Ipreeenteo to
Zbc xantv>ersit\? of TToronto Xtbrary
1bume iJSlafce, Esq.
from tbc boohs of
TLbc late Ibonourable Eewaro JSlafce
Chancellor of tbe Tnniversftg of Coronto
(1876*1900
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Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2010 with funding from
University of Toronto
http://www.archive.org/details/briefhistoricaldOOIamp
Lt33b
A BRTEF
HISTORICAL
AND
DESCRIPTIVE ACCOUNT
OF
MAIDSTONE
AND ITS ENVIRONS.
BY S. C. Lcvflrt^l
Enchanting vale! beyond whate'er the Muse
H as of Achaia or Hesperia
0 vale of bliss ! O softly swelling hills! . \>
On which the Power of Cultivation lies,
And joys to see the wonders of his toil.
n
MAIDSTONE;
PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY J. BROWN,
KENT ARMS OFFICE, WEEK STREET.
1834.
MAIDSTONE I
PRINTED BY J. BROWN, KENT ARMS OFFICE,
87, WEEK STREET.
PREFACE.
The writer of the following pages is induced to
lay them before the public by the hope that they
will, in some degree at least, supply a want which
has long been complained of by the inhabitants
and visitors of Maidstone, — that of some general
account of this important and flourishing town
and its beautiful and romantic neighbourhood.
In preparing their contents for publication, (which
were chiefly compiled for his own information and
amusement,) it has been his aim equally to avoid a
prolixity on points, which could only be interesting
to a few, and that superficial brevity which would
be unsatisfactory to all, in short he has endeavoured
to render his matter at once concise and suffi-
ciently comprehensive for the purposes of the
general reader.
The historical information has been obtained
from works of established authority, to which in
IV. PREFACE.
most cases reference is given, and where a variance
in account has been found, a careful collation has
preceded the adoption of any particular statement.
The descriptive portion of the volume is given from
the writer's personal observation, and he trusts
that it will not be found to have been made with
negligence or great inaccuracy. In the composi-
tion his only study has been to convey his informa-
tion to his reader in an easy and intelligible manner.
The local nature of the poetical pieces appended
to the Excursions, must form the apology for their
insertion.
With regard to the illustrative prints, litho-
graphed by Mr. T. L. Merritt, of this town, from his
own sketches, little need be said: to those who have
seen the interesting objects and scenes they pourtray,
their minute accuracy, as to all, the beauty of
their drawing, must at the first glance be obvious.
The neat map of the environs of Maidstone, with
the plan of the town, will doubtless be considered
a desirable addition to the volume, as exhibiting the
localities of most of the places and objects described,
and thus forming an index to the Excursions: nor
will the publisher, it is hoped, be denied the gra-
tification of the reader's approval of the more me-
chanical portions of the work.
PRLFACE. V.
Supported then by these auxiliaries, the writer
presents his little book to the public with the cheer-
ful but unpresuming confidence of one tendering
that which he feels will not be altogether an unac-
ceptable offering, and who, while he regrets that it
is not of greater value, ventures to believe that its
defects will be regarded with an indulgent eye, by
those to whom it is submitted, on account (if from
no other cause) of his motive in its presentation.
Maidstone, S. C. L.
15th December, 1834.
SONNET.
How tender, yet unyielding, are the ties
That bind the heart unto its place of birth,
In that fond homage which it e'er denies
To aught beyond that hallow'd spot of earth:
Tisof our purest joys the social hearth,
Round which they gather ; — 'twas our paradise
In childhood's golden days, when sinless eyes
Create their own wide heaven of blissful mirth :
And thus, sweet Valley of the Medway, seem
No other scenes to me so fair as thine, —
Remembrancers of many a sunny dream
Of rapture, ah ! as fleeting as divine, —
Which with their beauties thus a spell combine
To make thee of my fondest praise the theme.
/"/i/ll/i/ I Ait I;-,,
toot i JuipeZ/
IruZa/p-fu/efd C/t<y>t/
h,'/ ('/tapcZ/.
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2]cipfy'*f C/tajKi'
(Jiaa/ki e /••<■■ Gfu l
.,,/,,,„,.. '...,,, fdmur&u Cbrpa*
■ />■„/ "". / <i'pFeutZtA«r Cku>
^Z7l4/Jri ft /■//:<< 1,7/
> yjfoon/v>?c<?uc£eirnz/ .
A- MAIPSTOKE
MAIDSTONE.
OF THE SITUATION OF MAIDSTONE.
Few towns can be found more advantageously
situated than that of Maidstone : lying near the mid-
dle, and in one of the richest parts of the fertile
county of Kent; within an easy journey of the me-
tropolis or sea coast; on the banks of a beautiful and
navigable river; with a neighbourhood abounding
with fruit, corn, hops and timber, supplying an inex-
haustible store of every requisite for building, and
thickly studded with populous villages and country
mansions ; it possesses alike for trade or retirement
almost irresistible attractions. With these numerous
and powerful inducements it is not surprising that
its present population should be found nearly treble
what it was in the middle of the last century, or that
it should have been, from the earliest times to which
our historical records refer, a place of considerable
importance.
OF THE ANTIQUITY OF THE TOWN AND DERIV-
ATION OF ITS NAME.
Camden and other antiquaries consider Maidstone
to have been the Roman Vagniacce,* and one of the
* Consult Camden's Britannia, and the Commentaries of I'urton
and of Gale on the Itinerary of Antoninus.
B
2 MAIDSTONE.
chief towns in Britain, and, although others hold a
different opinion, all seem to agree that a town of
consequence existed here before the subjugation of
England by the Saxons, and abundant proofs appear
in the discovery of coins, urns, &c.,of the residence
of our Roman conquerors in the immediate vicinity,
if not on the very spot now occupied by this town.
The name of the place seems to have been derived
from the river on which it stands, the Medwege or mid-
dle river of the Saxons, who therefore designated this
place Medwegcston or the town of the Medway;* in
Domesday-book it is written Meddestane, and in
documents of the time of Edward the I. Maydens-
tane, which some are pleased to interpret as meaning
the Town of Maids, as the following punning Latin
verse fancifully shews ;
" Petra puellarum pidcherrima villa mearum."
GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE TOWN, &C.
The town, with the exception of the West Bo-
rough, is built on a gentle slope rising from the
eastern side of the Medway. The High Street,
which is probably not excelled in breadth, and gen-
eral grandeur by that of any country town in Eng-
land, runs from the bridge foot up the side of the
hill towards the east; at its upper end it is met by
King-street in the same line, and at right angles
by Week-street, from the north, and Gabriel's-hill,
* See Newton's Hist, of Maidstone, and Lambard's Perambula-
tion of Kent.
DESCRIPTION. 3
(which is a continuation of Stone-street,) from the
south. From these principal streets several others
branch, among which may be mentioned Mill-
street, Bank-street, and Pudding-lane, which are
connected with the High-street; Earl-street, Union-
street, St. Faith-street and Brewer-street, which are
branches of Week-street, and have from themselves
extensive ramifications; Church-street, Queen Anne-
road, and Albion-place, which turn from King-street ;
and Romney Place, the Mote-road, and Knightrider-
street, which, with several others of less note, unite with
Stone-street. The larger streets are regularly built,
and contain many excellent houses. The river Len,
which rises near Lenham, runs through the southern
part of Maidstone, falling into the Medway near
the bridge. The length of the town from north to
south is about one mile and a quarter, and its aver-
age breadth about three quarters of a mile. It is
justly celebrated for its neatness; is well paved,
and lighted with gas ; and abundantly supplied with
most excellent water, which is conveyed in pipes
from Rocky-hill on the other side of the river.
The Star, in the High-street, and the Bell, in
Week-street, are the two principal inns ; there are
besides many others of high respectability, among
which are the following; the Mitre, the Haunch
of Venison, the Swan, and the Queen's-head, in
High-street ; the Bull, and the George, on Gabriel's-
hill ; and the New Inn at the upper end of Week-
street. The shops in every respect rival those of
the capital, and supply the inhabitants with almost
every article which even luxury can demand.
4 MAIDSTONE.
Maidstone is the county town, and the public
meetings, and assizes for Kent, and quarter sessions
for the western division of the county are held here ;
It is also one of the polling places at the elections for
West Kent. In the time of Elizabeth it contained
but 294 houses. In 1811 it had 1706 houses, and
9443 inhabitants; and in 1831 it contained 3018
houses, of which 1417 were of the annual value of £10,
and 15,387 inhabitants, since which time the town
has continued to increase in extent and population.
Maidstone is in the diocese of Canterbury and
deanry of Sutton, and is exempt from the Arch-
deacon's jurisdiction. The rectory forms part of the
revenues of the Archbishop, who appoints a per-
petual curate. At present Wm. Baldwin, Esq. is the
lessee of the tithes, and the Rev. James Reeve the
curate.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT, CHARTERS, PRIVILEGES, &c.
A minute account of these matters would be in-
consistent with the purpose for which these pages
are written, though some general information re-
specting them is absolutely necessary.
Maidstone is a borough, returning two members to
parliament, which privilege it appears to have had
as early as the reign of Edward the VI. in which it
was first regularly incorporated, A. D. 1549, having
previously, as the charter states, been governed by
certain of the inhabitants called the Port-reeve and
Brethren, the place being ' a capital port of the river
Medway.' This privilege however was soon forfeited,
LOCAL GOVERNMENT, &C. 5
as the Maidstone men joined in the Kentish rebel-
lion which was raised against Mary, in opposition to
her marriage with Philip of Spain, by Sir Thomas
Wiat of the adjoining parish of Allington.* Several
charters and privileges were afterwards conferred
by succeeding sovereigns. t By the last, granted in
the twenty-first year of George the II., the civil au-
thority is vested in a mayor, twelve jurats, and forty
common council-men, with a recorder, a deputy
recorder, and other officers. The mayor, recorder,
and the three senior jurats, are justices of the peace;
and the mayor is coroner for the town and parish.
Sessions are held quarterly, for the trial of trespasses
and misdemeanors, and the mayor is empowered,
on every alternate Tuesday, to have a court of pleas
for actions personal and mixed, and granting reple-
vins, the jurisdiction of which extends over the par-
ishes of East Barming, Loose, Boxley, Allington,
Linton, and Otham, with the hamlets of Xew-hithe
and Mill-hale. A court leet is held annually, at
which the constable, and other peace officers are
appointed. The town is watched by a regular and
active police establishment, under the direction of an
intelligent superintendant.
By the first charter of James the I. this place was
incorporated under the name or style of, " The King's
Town and Parish of Maidstone" which designation
it still retains.
* Vide Lam bard's Perambulation of Kent.
+ Oue by Elizabeth, in her 2d. year: two by James the T., in
bis 2d. and 17th years : and one by Charles the 2d., in his 34th
year.
B 3
D MAIDSTONE.
The Aiuis of the Town are, Or, afcss wavy azure
betiueen three torteauxes ; on a chief, yules, a lion
passant yardant, or.
Maidstone gives the title of Viscount to the Earl
of Winchelsea.
ANTIQUITIES.
I shall now proceed to give a brief description of
the principal antiquities of the town.
The Palace. — The Archbishop's palace, which
was also called the castle, ' and was the manor house,
stands on the bank of the river between the church
and bridge. According to Philipott the manor and
castle of Maidstone belonged to theCornhill family,
and were given by Win. de Cornhill, in the 7th
year of John, to the Archbishop of Canterbury, Ste-
phen Langton.* Archbishop UfYord commenced the
rebuilding of the house in 1348, and it was finished
by Islip from the materials of an archiepiscopal man-
sion at Wrotham. I bury the VI. in the sixti
year of his reign, visited Archbishop Chichely at this
house. It was repaired and enlarged by Morton, in
1486. Several of the Archbishops appear to have
resided here, among them are, Courtney and Stafford
who died in this house, and Cranmer who honoured
Maidstone with his especial regard ; \\v gave this
palace and manor in exchange to Henry the VIII..
who, in 1542, granted them to Sir Thomas Wiat of
Allington, whose son, Sir Thomas, forfeited them for
rebellion against Mary. The palace was granted by
* Philipott's Yillare Cantianum.
