket was the world's first long-range combat-ballistic missile and first known...
s also fell in the area. On 13 June 1944, the first night of the flying bomb attacks on London, Maidstone was hit by eight shells, nearby Otham
Otham
Otham is a village near the town of Maidstone in Kent, England.The 12th century parish church of St Nicholas is a Grade I listed building. The vicar is Revd Andrew Sewell. Otham also has a number of mediaeval houses which are listed including Otham Manor , Synyards and Stoneacre...
by one, and Folkestone
Folkestone
Folkestone is the principal town in the Shepway District of Kent, England. Its original site was in a valley in the sea cliffs and it developed through fishing and its closeness to the Continent as a landing place and trading port. The coming of the railways, the building of a ferry port, and its...
twenty-four. This shelling from the French coast was the furthest that the German guns ever reached. The shelling stopped at 4 am, and the first flying bomb followed minutes later, landing in Swanscombe
Swanscombe
Swanscombe is a small town, part of the Borough of Dartford on the north Kent coast in England. It is part of the civil parish of Swanscombe and Greenhithe.-Prehistory:...
at 4:18.
The headquarters of No 1 Group Royal Observer Corps
Royal Observer Corps
The Royal Observer Corps was a civil defence organisation operating in the United Kingdom between 29 October 1925 and 31 December 1995, when the Corps' civilian volunteers were stood down....
was situated in Maidstone until the organisation was disbanded in 1995.
Economic history
The early economy of Maidstone was built around its position as a central market town to the agricultural industry of the surrounding Kent countryside. Its position on the River Medway (which was in turn fed by a series of tributaries) allowed goods to be transported in and out of the town quickly for trade. The River Len and Loose Stream provided water power to drive numerous millWatermill
A watermill is a structure that uses a water wheel or turbine to drive a mechanical process such as flour, lumber or textile production, or metal shaping .- History :...
s that could be used for many purposes: fulling, corngrinding, papermaking etc.
The existence of trade attracted craftsmen such as Andrew Torrens and other artisans adding to a supporting manufacturing economy.
The quarrying of building stone around Maidstone has always been important and continues even today. Some of the sandstone is also used in the glass industry. The nearby chalk pits in Burham
Burham
Burham is a village and civil parish in the Tonbridge and Malling district ofKent, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 1,251. The village is near the Medway towns.The history of Burham can be traced to Roman times...
had been in use as long ago as the Roman occupation. In the 17th century the Wealden cloth industry
Wealden cloth industry
Cloth-making was, apart from iron-making, the other large-scale industry carried out on the Weald of Kent and Sussex in medieval times. The ready availability of wool from the sheep of the Romney Marsh, and the immigration from Flanders in the fourteenth century of cloth-workers – places like...
reached as far north as the town; for here were deposits of Fuller's earth
Fuller's earth
Fuller's earth is any non-plastic clay or claylike earthy material used to decolorize, filter, and purify animal, mineral, and vegetable oils and greases.-Occurrence and composition:...
used for degreasing the wool
Wool
Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals, including cashmere from goats, mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, vicuña, alpaca, camel from animals in the camel family, and angora from rabbits....
and, perhaps more importantly, the means of transporting the finished products — the river.
In Maidstone there were many small breweries at the end of the 19th century, the river being useful for transport and water for the beer production. One of the biggest, the Style & Winch brewery, was on the river bank in the centre of the town. It shut in 1965 and the building was demolished in 1976. There were five other breweries; today only a small one — Goachers
Goachers Brewery
Goachers Brewery is an independent brewery based in Maidstone, England. The brewery supplies a number of public houses across Kent. It is a traditional brewery that only uses malt and Kentish hops for all of its beers.-History:...
— remains. Parts of the former Fremlins brewery are now incorporated in the Fremlin Walk
Fremlin Walk
Fremlin Walk is a shopping centre in the town of Maidstone in Kent. it opened in 2005 after several years of development by Centros Miller to include of shopping and an 800 space car park.- History :...
shopping arcade.
Paper mills, known locally as “the treacle mines”, also developed near the river. Paper was produced at places such as Turkey Mill and Hayle Mill, and what was to become the Reed group had several paper and cardboard milling plants in Maidstone.