ANTIQUITIES. 7
Elizabeth to Sir Jacob, afterwards Lord Astley; and
the manor, by James the I. to the Finch family.
The Earl of Romney is now owner of the palace,
and also lord of the manor.*
The greater part of the house, which is now divided
into two dwellings, still exists ; the front is almost
entire : these remains form one of the most interest-
ing objects in the town.
Newark. — The hospital for pilgrims and poor
travellers, anciently called the New Work of Prestes-
helle, built about the year 1260, by Archbishop
Boniface, and dedicated to St. Peter, St. Paul, and
St. Thomas a Beckett, stood on the western side of
the Medway.f The churches of Sutton near Dover,
Linton, and East Farleigh, were afterwards appro-
priated by Archbishop Reynolds to the support of
this establishment. On the foundation of the college,
of which I shall next speak, this hospital was incor-
porated with it. A large and handsome building of
the Gothic style, which appears to have been the
chapel, is now standing, but little else remains to
gratify the antiquary. Some years ago near the
chapel, there was a curious arched way under ground,
which was supposed to have been originally of great
length, though its use was unknown: it is now built
up. The dwelling house, (the residence of Mrs.
Browne) which at present partially occupies the site
of the hospital, still bears the name of Newark.
* For further particulars consult Newton's Hist, of Maidstone,
and Hasted's Hist, of Kent.
t Vide Lambard, Newton and others.
8 MAI]
College. — In the year 1395 Archbishop Com
<>lit;iined the licence of Richard the II. t«. make the
parish church collegiate, and 1 1 «_- accordingly buill
the college for the master or warden, chapl
and other ministers, on the hank of the river.
south side of the church. The college had the
rectory of Maidstone church, together with i'-
pendant chapels of Loose and Debtling, also the
hospital of St. Peter, St. Paul and St. Tin
Beckett, (of which I have given some account,) with
the patronage of Sutton near Dover, Lillin.
(now Linton,) and East Farki^h, and afterwart
Crundale near Wye, besides other extensive p<
sions. The first warden was John Wot ton, ;;
friend, and one of the executors, of Archbishop
Courtney, the founder. William Grocyn, the sixth
master, admitted about 1506, was a man eminent
for his great learning, and an intimate friend of the
celebrated F.rasmus, who, from 1511 to ! " 1 ' .
the rector of Aldington in this county. Wbtton and
Grocyn were buried in the collegi it.' church,
last master was John Lease, or Lys. .\t tl
lution of this college, in the first year of the
of Edward the VI.* he and the other members of the
establishment were pensioned.
The remains, the gate house particularly, which
i> >iill almost perfect, and presents a fine specimen
' ithic architecture, attest the original great ex-
• I he d( t for Chantries collegiate, by which all chantries,
Ices, r ippressed and granted to the crown,
was passed in the 1 liament of Edward lh< I
Westminstt . end er, an
to the "24ih Uecen ber,
ANTIQUITIES. 9
tent and grandeur of this house, which since the
dissolution has been used as a private dwelling, and
now forms a part of the estate of the Earl of Roraney.
Corpus Ciiristi Hall. — The house of the religi-
ous fraternity of Corpus Christi, which was of the
Benedictine order, stood at the bottom of Earl
street. The exact date of the foundation is not
ascertained, but it is presumed to be about the
middle of the 14th century.* The main object of the
institution was to support the doctrine of transub-
stantiation, and the chief duties of the chaplain and
brothers residing in the house, were to carry the
holy sacrament in religious processions, to keep the
feast of Corpus Christi with great pomp and solem-
nity, and to pray for, and to celebrate masses and
dirges at the deaths of, the brothers or sisters. The
extra members residing in the town and neighbour-
hood, and who subscribed to the support of the
guild, appear to have been numerous and distin-
guished.
The possessions of the brotherhood were consid-
erable, including several cottages in which old and
indigent persons were permitted to dwell rent free.
Soon after the suppression of this fraternity, in the
first year of the reign of Edward VI. the house with
other property was purchased of the crown by the
corporation, out of the money arising from the sale
of a portion of the church plate, vestments, orna-
• Newton says some Romish writers state that this Brother-
hood was founded about 1321. For further information respect-
ing the fraternity, consult Philipott, Newton and Hasted.
10 MAIDSTONE.
merits, &c* and converted into a free grammar
school, of which I shall speak more fully under the
head of the public institutions of the town.
The chapel or hall, now the school-room, and
other parts of the original building are still remaining.
St. Faith's Chur< h. — A portion of the chancel
of the church of St. Faith, which some have thought
was parochial, though according to the best author-
ities, it was but a free chapel, now forms part of a
dwelling house at the upper end of the open space
called St. Faith's green. The date of its erection,
and the name of the founder, are unknown. At the
time of the general dissolution, this church fell into
the king's hands, but it was purchased of the crown
soon after by the corporation, together with the hall
of the Corpus Christi brotherhood. It appears after-
wards to have been the property of private indivi-
duals, with a reservation however to the inhabitants
of a right to use the chapel for divine service, and
its churchyard for burials.
This church was used at different times as a place
of worship by the Walloons, who, under the protec-
tion of Elizabeth settled in this town. Under the
* In the 6lh year of Edward the VI. a royal commission was
issued to take possession, and make inventories and valuations of
the property granted to the crown, by the act for the suppression,
passed in the first yearof the reign. The corporation of Maidstone
■were allowed to sell by far the greater part of ihe valuables be-
longing to the collegiate church of All Saints, to the valueof about
£200. for the purposeof purchasing Corpus Christi Hall and St.
Faith's church, probably in consideration of their intention to
found a school. Similar indulgence was shewn to other places.
Aide Newton and the authorities cited by him.
ANTIQUITIES. 1 1
persecution of Archbishop Laud, in 1634, this con-
gregation was dispersed. In the beginning of the
last century, the chancel was a meeting house for
English Presbyterians ; subsequently a part of it was
converted into an assembly room. It is now a
boarding school for young ladies. Several human
skeletons have been dug up near the site of this
church.*
Franciscan Monastery. — Under the house at
the corner formed by Gabriel's-hill and King- street,
there is a large crypt, or chamber curiously vaulted
with stone, evidently of great antiquity. Some sup-
pose this to have been the site of the monastery for
Franciscan or Grey Friars, which, it is said, Edward
the III., with his brother, John Earl of Cornwall,
founded in Maidstone. f It is stated that this opinion
is in some degree supported by the early deeds relat-
ing to this house, in which it is called the Priory or
Friary.
Behind the north side of the upper part of the
High-street there were, a few years ago, some re-
mains of a building of a very early date, these how-
ever were entirely removed when the new Markets
were built.
Early in the last century several Roman urns,
bottles and other vessels, with a skeleton and frag-
ments of human bones, were found in digging for
the foundation of a warehouse at the lower part of
Earl-street. § These remains were collected by Mr.
* See Newton's Hist, for further information on this subject,
t Vide Newton on the authority of Dugdale's Monasticon.
§ See Newton's Hist.
12 MAIDSTONE.
Drayton, then an apothecary in this place, but I
cannot find that they are now in existence. I men-
tion this discovery, as, connected with others of a
similar nature of which accounts will be found in the
excursions following-, it appears to support the opinion
that Maidstone was a station of the Romans.
At the time when local coin was used, several
persons in this town had tokens struck. Not many
years ago several of these were often to be found in
circulation as farthings, but few are now to be seen
excepting in the collections of antiquaries.
CHURCHES, &c
All Saint's Church. — The parish church of
Maidstone, dedicated to All Saints, stands on the
banks of the river at the south-western part of the
town. It is a noble Gothic pile, and in size, and
general grandeur, is said to exceed any other parish
church in the county. Its length is abcve one
hundred and sixty feet, and its breadth above ninety.
The whole building is remarkable for its beauty and
regularity, and the interior is kept particularly neat.
It has a lofty square tower at the west end, which
was formerly ornamented with a spire, nearly 80 feet
in height, covered with lead ; this was destroyed by
lightning in 1730. The tower contains a fine peal
often bells, the largest of which weighs about 3360
lbs., and a good clock and chimes.
Tins Church was originally dedicated to the Virgin
Mary. In the 19th year of the reign of Richard the
II. 1395, Archbishop Courtney procured a licence to
CHURCHES, &C. 13
erect a college here, and to convert the parish church
of St. Mary, into the collegiate church for its use,
on doing which he dedicated it to All Saints. Some
imagine that he pulled down the whole of St. Mary's
church, and built the present one on the site, but,
as he died within a year after the licence was grant-
ed,* it seems improbable that the whole of the build-
ing could have been erected by him. It is allowed
by all that he built the choir, or chancel, and at the
same time, at least, restored the body of the edifice,
and therefore probably, as was usual, he is sometimes
mentioned as the founder.
Weever, the celebrated collecter of epitaphs, in
his book particularized that of Courtney in this
church, yet it was doubted by antiquaries, whether
the stone described by Weever was not a mere ce-
notaph, and indeed the general opinion was that the
Archbishop was interred near the Black Prince in
Canterbury cathedral. It appears that he first di-
rected that his burial place should be in Exeter ca-
thedral, but by a codicil to his will, made when dy-
ing in Maidstone palace, he ordered his body to be
buried in the cemetery of the collegiate church of
Maidstone. All doubts on this subject however were
removed about thirty-five years ago, when the tomb
in this church was opened in the presence of several
gentlemen of this town, (among whom Avas the
*The King's licence was given at his Castle of Leeds, on the
2nd of August 1395. Archbishop Courtney died at jUaidstone,
on the 28th of July, 1396. See Hasted and his authorities.
+ Vide Newton's History.
14 MAIDSTONE.
Reverend James Reeve the present curate,) and the
bones of the Archbishop were found at the dep th
of about six feet. It appeared that he had been
buried without a coffin. The skeleton was six feet
in length, and perfect, but soon crumbled when
exposed to the air. The stone covering the grave,
which is near the middle of the chancel, still bears
the marks of the portrait of a bishop with his mitre
and robes ; the brass with which it was inlaid, was
stolen during the civil war, and the inscription which
surrounded the stone has long been illegible. The
stalls of the fellows of the college, still ornament the
chancel.
There were two chantries in this church ; one of
which was founded about the year 1366, by Robert
Vinter, commonly called Gould's chantry, from the
founder having endowed it with the estates of
Goulds and Shepway in this parish ; and the other
by Archbishop Arundel in the year 1405; and sup-
ported by a portion of the tithes of Northfleet. These
chantries were suppressed at the same time as the
college.
After the dissolution, this church was granted to
the town for the parish church, and the grant was
afterwards confirmed by James I. In the sixth year
of the reign of Edward VI. an account and valuation
was made of the goods, plate, &c. belonging to the
late collegiate church, by the king's commissioners.
The corporation were allowed to dispose of the
greater part of these, to the value of about £200,
and with the produce purchased the brotherhood
hall for a school, and the free chapel of St. Faith
CHURCHES, &C. 15
The rectory of this church was originally in the gift
of the archbishop of Canterbury. In the 19th year of
Richard the II. it was appropriated by archbishop
Courtney, under a bull of pope Boniface the 9th, and
with the licence of the king, to the college as before
stated, with a reservation to the archbishop of the
patronage of the advowson, which was given in
exchange by archbishop Cranmer to Henry the VIII.
When the college was suppressed, the rectory also
fell into the king's hands, and was granted by Edward
to Sir Thomas Wiat, the younger, who forfeited it for
rebellion against Mary. It was soon after leased by
that queen to Christopher Roper, Esq., and the pa-
tronage of the curacy granted to Archbishop Pool.
The reversion of the rectory passed to the arch-
bishop of Canterbury by a grant of Elizabeth, made
in the 3d. year of her reign.
This church contains many fine monuments, which
my limits will not allow me to particularize. Several
of the Astley's, Tuftons, and Knatchbulls, lie buried
within its walls. The family vault of the Earl of
Romney is under the south end of the altar steps.
The body of the church is regularly pewed and sur-
rounded by spacious galleries. A fine organ occu-
pies the centre of the western gallery. The altar-
piece representing the Last Supper, is greatly ad-
mired ; it was painted by Mr. William Jefferys, a na-
tive of this town. William Shipley, Esq. to whom
the society for the encouragement of arts, manufac-
tures and commerce owed its origin, and who resided
in Maidstone, was buried in the north-western corner
of this churchyard.
16 MAIDSTONE.
Parochial Library. — In the vestry-room is a large
parochial library, containing many scarce books,
among them is a copy cf Bishop Walton's Po!
Bible. By the will of Dr. Thos.Bray, perpetual curate
of St. Botolph's, Aldgate, his valuable collection of
books was directed to be sold for fifty pounds, the
purchasers giving assurance to his executors that
should be placed in some corporate town in South
Britain, for a parochial library. The sum was raised
by subscription in this town and its vicinity, in 1735,
and the books added to the public library for the
parish, sometime before established. Any respect-
able inhabitant of Maidstone can have access to this
library, but few avail themselves of the privilege.
Trinity Church. — The new church, or chapel
of ease, dedicated to the Holy Trinity, which,
built a few years ago, stands between King-street,
and Union-street. It is a large and commodious
building, containing seats for nearly two thousand
persons. It is built of stone, with a lofty steeple at
the west-end, and forms a pleasing and conspicuous
object in the different views of the town. The offi-
ciating minister is paid by the rents of the sittings.
Dissenting Chapels. — The places of worship for
Dissenters in Maidstone are very numerous, there be-
ing four for Baptists, two for Methodists, one for In-
dependants, one for Quakers, and one for Unitarians.
PUBLIC BUILDINGS AND INSTITUTIONS,
CHAR] I [ES.&c.
County G.\ue. — Under this heading I shall first
notice the new county prison, which was completed
PUBLIC BUILDINGS, &C. 17
in 1818, at a cost of nearly £200,000. It is situ-
ated at the northern end of the town, and is built of
the rag stone, which abounds in the neighbourhood.
In strength, size, and convenience, this gaol is not
excelled, or perhaps equalled by any in the kingdom.
It contains between five and six hundred cells ; and
within the walls, which enclose about sixteen acres of
land, are several large manufactories, and a tread
mill, in which the convicts labour, a large hospital, a
chapel, dwellings for the governor, and turnkeys, and
other necessary buildings. The chaplain's house is
without the wall, and corresponds in position and
appearance with the porter's lodge on the opposite
side. While the necessary discipline is strictly ob-
served, the greatest attention is paid to the morals,
health, and comfort of the prisoners confined here.
Their average number is 350, and the annual ex-
pense of the establishment is between four and five
thousand pounds. The malefactors of the county
are executed at the side of the porter's lodge.
Sessions' House. — Large and commodious courts
for the assizes, sessions, &c, have been erected in
front of the prison, with all suitable offices and con-
veniences for the counsel, attorneys, witnesses, and
other persons attending on those occasions.
The Cavalry Barracks built in 1797, and now
used as a depot for the king's four cavalry regiments
serving in India, stand on the Rochester road, at a
short distance from the end of Week-street. They
are built chiefly of wood, and are most agreeably
situated on the slope descending to the river side,
forming a pleasing object in the view from the op-
c
18 MAIDSTONE.
posite bank. About two years ago the establish-
ment for the improving, and maintaining uniformity
in the system of riding in his majesty's cavalry, was
removed hither from St. John's-wood barracks, Pad-
dington.
The County Assembly Rooms, which were built
a few years ago, stand immediately opposite to
the barracks. The building is of brick, and con-
tains a large ball room, a card room, and suitable
apartments for dressing, refreshments, &c. Five
grand balls, besides several card meetings, take place
here every season.
Large Markets, with every convenience for the
sale of corn and hops, meat, poultry, fish, fruit, and
vegetables, with all which they are abundantly sup-
plied, have been recently erected between the High-
street, and Earl-street, with a fine building of the
Ionic order in front to the High-street, a part of
which is used Avith the Mitre tavern, and the re-
mainder as the Kent Fire and Life office.
The Kent Fire Insurance Company was esta-
blished in 1802, and The United Kent Life An-
nuity Institution in 1824. They are under the
same management. The governor is the Earl of
Romncy, and the list of deputy governors comprises
the names of most of the nobility of Kent. These
establishments offer all the advantages of similar in-
stitutions in the metropolis, on the same terms.
The original price of a share, in either companv
was £50 ; but the wortli is now much greater, a
proof of the flourishing state of the establishments,
each of which pays an annual dividend of £6 per
PUBLIC BUILDINGS, &C. 19
cent.; the Fire Office on the first of September, and
the Life Office on the first of March. It can but
be highly beneficial to this county to have within
itself such excellent institutions.
Town Hall. — At the top of the Middle-row in
High-street, is the town hall, a large building of stone
and brick, built in the year 1764, at the joint ex-
pense of the western division of the county, and the
corporation of this town. The assizes for Kent, and
the sessions for the western division of the county,
were, before the erection of the new courts, held
here. It is used as one of the polling places for
West Kent, but is now otherwise almost exclusively
appropriated to the judicial, and other public busi-
ness of the town, for which purposes, the corpora-
tion have recently fitted up the interior in an
elegant and commodious manner. Some rooms at
the top of the building were formerly used as the
town prison, and called the Brambles; afterwards a
gaol was erected at the workhouse, but the prisoners
of the town are now confined in the county gaol, the
corporation paying a sum to the county for their
maintenance, &c.
The Gas Works, which are on an extensive scale,
stand in the West Borough near Newark. They
were built by a Mr. Gosling, who for some time sup-
plied the town with gas. He sold them to some re-
spectable persons of the place, who, in 1823, were
incorporated by act of parliament as The Maidstone
Gas-light and Coke Company, The shares origi-
nally were sold at £50 each, but are now considera-
bly increased in value. The liberal conduct of the
20 MAIDSTONE.
company gives general satisfaction, and it would be
difficult to find a country town more brilliantly
lighted than this.
The Bridge, commonly called the Great Bridge
to distinguish it from the lesser one over the Len, in
Stone-street, crosses the Medway from the bottom
of the High-street. It has now five, but formerly
had seven arches : the building is old and unsightly,
and, though some years ago it was widened and repair-
ed, is fast falling to decay. The western end seems
of greater antiquity than the rest of the work, and is
probably a part of the bridge erected here by one of
the archbishops of Canterbury in the 14th century.
Till late in the last century this bridge was encum-
bered with several small houses. At its eastern end
is the Town Watch-house, a neat building in stucco
with an iron railing before it.
There is a neat little Theatre at the lower part of
High-street, which is open every other year fur forty
nights. The present manager is the well known
comedian, Mr. Sloman.
The Free Grammar School, formerly the hall of
the Corpus Christi brotherhood, is situated at the
bottom of Earl-street. The corporation, in the sixth
year of the reign of Edward the VI. purchased the
premises of the crown, and founded this school.
William Lamb, a gentleman of Henry the eighth's
chapel, gave £1" per annum to this school, the chil-
dren of poor men having the benefit of the gift.
Robert Gunsley, rector ofTitsey in Surrey, by his
will made in 1618, gave the rectory and parso
of Flair.stead in Hertfordshire, to University College,
PUBLIC BUILDINGS, &C. 21
Oxford, for the purpose of founding four scholarships,
two for this school, and two for that of Rochester:
natives of the county, and no others, unless of the
founder's kindred, are eligible, and he directed those
of his name and kindred to be pi ef erred to any other.
These scholars have chambers, and £15 per annum
each. Also by his will he gave to the master and
fellows of the same college, the appointment of the
curate of Flamstead, with an annual stipend of £60,
and directed that, ivhensoever the said curate 's place,
should be void, one of his own scholars should have
the refusing of it before any other.
John Davy, M. D. of this town, gave by his will in
1649, sixteen acres of land at Newchurch in Rom-
ney Marsh, then producing £18 per annum, towards
the support of the master and usher of Maidstone
school : and Mr. John Rice, in 1805, added the an-
nual sum of £6, arising from the purchase of the land
tax of the living of Hoo, in this county.
The master, who must be a clergyman of the church
of England, is elected by the mayor and jurats. In
addition to the endowments, he receives £20 yearly
from the corporation, who have the government of
the school. The Rev. Thomas Harrison, A. M. is
the present master.
A Subscription Academy was established in 1827
in this town on transferable shares of £20 each, of
which there are one hundred; each share gives the
holder the right of nominating one pupil, for whom
the sum of 11 guineas, if he be the shareholder's son,
or otherwise of 12 guineas per annum, is payable
which includes the use of books, stationery, &c. The
MAIDSTONE.
management is vested in a committee, treasurer, and
secretary eh cted from the proprietors. The head m \s-
ter, who is required to be a clergyman of the i •
lished church, receives £300 per annum, the second
master £200, the third £100, and the fourth £80:
each has a small addition made to his salary, when
the number of the scholars exceeds.50. Theschol
on the above terms, receive instruction in Greek,
Latin, French, also in Mathematics, and Algebra,
with the usual course of English education ; and
the masters occasionally deliver lectures on literary
and scientific subjects. Music, drawing, and danc-
ing, are paid for extra. The school-room is near
the new church, with a convenient dwelling-house
adjoining for the master, which he has rent-free,
with other advantages, in addition to his salary.
The masters are chosen by the shareholders .
: they have the privilege of taking boarders
into their houses. The present head master is
Reverend Thomas S.Green, A. M.
There are besides several highly res]
boarding schools for young gentlemen and ladi
A Literary Institution was established here in
1831, on the plan of annual subscription. In the
following year it was remodelled on the system of
shares; and the society now consists of sharehohh re,
in whom the property is vested, and who in addition
to the price of the share, originally £5, pay an an-
nual subscription of £1. Is. ; life members wh
£10. 10s.; and annual subscribing members who pay
for the use of library and reading room, £1. lis. 6d.
or £l. is. for the use of the library only. An en-
PUBLIC BUILDINGS, &C. 23
trance fee of £1. Is. is paid by every shareholder
and annual subscriber on admission with certain ex-
ceptions, and the subscriptions are paid in advance.
The Earl of Romney is president, and there are vice-
presidents, a committee of management, a treasurer,
and a secretary. The library already contains about
2000 well selected volumes, and the reading room is
well supplied with newspapers and periodical public-
ations. From the encouragement which this insti-
tution justly receives, it is confidently to be hoped
that it will soon be enabled to afford additional ad-
vantages to the important benefits it already confers.
The rooms are at the house of Mr. John Smith,
Stationer, Week-street, who is the librarian.
A Philosophical Society for the delivery of lec-
tures on philosophical, literary, and scientific sub-
jects, has recently been formed in this town. The
terms of subscription are so moderate, that few will
be excluded by pecuniary considerations from par-
taking of the benefits offered by this society : non-
subscribers are also admissible to the lectures on
terms to be fixed by the committee. Viscount
Marsham is the patron of the institution. The old
concert room in Pudding-lane has been selected for
the lecture room.
A Horticultural Society was formed in Maid-
stone in the spring of the year, for the purpose of
encouraging, by prizes given at periodical exhi-
bitions, the cultivation of fruits, flowers, and veget-
ables. It is a subject of high gratulation to the
residents in this neighbourhood, that they have an
24 MAIDSTONE.
institution, which while by the innocent emulation
it excites, calculated in its direct effect to increase
their comfort, and add to their luxuries, cannot i lil
to engender and extend a kind and social feeling.
It is scarcely necessary to say that it has received
the most liberal support. The funds of the estab-
lishment arise from annual subscriptions, and the
sums paid by non-subscribers, for admission to the
exhibitions.
A Dispensary for supplying the indigent sick of
Maidstone and its vicinity, with medicine and medi-
cal attendance, was established in 1830. This
charity was so liberally supported, that in 1833, an
Im i U.Mary was added for patients requiring constant
attention, and the institution is now known by the
name of The West Kent Imfirmary and Dis-
pensary. It has a patron, the Earl of Romney,
presidents, and vice-presidents, and the following
officers, two physicians, two surgeons, a treasurer,
a house surgeon, a secretary, and a matron. For
in-patients, a yearly subscription of three guineas
makes an annual governor, and a donation of thirty
guineas, a life governor, who are entitled to recom-
mend one in-patient yearly, during their respective
terms of subscription. For out-patients, a yearly
subscription of one guinea makes an annual go-
vernor, and a donation often guineas a life govern-
or, who are entitled to have one out-patient con-
stantly on the books for their respective terms of
subscription. This excellent establishment owed
its origin mainly to the exertions of the late and
PUBLIC BUILDINGS, &C. 25
deeply lamented Dr. Smith, whose memory alike on
account of his great humanity, and eminent skill in
his profession, will long be gratefully cherished in the
neighbourhood. The number of patients admitted
in the year 1833, was 1188, and since the first
opening of the dispensary, in 1830, to the end of
1833, no less than 4024. The infirmary, a neat
brick building, stands on the Queen Anne-road,
not far distant from the new church. The cost of
its erection, including the purchase of the land and
other incidental expences, exceeded £1700. During
the last year constant accommodation was provided
for six in-patients, but the number has since been
increased to twelve. The building is calculated for
the reception of twenty-four.
Many charitable persons have built Alms-houses
for the poor in this town. Sir John Banks, by his
will, in 1697, directed six alms-houses to be built,
which he endowed with the annual sum of £60, for
six poor aged men and women. In 1748 Edward
Hunter, Esq. gave six houses, with an annuity of
£8 attached to each, for three men and three women.
John Brenchley, Esq. in 1789, built four, for old
men and women, and endowed them with annuities
of £12 each. And three were given by Mrs. Duke,
for gentlewomen of reduced circumstances.
A Large Workhouse was built for the poor of this
parish in 1720, by Thomas Bliss, Esq., who often
represented this town in parliament. He expended
£700 in this charitable work. It is a spacious
brick building, standing in Knightrider-street near
All Saints' Church, and contains a suitable dwelling
M UD3T0]
for the keeper. Since tlio erection of the original
building, great additions have been made to it by
the parish.
There are several Charity Schools in Maidstone
for the education of the poorer cl iss, namely, the
Blue-coat for clothing and educating 53 boys, and
43 girls, which was established in 17 11 by the '
Dr. Woodward, and has for its support a certain
yearly income of nearly £140 in addition to the
legacies, donations, and subscriptions; a school
founded by Sir Charles Booth in 1795, and endowed
by him with the interest of f 2,000, which has now
accumulated to £3,000, in which 35 boys and 35
girls receive instruction; the Green-coat, for cloth-
ing and educating 12 boys, and the same nuni'i>
girls, and the Brown-coat for clothing and educat-
ing 24 boys, and the same number of girls which
are chiefly maintained by dissenters; large schools
for boys and girls on the National, and British
terns, are also supported here by legacies, dona'
and annual contributions, besides the several Sunday
schools, maintained by subscriptions, in which up-
wards of 2000 children receive instruction.
Besides those already mentioned, there are several
other charitable institutions maintained by the volun-
tary contributions of the inhabitants of the town and
neighbourhood, for the relief of the Bufferings of
the poor, among these are the societies for sup-
plying the indigent with food, clothing, and fuel in
winter, and a lying-in charity. There are also
several benefit societies, and a well managed savings'
bank.
HISTORICAL MATTERS. 27
HISTORICAL MATTERS CONNECTED WITH
MAIDSTONE.
In 1381, Wat Tyler broke open the gaol here,
and liberated John Ball, a priest and seditious
preacher, together with the other prisoners then con-
fined there. This Ball, (more commonly known by
the name of Jack Straw, which he took from the
place of his birth, Pepingstraw in the parish of
OfFham, near this town;)* seems to have been a
man of great talent; he became the chief coadjutor
of Tyler, in the rebellion which the latter had then
raised against Richard the II., in opposition to the
poll tax. Tyler made him chaplain to the rebel
army, and promised him the archbishoprick of Can-
terbury. After the death of his patron, and the
dispersion of the insurgents, Ball was taken, and
hanged at St. Alban's.f
I have already said the inhabitants of Maidstone
forfeited the charter granted to them by Edward the
VI., on account of their participation in the Kent-
ish rebellion, raised by Sir Thomas Wiat against
Mary. It was here, on the 27th of January, 1554,
that Sir Thomas first raised his standard, and made
a public declaration of his intentions, § stating that
his sole design in taking up arms, was to preserve
the liberty of the nation, and to keep it from the
voke of strangers. According to tradition, this pro-
clamation, was made at the Bear Ringle, the spot
* See Philipott.
t See Newton's Hist, and the autiiority cited.
5 See Burnet's Hist, of the Reformation and Rapin's Hist, of
England.
UAIDST01
now occupied by the weigh-bridge, and one of the
conduits, jusl below the Middle-row in t lie- High-
street. Sir Thomas Wi.it then poss< — 'I the M I
and other considerable property in Maidstone, and
be was supported bj the Isleys, M , . and
other persons of wealth and influence in this town.'
He inarched from Maidstone to Rochester, when
was joined by a party of the queen's troops which had
been sent to oppose him, and thence, after rejecting
an offer of pardon made by the queen, to London.
at the head of about 4000 men, but on arriving at
the metropolis, it seems that he did not meet the
support he had calculated upon, and was des
by some of his followers; the remainder being sur-
rounded by the queen's forces, Sir Thomas finding
hopes of escape vain, surrendered himself prison* r
to Sir Maurice Berkeley, and was committed to the
Tower; soon afterwards he was tried and con-
demned, and after a respite of some weeks behead* d.
His bodv was quartered, and hi< head exhibited on
a pole, whence it was stolen by some of his friends, t
sir Henry Isley, his brother Thomas, and Walter
Mantell, Wiat's principal coadjutors, are said to
have been executed in Maidstone, on the spot where
the design was first publicly proclaimed. §
The inhabitants of this place appear to have dis-
tinguished themselves by their firm attachment to
* See Newton's Hist, of Maidstone, and the authorities there
mentioned.
See Rapin and Hume.
* See Nekton's Hist, of .Maidstone and the authorities cited.
HISTORICAL MATTERS. 29
the protestant cause. On the accession of Mary,
they were among; the first, and most earnest, in pe-
titioning, and protesting against any alteration in
the doctrine and service of the church, as settled
by Edward the VI. This rendered them particularly
obnoxious to Mary, and, coupled with the part they
took in Wiat's rebellion, (which partially arose from
religious motives,) was the cause of their being left
in a disfranchised state, during the remainder of her
reign. Many persons of this place were subjected
to severe persecution, and some even suffered mar-
tyrdom on account of their faith. In 1554, seven
persons of this town and neighbourhood were burned
in the meadow, near the grammar school, and
several suffered in other places. For a more par-
ticular account of these victims to bigotry, I refer
my reader to Mr. Fox's book.
Kent was one of the counties, which, in 1648,
formed an association to protect the king from the
oppression of the parliament. It was intended to
commence proceedings by petition, and an address
was accordingly prepared, but an order was promul-
gated by the parliament forbidding the people to
sign or present it. On this the Kentish men at once
flew to arms, and an army of nearly 6000 foot, and
1000 horse, was quickly raised, to which Edward
Hales Esq. was appointed general, and Sir Thomas
Peyton, lieutenant-general. The Earl of Norwich
afterwards took the command of this force, and
marched up to Blackheath to effect a junction with
the King's friends in and about London, but he was
forced to retire before Fairfax, who had been promptly
30 MAIDSTONE.
ordered by the Parliament to suppress this rising, and
accordingly had marched into Kent with about 10,000
men. The other counties w ho hud formed the league,
either from tear, or inability to render aid, left the
Kentish men unsuccoured, and Fairfax, with whom
they endeavoured to make terms, refused to treat with
them. Several skirmishes occurred between detach-
ments of the two armies, in which the royalists,
though behaving with great gallantry, were defeated.
The little army then divided, one part under the
Earl of Norwich occupying Rochester, and t!
mainder taking their quarters in this town. Fairfax
then, having mustered his forces at Mailing, on the
second of June marched to attack Maidstone.
Crossing the river at East Farleigh, he fell on the
town before its inhabitants were aware of his ap-
proach. The royalist force consisted of about 1000
horse and foot commandt d by Sir Thomas Mayney,
and 800 by Sir William Brockman. Some slight
defences had been thrown up near the place now
occupied by the workhouse, but these were speedily
forced, and about seven o'clock in the evening the
storming of the town itself began. Such was the
determined bravery of its defenders, notwithstand-
ing the vast numerical superiority of the parliament-
ary force, that the battle lasted till almost midnight,
when those left of the royalists, worn out with fal
threw themselves into the church, and made the
best terms they could with their opponents. Lord
Clarendon speaks highly of the courage of the roy-
alists in this affair, the unfortui. of which
however discouraged them from making any further
HISTORICAL MATTERS. 31
effort in this county in favour of their unfortunate
sovereign.*
Maidstone was within the range of the terrible
storm, which, on the 19th of August, 1763, desolated
a large part of Kent and Sussex. It entered this
county at Tonbridge Wells, and passed completely
across it, in a north easterly direction, to Sheerness.
Such was the tremendous fury of this tempest, which
combined the powers of wind, and hail, and thunder
and lightning, in their most awful strength, that the
tract over which it passed, averaging about three
miles in breadth, was utterly devastated. All the
fruit, corn and other produce, remaining on the land,
were entirely destroyed : the trees were stripped of
their leaves, and their limbs broken. Many houses
and buildings were blown down, and all that stood
exposed to its force, more or less damaged. This
town suffered especially from its violence ; on the
northern side of the High-street, not only the glass,
but the very frames of the windows were broken by
the hail, the accounts given of the size of which in
this neighbourhood, seem almost incredible : one
piece is stated to have been found at Banning mea-
suring nine inches in circumference, and some, picked
up ten days after the storm, are said to have exceeded
four inches in girth, resembling rather fragments of
ice than ordinary hail. A public subscription was
promptly raised for the relief of the sufferers from this
* See Clarendon's Hist, of the Rebellion ; — Newton's Hist, of
Maidstone ; — and Matthew Carter's Account of the expedition
printed in 1648, immediately after the defeat.
MAIDSTONE.
direful visitation, by which their distri latlj
mitigated. '
On the 7th of August, 1765, the prison
"lit of the county-gaol, then in K i
Italians nan ed Pings and Benevenuto, then under
sentence of death, having seized the arms, and mur-
dered the keeper, John Stevens, and John Fleti
The prisoners, fifteen in number, proceed* d toToville,
and thence to Plaxtol, where, with military as
ance, tlicv were secured, the tWO Italians Ik,..
were slain; the others were shortlv ai'terv.
under a special commission, and executed. f
On the 1st of June, 1798 O'Coigley, O'Conner, and
others, were tried here for high treason. The c
against them was that of being in correspondence
with the French Republic for the purpi •
couragingand assisting the proji cted invasion oftht se
realms by the French. O'Coigley was found guilty,
and on the 7th was executed as a traitor at Penen-
den-heath.
On the 4th of November, 177^. George the III. vi-
Maidstone, on the occasion of his inspecting
the camp at Coxheath ; and again on the 1
1 799, it was honoured by his pi . v. iili i
ueen ami 1 family, \
the Kentish volunteers were reviewed in the
park.
* See
t Seethe entries in the parish register of the burials of John
Stevens and Join Fletcher, i
PERSONS OF NOTE. 33
PERSONS OF NOTE BORN IN, OR OTHERWISE
CONNECTED WITH THE TOWN.
There appears to have been formerly a family of
some importance, which took its surname from this
place. Ralph de Maydenstane died bishop of Here-
ford in 1244. In the 4th year of the reign of Edward
the IV., Walter de Maydenstane obtained the king's
licence to embattle his mansion in the town of
Maydenstane : he was made bishop of Worcester
in 1313, and died in 1317. Ralph de Maydenstane,
and Richard de Maydenstane, were among the cele-
brated writers of the middle of the 14th century. In
1367, William de Maydenstane was abbot, and
Walter de Maydenstane one of the monks of Fa-
versham abbey. Thomas de Maydestane was a canon
of Leeds priory in 1397. Weever speaks of a monu-
ment in Ulcomb church with this inscription,
" Here lyeth William de Maydenstone Esq., who
died April 8th, 1429." In Caxton's life, mention is
made of Clement de Maydestane, a priest, who
copied the Ordinal by way of penance.*
Sir John Mansell, who was rector of this parish
and died in 1264, appears to have been an important
personage in his time, and a great favorite of his
sovereign, Henry the III. His ecclesiastical revenues
are stated to have been nearly 4000 marks, so
numerous and rich were the benefices he enjoyed.
He was special counsellor to the king, castellan of the
tower of London, chief justice of England, a mem-
ber of the privy council, lord keeper of the great
* See Philipott, Newton, and others.
c
34 MAIDSTOHl .
seal, and ambassador to the courts of France and of
Spain. He also distinguished himself in arm>. wl i< h
in those days were frequently assumed by church-
men of high degree. When Alexander king of Scot-
land visited Henry the III. in 12'3'i, Mansell, who
was the private chaplain to Henry, entertained the
two monarchs and their queens, with their respective
retinues in the most sumptuous style at his own
house. Yet notwithstanding all his wealth and ho-
nours he appears to have died abroad in poverty and
obscurity.
Wat Tyler, the rebel against Richard II. is sup-
posed by some to have been an inhabitant of Maid-
stone, t though the general opinion is that he was of
Dartford.
The noble family of the Widviles, or Woodvilles,
possessed the Mote in this parish from the time of
Edward the III. to that of Richard the III. John
de Woodville, who was sheriff and castellan of North-
ampton, resided at the Mote in the reign of Richard
the II. and is said by Weever to have been buried in
Maidstone church, on the north side of the ch;i
where, some years back, there were the remains of an
old tomb supposed to be his, but. only a few letters
of the inscription were legible even when Newton
wrote his history of the town ; these however in-
clude a part of the date, - - December, - - .\nn<>
milleno, c quateb., x - - - He was succeeded
by his son Richard, afterwards Earl Rivers, who
* See Newton and Hasted.
i >eeKilburne's Survey of Kent, — Maidstone.
PERSONS OF XOTE. 35
was a firm adherent to his unfortunate sovereign
Henry the VI. until Edward the IV. obtained the
crown, when he became as zealous a partizan of the
house of York. On his being beheaded by the insur-
gents in favour of Henry, his son Anthony succeeded
to his honours and estates. Anthony seems to have
stood even higher than his father in the favour and
confidence of Edward . On the death of that monarch,
he, as the guardian of the young Prince of Wales, his
nephew, became obnoxious to the Duke of Gloucester,
who, with the assistance of his confederate the Duke
of Buckingham, arrested him while attending his ne-
phew onhis return from Wales, and shortly after caused
him to be executed as a traitor at Pontefract Castle.
His brother Richard succeeded to the title, but the
usurper, Richard the III. seized the estates, including
those in Maidstone, and granted them to Sir Robert
Brackenbury. On the accession of Henry the VII.
they were restored to the Earl. Some farther notice of
these unfortunate noblemen will be found in the third
excursion, in the account given of the Mote, with
which their history is more immediately connected.
Edward Lee, afterwards Lord Archbishop of York,
was born in this town in the year 1482. His father
had a mansion in Earl-street, which probably stood
on the eastern, or upper side of Havock-lane; a few
years ago the arms of the Lee family were, amongst
others, to be seen in painted glass in one of the win-
dows of the portion of an old mansion which still
occupies the spot.
Richard Master, B. D. the rector of Aldington,
Kent, and an eminent philosopher, who was executed
36 . MAIDSTONE.
at Tyburn, in 1534, for being concerned in the im-
posture of Elizabeth Barton, the holy maid of Kent,
was a native of Maidstone.
The Knights Wiats of Allington were all so inti-
mately connected with this town, though not natives,
that I cannot refrain from introducing their illustri-
ous names in this place. Sir Henry Wiat, the fa-
vorite, and privy counsellor of Henry the VII. and
Henry the VIII. purchased the Mote in this parish,
in the reign of Henry the VII. His son, Sir Thomas,
the poet, succpeded to his father's estates and ho-
nours ; he had great additions made to his property in
this neighbourhood, by grants from Henry the VIII.
among which was that of the palace and manor of
Maidstone. Sir Thomas Wiat, the younger, received
some further grants from Edward the VI. including
the rectory of this parish : he, as has been before
stated, was beheaded, and his estates were confiscated
to the crown, for rebellion against Mary. Some
farther notice of these gentlemen will be found in
the first of the excursions following this account of
the town.
John Jenkins, one of the most celebrated musical
composers who flourished in the reigns of Charles the
I. and Charles II. was born in this town in 1592. He
was most famous for his fantasias, which were highly
admired, both in England and on the continent. Jen-
kins, though an excellent performer on the viol, con-
tributed ftftich by his compositions, to the introduc-
tion of the violin in its place. He was the first
English composer of trios for two violins and a
He appears to have died about the year 1660.
PERSONS OF NOTE. 37
Andrew Broughton, an attorney, who was one of
the two clerks to the high court of justice, and as
such read the charge of impeachment, and also the
sentence, against Charles the I. was a resident in, if
not a native of Maidstone. He built a good house in
Earl-street, (next below the Star Inn yard,) in which
he resided till the restoration of Charles the II. The
following curious anecdote connected with this man,
is preserved by Newton in his History of Maidstone.
Broughton, on his return to Maidstone after the
king's execution, attended public worship as usual,
when the minister, Wilson, in his sermon spoke openly
and vehemently against the king's murder : "David's
heart," he said, "smote him when he only cut off
the skirt of Saul's garment, but men dare now-a-days
to cut ofFthe head of a king without remorse!" on
this Broughton precipitately lef, the church, and
Wilson then added, "when the word of God comes
home to a man, it makes him fly for it ! " I am in-
duced to give this anecdote at length for the fine ex-
ample of forcible eloquence conjoined with high moral
courage which it affords. After this Broughton never
attended the church again, but procured an indepen-
dent minister, who officiated in the free school. The
commons rewarded Broughton's services by making
him clerk, and afterwards coroner of the upper bench.
He attended the proclamation of Charles the II. here,
but immediately after the ceremony mounted his horse,
which was in waiting, and quitted the town for ever.
It appears that he retired, with others who had been
concerned in the death of Charles, to Vevay, on the
38 MAIDSTONE.
Lake of Geneva, in Switzerland, where be died in
1687, aged 84. His epitaph states that he was twice
mayor of Maidstone.
Thomas Wilson A. M., the minister named in the
preceding notice of Broughton, was curate of Maid-
stone from 1643 until the time of his death in 1651.
He had previously been rector of Otham, and while
in that parish had been subjected to most severe per-
secution for non-conformity. He appears to have
been a very popular, zealous and pious preacher, and
one of the most determined opponents of Archbishop
Laud, on whose trial Wilson was one of the witnesses
against him. An account of his life was published
in 1672, by his friend George Swinnock, A. M. a
native of this town, to -which I refer my readers for
any farther information they may require. *
Thomas Trapham, surgeon to General Fairfax, and
afterwards to Cromwell, was the son of Thomas Trap-
ham of this town . He embalmed the body of Charles
the I. and after sewing on the head, observed that
he had sewed on the head of a goose. He appears
to have been a violent republican, and a man of some
consequence in his party. He died in 1683.
The name of Thomas Read, of Maidstone, gentle-
man, appears among those of the witnesses against
Charles the I.
The Reverend William Newton author of The
History and Antiquities of Maidstone, published in
1741, was born in this town. He died in 1744.
* This little work has been lately re-published by Mr. J. Brown,
the printer of this book.
PERSONS OF NOTE. 39
William Shipley, to whom the society for en-
couraging arts, manufactures, and commerce, estab-
lished in 1754, owed its origin, resided in Maidstone.
The society presented him with a gold medal having
on one side an emblematical device and on the other
the following inscription : " To William Shipley
whose public spirit gave rise to this society."* Mr.
Shipley was also eminent for his researches in na-
tural philosophy. Previously to his residence in this
town, he had been a painter in London, where he
formed a school for the teaching of drawing, which
is allowed to have conduced in a great degree to
the establishment of the Royal Academy, many of
the first and eminent masters of which had been
students in Mr. Shipley's school. He died in 1803,
at the age of 89 years, and was buried near the north-
western corner of the parish church.
William Woolett, the prince of engravers, was born
in Maidstone in the year 1735. The house in which
he was born is still standing in King-street, being
the house on the eastern side of the passage leading
to Mrs. Duke's alms-houses. It is said that he was a
waiting boy at the Turk's-head public-house, in the
Rose-yard, High-street, and that he made his first es-
say in the art in which he afterwards excelled all his
predecessors, and has not since been equalled, by
scratching a head on one of the pewter pots of the
house, and that the boldness of the drawing attract-
ing attention, led to his being apprenticed to an en-
* An engraving was made of this medal ; a copy is in the
writer's possession, which was presented to his father by 3Ir.
Shipley.
40 MAIDSTONE.
graver. Woolett was engraver to George the III.
His works are very numerous, and now sell at very
high prices. Those generally considered his best are,
the death of General Wolfe, after West ; the Fishery,
after Wright ; and Niobe after Wilson ; of which
proof impressions are valued at from £10 to £20.
Woolett died in 1785, in the 50th year of his age,
and was buried in St. Pancras' church-yard. There
is a fine cenotaph, by Banks, erected to his memory
in the cloisters of Westminster abbey.
William Jefferys, whom I have before notieed as
the painter of the altar-piece in the parish church,
was a native of Maidstone. He was in business in
town as a general painter, and consequently had but
little time or opportunity to cultivate his talent for the
more refined pursuits of the art. He however ac-
quired some celebrity by his fruit and flower pieces,
which were exhibited in the rooms of the Royal Aca-
demy. He died in 1805.
James Jefferys, the son of William, was also born
here : he greatly excelled his father in talent as a
painter. He was first placed under the celebrated
Woolett, but afterwards studied in the Royal Aca-
demy, where, in 1773, being then about twenty-three
years of age, he obtained the annual gold medal for
the best historical picture. In 1775 he was sent
to Rome, and remained abroad four years at the
cost of the establishment. On his return he set-
tled in Meard-street, Soho. He painted the scene
before Gibraltar, representing the destruction of
the floating batteries, on the 16th of September,
1782 and this is considered his master-piece: it
PERSONS OF NOTE. 41
was engraved by Woolett and Ernes. James Jefferys
was particularly celebrated for his masterly pen-
drawings in the style of Mortimer, under whom it is
supposed he studied for a short time while in London.*
His designs display great originality and boldness,
and fully justify the opinion of his contemporaries that
he would arrive at the highest eminence in his pro-
fession. This anticipation was unfortunately disap-
pointed by his early death. He died in London, of
a rapid consumption, on the 31st of January, 1784,
aged about 34 years.
George Home, who was made bishop of Norwich
in 1790, was educated at the free grammar school of
this town, where he obtained a scholarship at Univer-
sity college Oxford. He was esteemed one of the
best Hebrew scholars of his time. I shall have occa-
sion to speak again of this distinguished prelate in
the 4th of the following excursions.
William Alexander F.S.A. was born in this place
about the year 1766. He studied in the Royal Aca-
demy, and was appointed draughtsman to Lord
Macartney's embassy to China in 1792, and 1805
published The Costume of China, a work consisting of
forty-eight highly finished and coloured etchings,
* Mr. J. N. Hughes late of Maidstone, but now residing at
Winchester, and Mr. S. Lamprey of this town, possess the prin-
cipal pen-drawings of this artist : among those in the hands of
the latter are, Pride drawn by the Passions, an allegorical design
taken from the 4th canto of Spenser's Fame Queene, which
Jefferys himself esteemed his chef d' leuvre'm this style, and The
Delwe, a grand drawing, which many connoisseurs consider of
equal merit with the first mentioned work.
42 MAIDSTONE.
illustrative of the dress, architecture, and habits of
the inhabitants of that country, with a brief descrip-
tive account of each plate. He also engraved and
published a print representing the royal review of the
Kentish volunteers in the Mote park, on the 1st of Aug.
1799, from a drawing made by himself on the occa-
sion. He was keeper of the prints and medals in the
British museum; and under his superintendance
the publication of engravings from the sculptures in
that institution was commenced, which work is not
yet completed. He died at Maidstone in 1816.
John Pond, F.R.S. the present astronomer royal,
was educated at Maidstone grammar school. He
was elected to the office in 181 1 , on the death of Dr.
Maskelyne.
TRADE, MANUFACTURES, &c.
The prosperity and increase of the town of Maid-
stone, is unquestionably in a great degree owing to
the facility of conveyance afforded by the Medway,
which is navigable up to this town by vessels of
nearly 100 tons burthen. There are between 50
and 60 vessels, of from 20 to 90 tons burthen, be-
longing to this town alone, which are employed in
conveying hops, corn, fruit, paper, timber, stone,
and other produce of this neighbourhood to Roches-
ter, Chatham, and London, whence they return
freighted with coals, grocery, and other articles of
merchandize, for the supply of Maidstone, and its
surrounding villages. Many of these, by passing
TRADE, &C. 43
through the Thames and Med way junction canal,
make the passage regularly in less than 30 hours.
There was formerly a considerable trade carried on
in this town in linen-thread, the manufacture of
which was introduced here by the Walloons, who
under the protection of Elizabeth, fled into this
country, when driven from their native land by the
persecution of the Duke D'Alva. Though the ma-
nufacture is still caried on, it has long since declined
into comparative insignificance.
In the last century there were several fulling mills
in the vicinity of the town, there being a fine vein of
the earth in the parish of Boxley: the business is
now removed from this neigbourhood.
Some years ago there wa.s a large distillery in
Maidstone, in which a spirit was made that obtained
great repute from the near resemblance of its flavour
to that of Hollands. This business has not been
carried on here for many years, and the distillery is
now used as a corn mill.
The principal manufacture of Maidstone and its
vicinity at the present day is that of paper. The
mills in this and the adjoining parishes are very nu-
merous; the two largest are those of Messrs Holling-
worth, and Messrs Balston and Co. The Maidstone
papers have long been in high repute in the foreign
as well as British markets.
At Toville, about a mile from the town, there is a
large mill for making linseed oil and oil cake : there
are besides here large manufactories for damask linen,
and coarser cloths, blankets, rope, and thread :
44 MAIDSTONE.
these, with the paper mills, afford employment to
many hundred of the inhabitants of this town.
A large trade is also carried on with the metropolis
in timber, corn, hops, and fruit, the produce of the
surrounding district, as also in the hard Kentish rag-
stone dug in the neighbourhood.
Markets are held in this town on the second Tues-
day in every month for cattle ; on every Thursday
for corn and hops ; on Thursdays and Saturdays for
meat and poultry; and on every day for fish, fruit,
and vegetables : with all these commodities this place
is plentifully and cheaply supplied. The butchers'
shops here, both by the excellence of the meat, and
their neatness, never fail to excite the admiration of
visitors. The right of holding a free market weekly
on Thursday for corn, &c. was first granted by Henry
III. in his 45th year to Archbishop Boniface for this
his manor. The mayor is ex officio clerk of the mar-
ket. The market for cattle was granted to the cor-
poration by George the II. in 1751.
Four fairs are held in Maidstone annually; on the
13th of February, 12th of May, and 20th of June, for
horses, cattle, pedlary &c ; and on the 17th of Oc-
tober for hops : a court of pie-poudre is held for
their regulation.
Several Coaches leave Maidstone for London daily,
between the hours of 5 in the morning and 4 in the
afternoon, many of which return the same day ; the
journey is performed in about 3 hours and a half.
The greatest facility of communication with the prin-
cipal places in this county, as also with Hastings and
PARISH, &C. 45
Brighton in Sussex, is afforded by coaches, vans,
and other vehicles running regularly to and from
this town.
Two weekly Newspapers are published here on
Tuesday morning : the Maidstone Journal, by Mr.
J. V. Hall; and the Maidstone Gazette by Mr. R.
J . Cutbush ; both of which are extensively circulated
in this and the surrounding counties.
I shall here give a list shewing the distance of Maid-
stone, as commonly computed, from the principal
towns in Kent. As I have already said, it lies nearly
in the middle of the county, being about 34 miles
from London, and 42 from Dover. It is about 27
miles from Canterbury — 42 from Ramsgate, Margate
or Deal — 32 from Sandgate — 19 from Ashford — 9
from Lenham — 32 from Romney — 13 from Goud-
hurst — 14 from Cranbrook — 18 from Tenterden — 14
from Tunbridge town, and 19 from the Wells — 6
from Town Mailing — 18 from Sevenoaks — 22 from
Westerham — 11 fromWrotham — 31 from Greenwich
or Woolwich — 23 from Dartford — 16 from Graves-
end — 8 from Rochester, or Chatham — 1 1 from Sit-
tingbourne — 20 from Sheerness — and 18 from Fa-
versham.
OF THE PARISH, HUNDRED, AND MANORS.
The preceding pages have been exclusively devoted
to the town of Maidstone, I shall now add some ge-
neral information respecting the parish, and hundred-
46 MAIDSTONE.
which, as the objects of interest not lying in the very
streets are noticed in the walks following, may be
given in a few words.
The parish of Maidstone comprises 4307 acres, in-
cluding an outlying piece near Stile Bridge, between
Linton and Marden, which is called Loddington, and
contains 540 acres.
The town and parish of Maidstone form a separate
jurisdiction under the corporation. The hundred of
Maidstone, in which they are locally situated, and
were formerly comprised, includes the parishes of
Boxley, Debtling, Loose, Linton, East Farleigh, and
East and West Barmins:, with parts of those of
Bersted Hunton, Marden, and Staplehurst. The
manor of Maidstone is co-extensive with the hundred.
A court-leet and a court-baron are held yearly for it.
The parish contains several manors, or estates
which were formerly of manorial repute. The Mote,
now the seat of the Earl Romney, which was also
called the manor of Shofford from its having belonged
to a family of that name. Goulds, which lies near,
and has generally been attached to the Mote estate.
Jordans-hall, which stood in Stone-street, between
the turning to Romney Place, and the Town-aims
public house. Shales court, at the southern or up-
per end of Stone-street, which at different times be-
longed to the Pimpes, the Wiats, and the Wallers
of Groombridge : there is still a portion of the manor
house standing on the southern side of the lane lead-
in. to Toville. The manor of East-lane, which
claims over twenty-five tenements in East-lane, and
PARISH, &C. 47
the Middle-row, in High-street. Chillingston nearSt.
Faith's-green ; the extensive remains of the manor
house of which present a fine specimen of the orna-
mented brick style, prevalent in the latter part of the
16th century. This estate was forfeited to the crown in
the 1st of Mary, its owner, George Maplesden, being
concerned in Wiat's rebellion. Buckland, which lies
on the western side of the Medway, opposite to the
town. Halfway Oke, or Half Yoke, is a reputed
manor in this parish, near to East Farleigh bridge.
This estate was forfeited to the crown on the attaint
of its owner, Sir Henry Isley, for treason against
Queen Mary, in joining Sir Thomas Wiat's rebellion.
Loddington, an isolated portion of Maidstone parish
near Linton, is also a manor, it had formerly a cha-
pel, being above 4 miles from the town of Maidstone.
There was formerly a mansion of consequence in
this town called Bigons or Digons, the residence of
the Maplesden family : it stood in Knightrider-
street, on the site now occupied by the house of
Mrs. Day.
The soil of this parish, which is generally a rich
loam on the Kentish rag-stone, is remarkably fertile,
and especially adapted for the growth of hops, fruit,
and filberts, large plantations of which surround the
town on every side. In addition the rag-stone, fine
sand, gravel, and brick earth, are dug within the
bounds of this parish, and an inexhaustible supply of
chalk is furnished by the neighbouring hills.
The town lies in the eastern part of the parish : the
beautiful valley from which it arises is most luxuriantly
wooded, and cultivated almost to excess, and watered
48 MAIDSTONE.
by the Len, and many other smaller streams in their
course to join the Medway which winds through its
centre, while it is bounded and protected on the
north-east by the softly swelling and picturesque chain
of hills which traverses this county : nor is this lovely
vale more to be celebrated for the richness of its
scenery, than for its general healthiness, the air being
remarkably dry, pure and mild.
Having now concluded my account of Maidstone,
I proceed to introduce my reader, in the following
excursions, to its beautiful and romantic environs.
: -
i
* ■
,(
ENVIRONS OF MAIDSTONE.
NORTHERN EXCURSION.
No. 1.
[The following descriptive account of the neighbourhood of
Maidstone, is written in a more familiar style than that generally
used in topographical publications. The different objects of interest
within the average distance of about fourmiles of the town, are sup-
posed to have been visited by the writer and a friend in eight ex-
cursions. These divisions will be found marked out in dotted lines
in the map at the commencement of the book.]
For this walk we left the town by Week-street, and
turning clown through the barracks to that delight-
ful walk, the towing path, followed the course of the
river to the Gibraltar Inn. My companion being a
stranger to this part of Kent, was continually break-
ing forth into exclamations of delight at the varied
and rich scenery around, which was then consider-
ably enlivened by the number of pleasure boats glid-
ing along the Medway.
We crossed the river to Allixgton Castle, re-
solved to explore every accessible part of that vener-
able ruin. Here Sir Thomas Wiat, the elder, "the
delight of the muses and mankind"* drew his first
breath ; here he dwelt in youth and manhood blessing
all around, and here attuned his lyre to those strains,
* He is thus styled by Anthony Wood, the celebrated biogra-
pher and historian, and Leland calls him Tncomparabilis.
50 ENVIRONS OI MAIDSTONE.
which feeling, purity, and elegance so eminently
adorn. By such associations of thought was this spot
hallowed in our eyes, and I trust I shall be pardoned
for here introducing one of his sonnets, in which "The
lover laments the death of his love :" in the hope that
the reader may be induced by this specimen, to seek
a further acquaintance with the works of one who
may with justice be styled "the glory of his day"'
The pillar perish'd is whereto I leant,
The strongest stay of mine unquiet mind ;
The like of it no man again can find,
From east to west still seeking through he went,
To mine unhap. For hap away hath rent
Of all my joy the very bark and rind ;
And I, alas, by chance am thus assign'd
Daily to mourn, till death do it relent.
For since that thus it is by destiny,
What can I more but have a woful heart ;
My pen in plaint, my voice in careful cry.
My mind in woe, my body full of smarl ;
And I myself, myself always to hate,
Till dreadful death do ease my doleful state.
I shall now give a brief historical and descriptive ac-
count of the castle. The moat, of which the gi
part is still open, and the whole to be easily traced,
encloses an area of about an acre and a half; but the
buildings, with the inner court yard, do not occupy
much more than half of that space. It appears that
there was a castle or fort here in the time of the
ons. Allington formed part of the possessions of Odo,
■ The poems of Sir Thomas Wiat were republished by Pickering
in the Aldine Edition of the British Poets, of which they form one
volume.
NORTHERN* EXCURSION. 51
Bishop of Baieux and half brother of William the con-
queror, who, on the bishop's disgrace, granted it to
Earl Warren, by whom the castle was rebuilt. He con-
conveyed it to Lord Fitz Hugh, whose daughter married
Sir Giles Allington,to whom this property passed and
whose name it has since borne. Late in the reign of
Henry the III. it was transferred from this family
to Sir Stephen de Penchester, who again built the
castle under a licence granted by Edward the I.
The greater part of the outer works now remaining
were most probably erected by him : of these, Solo-
mon's tower, which stands at the southern corner,
is most worthy of notice. Its diameter within is
nearly twenty feet ; the holes for the floor-beams
show that it had at least four stories ; and its re-
mains are above forty feet in height. From the or-
namental work left, it appears to have contained
some of the state apartments; the stone stair, by
which they were approached, now only reaches the
line of the first floor.
The inner buildings are a part of the "faire stone
house" built by Sir Thomas Wiat, before mentioned,
and are now divided into two farm houses ; to one of
which, the Earl of Romney, the owner of the estate,
has lately added two fine rooms by repairing the old
turret which overlooks the river. It is to be regretted
that at the time these repairs were made, a fine
room, which formed the upper story of the range of
buildings dividing the courts of the castle was de-
stroyed, as from what we could learn it was in all pro-
bability the banquetting room of Sir Thomas Wiat,
the elder : this room had three win lows of three
52 ENVIRONS OF MAIDSTONE.
lights each, towards the principal court, and pro-
bably the same number on the other side, which
many years ago was destroyed by fire : the ceiling
was ornamented with oak mouldings, arranged in
octagonal forms on the white stucco. The wide-
arched fire-place on the north-eastern side of the
court denotes that there "once stood the festive hall."
In crossing the yard we observed a strong iron ring
attached to a large stone, which was probably used
in that favorite, though barbarous sport of our an-
cestors, bull-baiting. The grand entrance is towards
the north-west, and is still almost perfect: this appears
to be the most ancient portion of the ruin : the arch
is Norman and ribbed with the Caen stone, which was
much in use in fortified buildings erected by the
Norman nobility soon after the conquest; it may
therefore be presumed that this is a part of the castle
built by Earl Warren, soon after the grant made to
him by the Conqueror : it was defended by a portcullis
and two gates.
I cannot leave this subject without noticing and
correcting the vulgar and strange confusion made
with regard to the Wiat family by many persons in
this neighbourhood, who jumble the three knights of
that name, (who held this castle and manor,) into one
person, Sir a Thomas Wiat, who, they say, was a great
poet, fed by a cat when confined in Solomon s tower,
and beheaded for rebellion against Queen Mary.
Now, Sir Thomas Wiat, who headed the Kentish re-
bels against Mary, and was beheaded for so doing,
was the son of Sir Thomas the poet, and the favorite
of Henry VIII. whose father, Sir Henry, purchased
NORTHERN EXCURSION. 53
this estate early in Henry the 7th's reign, and he it
was, who, when imprisoned in the tower of London
by Richard the III., was preserved by a cat, which
supplied him daily with food.
Allington, after the forfeiture by Sir Thomas Wiat,
the younger, remained in the possession of the crown
till Elizabeth granted it to the Astley family, from
which it passed by sale to one of the ancestors of the
Earl of Romney, its present owner.
In 'The Wizard,' a poem published in the 2d volume
of the Censura Literaria, this castle is noticed in the
following beautiful passage :
Then let me fly to Medway's stream,
Where flowing Wiat used to dream
His moral fancies ! Ivied towers,
'Neath which the silver Naiad pours
Her murmuring waves through verdant meads,
Where the rich herd luxuriant feeds :
How often in your still recesses
I've seen the Muse with careless tresses
Scatter her flowers as Wiat bade,
In spring's enamell'd colours clad.
Lov'd castle ! art thou still array'd
In fame, or do thine honours fade?
They fade ! Lo from the tottering walls,
Down in huge heaps the fragment falls ;
And lonely are thy courts, and still
The voice that whisper'd to the rill :
Thy very name is sunk ! how few
Know it once shone in glory's hue !
The water being low, we recrossed the stream at
the lock, and proceeded through "a vale as fair as
Eden's garden in its prime," to Aylesford. The
bridge at this place has a fine central arch of a span
54 ENVIRONS OF MAIDSTONE.
of between fifty and sixty feet, which was built about
eight years ago. In the year 1016, Edmund Iron-
side, having defeated the Danes at Otford, pursued
them to Aylesford, where, at a place called Fernham,
he completely routed them.
In the Church here are interred many distinguish-
ed persons of the Cosington, Culpeper, and Banks
families, to some of whom it contains fine and curi-
ous monuments. Sir Paul Rycaut the celebrated
traveller, who was ambassador to Constantinople,
and wrote a history of the Turks, which Dr. John-
son speaks of in terms of the highest commendation,
and several other works, lies buried in the south
chancel, where there is a monument to his memory.
Some pieces of armour and tabards hang in the north
chancel, but the latter are so blackened and decayed
that the bearings are not distinguishable; they pro-
bably belonged to some of the Banks family, near to
whose monuments they are placed. In the church-
yard near the western end of the church is the grave
of John Summerfield, Esq., an artist, well known in
this neighbourhood by his engraving of Rubens and
his wife, from a picture by that master ; Mr. Sum-
merfield was a pupil of the celebrated Bartolozzi.
Near the south-eastern end of the village street
stands the Hospital of the Holy Trinity, being an
alms-house for six poor persons and a warden , erected
and endowed in compliance with the will of John
Sedley made in 1605. For many years no appoint-
ment has been made to these alms-houses, but in
consequence of the investigation recently made by
the commissioners appointed to enquire into the state
NORTHERN' EXCURSION. 55
of public charities, there is ground to hope that this
building will soon again be applied to the purposes
for which it was designed by its benevolent founder.
There is a curious piece of carved work over the gate-
way in the garden wall, at the back of the Hospital.
We then proceeded to the Friars, now a mansion
belonging to the Earl of Aylesford, but formerly a
Priory for Carmelities, an order introduced into this
kingdom in the year 1240, by Richard Lord Grey of
Codnor, who founded this their first Monastery in
England. In the year 1245, a grand chapter of the
houses of this order was held here, when John Stock,
a hermit who dwelt in a hollow tree, was chosen su-
perior general of the societies.
Sir Charles Sedley, the poet and dramatist, who
graced the Court of Charles II. was born in this
house. The greater part of the old building is still
in good condition ; the gate house is quite en-
tire. The entrance hall of the present house was the
cloister of the Priory, within which the principal friars
were buried ; among these was Richard de Mayden-
stane, whom I have noticed in the preceding account
of the town as an author of celebrity ; he died here
in 1396.
The withdrawing room, in the southern wing, was
the chapel; its length is about forty-five feet. One of
the smaller apartments is hung with curious tapestry,
representing portions of the history of the Knight of
La Mancha. The present Earl does not reside here.
From this "relic of eld," we bent our way towards
the hills, over the spot where the Saxons, under
Hengist and Horsa, A. D.455, about five years after
56 ENVIRONS OF MAIDSTONE.
their first landing, were routed by the British king
Vortimer, after a long and bloody battle, in which
Horsa, and Catigern, Vortimer's brother, fighting
hand to hand, slew each other. Tradition says, that
Horsa was buried at a place near Chatham, now
called Horsted from that circumstance, and that
Catigern was interred where he fell. The spot, ac-
cording to the general opinion, is marked by a monu-
ment named Kit's Coty House, composed of four
immense stones, which many, however, suppose to
have been a druidical altar.
I shall not here intrude a question upon my reader
which at best can only have a speculative answer,
our most learned antiquaries being divided in opi-
nion as to the original use of these Cyclopean erec-
tions, commonly designated Cromlechs* and there-
fore, shall only observe that the commonly received
opinion in this neighbourhood is, that it was erected
over the remains of Catigern, as its name seems to
infer. In the West of England similar large flat stones
are called Coit stones, and Grose thence, with appa-
rent reason, derives the name given to these, con-
sidering Kits Coity House, for so he calls it, simply
to mean Catigern's House made of Coits.* As my
reader may possibly object to the word Coity, I beg
to remind him that this cromlech is variously desig-
nated by different writers: Camden calls it Keith Coty
* Camden, Grose, Colebrooke and others consider Kits Coty
House a sepulchral monument ; but Pegge and other antiquaries
of note, are of opinion that this and other similar erections, were
designed for religious purposes.
t See Grose's Antiquities, Vol. 2.
NORTHERN EXCURSION. 57
House; Lambarde and Philipott, Citscotehouse; and
Kilburne, Kits Cothouse.
The height of the pile is between nine and ten feet,
and the upper or largest stone weighs about ten
tons and a half; but, as it is most accurately
represented in the print preceding this excursion and
from its vicinity to the road is too well known to re-
quire a minute description, I shall only notice the
art shown in the placing of the stones, which, I be-
lieve, is not generally observed. The two blocks,
which form the sides, stand about six feet apart, and
lean a little towards each other, so that they could
only fall inwards ; but they are secured from doing
so by the third set transversely between them ; and
the three are bound firmly together by the fourth and
largest, which is placed on their tops as a roof. At
a short distance below Kit's Coty House, towards the
south-west, there are several large stones, which lie
in such a confused heap that their number cannot
be correctly ascertained; we judged it to be about
twenty : and on the hill side, to the north-east by
east of Kit's Coty House, there are several more lying
near to each other ; both these collections seem to
have formed circles resembling, on a small scale, that
of Stonehenge, and, like Kit's Coty House, were
reared by the Britons either for a sacrificial altar, or
a monumental trophy.
Besides those already mentioned there are several
large stones scattered about the fields in this neigh-
bourhood, some of which have names given to them.
About fifty years ago an old spur, of extraordinary
proportions and curious workmanship, was dug up
58 ENVIRONS OF MAIDSTONE.
in a field near Cosington, its length is more than
twelve inches, including the diameter of the rowel,
which is above seven, though the part which receives
the heel is scarcely larger than that of an ordinary
modern spur ; it is made for the left foot and on the
cuter side has a shelf on which is the figure of an
animal passant gardant.* A curious dagger has also
recently been found near Cosington, the hilt of
which is richly inlaid with gold in elegant arabesque
work.
Cosington was, from the time of John to that of
Henry the VIII. the residence of an illustrious family
of that name. Sir Stephen de Cosenton was made a
knight banneret by Edward the I. at the seige of
Carlaverock in Scotland. A few fragments only of the
old mansion now remain to mark its site. At a short
distance to the north-east of Cosington, in a lovely
dell, is the head of a beautiful spring, which here, at
its very source, fills a basin of about eight feet in depth
with its pellucid waters : it is to be regretted that the
trees which shadowed this charming spot have re-
cently been cut down. This stream is also remark-
able on account of its giving a deep rose colour to
the stones over which it flows.
By the path from Cosington we came into the Ro-
chester road at the point where it is intersected by the
Pilgrim's Way, a narrow road which extends from
London, through the middle of Kent, to Canterbury
Cathedral ; it was the general path of devotees to
* Spurs of this cumbersome size were worn on state occasions
in the time of Edward the 3rd.
NORTHERN EXCLUSION. 59
the shrine of St. Thomas a Becket, as it afforded them
an opportunity of paying their respects, en passant,
to St. Rumwald and the "gracious rood" at Boxley
Abbey.
In the north-western angle of the cross formed by
this road and the highway to Rochester, a stone for-
merly lay, which was commonly known by the name
of the White Horse Stone, whereon, according
to tradition, the Saxon standard, from which the pre-
sent arms of Kent were taken, was found after the
battle before spoken of. I recollect having read
some lines alluding to this circumstance, among
which, in effect, if not in the very words, were the
following : —
Here fell that standard, now the pride of Kent,
The Rampant Morse; which as the victor seiz'd
" Here on this blessed spot, be this," heciied,
" The pledge of patriots that their country's safe."
Whether this tale be true or false, the arms of this
county are the same as those which were borne by
the Saxon chief, Hengist, namely, a rampant white
horse on a red field : the stone was, some time since,
broken into pieces and thrown into the road, by the
order, it was said, of the tenant of the field in which
ithad lain undisturbed during so many ages. About
six years ago a British Tomb was found in the mid-
dle of a large field, at about three hundred yards to
the north-east of the crossing of the roads just men-
tioned : the sides were formed by two large stones
leaning a little inwards, but having a stone bar placed
so as to prevent their falling together, under which a
rude arch of chalk and flints covered the skeleton.
60 ENVIRONS OF MAIDSTONE.
A large stone formed the floor of the tomb, and each
end was closed, to nearly the height of the cross bar,
with smaller blocks. The body had evidently been
buried with the knees bent, according to the cus-.om
of the ancient Britons, for the leg bones were lying
on those of the thighs ; the length of the grave was
about six feet. This highly interesting relic met
the same fate as the White Horse Stone, the field
in which it was found being in the occupation of
the same person.
A considerable number of Roman coins, and small
bronze articles, consisting of fibulae, or small pin
brooches, instruments apparently for surgical use,
&c. together with fragments of Roman bricks, tiles,
and earthen vessels, were, not long ago, dug up
on the brow of the chalk hill to the north-west of
the Lower Bell public house. From this discovery
it seems probable that one of the numerous specu-
latory towers of the Romans occupied this eminence.
Among the coins were several of Vespasian, Trajan,
Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, M. Aurelius, Faustina, the
elder and the younger, Constantine, Constantius,
Constans, and Carausius, one of Agrippa, one
of Claudius, and one small coin of Helen the mother
of Constantine. Most of these relics are in good pre-
servation.
The sun was near the horizon when we left this
" vale by British courage sanctified ;" we therefore
quickened our pace, and soon reached the ruins
of Boxley Abbey, which was founded in 1146,
by William dTpre, Earl of Kent, for white monks,
of the Cistertian order. Lambarde gives a particular
NORTHERN EXCURSION. 61
description of the figure of St. Rumwald, and the
Rood of Grace, by means of which "the sillie lambs
of God's flock were seduced by the false Romish foxes
at this Abbey ;" but, as the account is long, I must
refer those who are "curious in such matters," to
his book. I may only observe that both figures were
held to be tests of chastity and godly life ; but it
seems that the Saint always found those who paid
most for his favor, to be the best disposed persons.
These figures were publicly exposed and destroyed
at St. Paul's Cross London, on Sunday, the 24th of
February, 1538.*
Richard the I. Edward the I. and Edward the II.
appear to have been great benefactors to this Ab-
bey. In the reign of Edward the I. the Abbot of
Boxley was summoned five times to sit in parlia-
ment. Edward the II. visited Boxley Abbey in
the fifteenth year of his reign, and while residing
there granted the charter to the citizens of Lon-
don, empowering them to elect a mayor from their
own body. The walls embrace about ten acres of
land, within which there are several large ponds.
The stream which runs through the enclosure pos-
sesses a petrifying quality ; substances which have
been immersed in it for two or three months will be
found completely incrusted with a stony matter.
The dwelling house, the residence of Lady M.
Finch, is a modern edifice. The only part of the
Abbey itself remaining in good order, is a large build-
ing measuring above one hundred and eighty feet in
length, and thirty-six in breadth : it probably was
. . s
* See Kilburne.
62 ENVIRONS OF MAIDSTONE.
the refectory ; the original walnut-tree timbers of its
roof are still quite sound. There were B<
entrances to the Abbey, the principal one was towards
the north west. According to Lambarde, the town
of Boxley formerly stood chiefly in the neighbour-
hood of the Abbey.
On the left hand side of the lane leading towards
S .nulling from the Abbey, there is a remarkably pic-
turesque old stone cottage, which was formerly a
Ch \ pel dedicated to St. Andrew, and was served by
a priest specially appointed to it : the chapel and the
curate's apartments, which are attached to it, are
still almost entire, and are well worth the notice of
the antiquary.
The walk from Boxley Abbey to Maidstone is pe-
culiarly adapted for the twilight hour ; the pat':
across the Lower Grange farm, and thence, cro-
the stream, winds through the wood to the lane at
the back of Park House, (the scat of E. H. Lu>!;
ton, Esq., which commands a most beautiful and ex-
tensive view of the valley of the Medway,) and then
passes through the evergreen alley over Thorn-hills
to ihe town.
NORTH-EASTERN EXCURSION.
No, 2.
The first spot that claimed our attention in this
walk was Penenden Heath ; noted as having been
the place for the public mei tings of the county ever
the time of our S ax m forefathers: its i
NORTH-EASTERN EXCURSION. 63
was formerly written Pinenden, which is derived from
the Saxon pinion, to punish, the malefactors of Kent
having from time immemorial, till within the last few
years, been executed here. In the 11th year of
William the Conqueror's reign, "not only the whole
number of the most expert men of this shire, but of
sundry other countries also," assembled on this heath
to settle the disputes between Lanfranc, Archbishop
of Canterbury, and William's brother, Odo, Bishop
of Baieux, and Earl of Kent, who, with others, had
encroached on the possessions and liberties of Lan-
franc, and the Bishop of Rochester. There were
present, — Harao, the Sheriff; Goisfrid, Bishop of
Constance in Normandy, who sat as the King's re-
presentative ; Egelric, Bishop of Chichester, who, be-
ing well acquainted with the laws and customs of
the realm, was ordered to assist, and, on account of
his great age and infirmity, was brought hither in a
waggon; the Archbishop, who complained in person ;
Odo, who defended himself; Richard de Tunebrige;
Hugh de Montfort ; "William d' Arsic; and many
others of the English and Norman nobility, besides
the hardy stout freeholders of the county. After a
trial of three days, a decision was given in the Arch-
bishop's favor.*
A new Shire House was about five years ago
erected on the heath : it is a neat stone building,
but its size and shape seems to have been taken too
faithfully from those of "the poor low shed" of which
it fills the place.
We proceeded hence to Boxley, which is one of
* See Lambarde and other historians of Kent.
64 i w ikons OP MAIDSTONE.
the most picturesque villages in this county. The
loveliness of its surrounding scenes, the retirement of
its situation, the quid and neatness of its street,
\\hi( h is shaded by stato ly forest trees and watered
by a pellucid brooklet, induce me to exclaim, as
Horace did in allusion to his Tibur, —
"Oh, may this be my resting place in age!" *
At the lower part of the village, is Park House, a
fine old mansion, the seat of Colonel Best, which
stands in a small, but pretty paddock. The Earl of
Romney has also a good residence, called Boxi.i v
House, at the upper end of the street, which is at
present occupied by his son, Lord Viscount Marsham
On the side of the hill, behind this mansion, there
is a summer-house, whence, in a clear clay, the pros-
pect is exceedingly fine and extensive, and fully
compensates for the toilsome ascent by which it
is obtained.
At the crossing of the roads, which is a short dis-
tance northward of this summer-house, stands an old
Stepping Stone, which, from the lines on it, appears
to have been placed there for the convenience of those
horsemen who might choose to ease their beasts in
ascending or descending the hill. The inscription,
now scarcely legible, is as follows : —
HIKE I WAS SET
WITH LAllo\ K
GREAT.. JVIKii: \s
yOV PLEASE TW AS
FOR Vo\ K E \s| . 1()09.
The last couplet offers an apology for the whimsical
charity of the founder. I am not posit ive as to the
' Sit meae sedes utinam senecUE. Lib. 2. Ode 5.
NORTH-EASTERN EXCURSION. 65
date : the author of "Summer Wanderings" in this
neighbourhood, has given it as 1409, or 1609; I
thought the latter.
Detling was our next pausing place. A few
years ago some entrenched embankments were dis-
covered at a distance of about two miles from this
village, in the direction of Bredhurst, which were
considered by the antiquaries of this neighbourhood,
to be the remains of a Roman camp ; they formed
nearly a square, with a double vallum on the north-
west side. 1 am informed that a plan was drawn of
this enclosure by a gentleman residing in this village,
who carefully surveyed it for that purpose. Several
fragments of Roman urns and other vessels, were
found in digging for the foundation of the new par-
sonage, recently erected in the village street. Det-
ling also contains a living curiosity — a man named
Yorke ; and he is indeed a rara avis — a second
Diogenes in every thing but his deportment, which
is affable. We paid him a visit at his dwelling, which
is scarcely larger than the Cynic's tub, not being
above seven feet square, though it serves him for shop,
kitchen, study, and dormitory. As we approached
his door, he eyed us closely : my friend could not
forbear smiling at his appearance — his long hair, flow-
ing beard, and strange garb, might have excused this
expression of surprise ; but the old man seemed of-
fended, and resumed his work. However, we wooed
him into good humour ; and had a long conversa-
tion with him on a variety of subjects, from which,
we considered that he possessed a quick and vigor-
ous, though untutored, mind. He showed us a
E
I KVIR0N9 01 M UD8TON1 •
powerful turning lathe, an air pump, and an electrical
machine with its apparatus, :'ll <>t' his own handiwork.
II- supports himself by exercising the ti
whitesmith and turner. It mighl be Biipp
Buch a man as this had nought to do with vanity; but,
if I mistake not, Yorkehas ao little pride in the know-
ledge that all others regard him as one who is n
they arc; and. moreover, lie sit-ins "fond of the
music of his own sweel voice." At length, having
obtained his paxvobiscum, we proceeded to the ruins
of Thurnham C \m ii . which stand on the chalk lull
just above the village : a portion of the foundation of
the outer wall, and some fra of the entrance,
which was towards the north-east, now alone remain
to "demand and taunt the Strang There
are several opinions with regard to the time of the
erection of Thome Castle. Kilburne Bays, that it
v, as founded in Stephen's reign by sir Leonard < lod-
dard ; some suppose it to have been a Saxon fortifica-
tion, and others a watch-tower and station of the
Romans/ The last opinion is, in Borne degree, con-
firmed by the numerous relics of that nation which
have been dug up about this hill ; besides, the exist-
ing remains bear marks of a much greater antiquity
than that Kilburne concedes to them ; for even the
Mints ofwhich they are built are completely eaten into
by time and exposure to the weather. belaud, v. ho
wrote early in the sixteenth century, describes this
castle as I., i , i _i then a ruin ; so that Goddard must
have been rather its restorer, than founder. Proba-
bly he incorporated the remains of the orig
Philipott and Harris.
NORTH-EASTERN EXCURSION. 67
tower, with his own buildings, and the more ancient
portions have outlasted his less durable additions.
The walls contained about half an acre. On the
south-eastern side is a hillock formed of fallen build-
ings, which probably composed the keep. I regret
that I am unable to collect any further information on
this subject : so completely has it survived its history,
that even Speculation scarcely finds a point, whereon
" to plume her wing for airy flight."
In a field not far from Thurnham church, in a
north-westerly direction, the remains of a Roman
building have been recently discovered. Some
curious specimens of plain and ornamented stucco,
together with a few coins of some the later emperors,
and fragments of earthen vessels, were found within
the square enclosed by the walls
Among the knights who attended Richard Coeur de
Lion, in Palestine, was Robert de Thornham, who ap-
pears to have distinguished himself in the Crusade, in
which however, according to Weever, he was slain.
On our way home from Thurnham, we visited the
remarkable Sand Caverns at Newnham court farm ;
and really they are well worthy of notice. These
subterranean passages are so long and intricate, as to
render the assistance of a guide necessary. The boy,
who conducted us, said that the length of the various
pits exceeded half a mile, and that formerly their
extent was much greater, more than a half part of
them having been filled up by the falling in of the
earth above, in consequence of the excavators having
imprudently cut away the points of support, where
some of the passages intersected each other. Those
68 ENVIRONS OF MAIDSTONE.
persons who intend to descend far into these caverns,
should provide themselves with a fire box, as many
have, by their torches being extinguished, been lost
in their gloomy and dangerous maze for hours. From
these pits many of the principal glass manufacturers
and stationers in the kingdom, are supplied with the
fine white sand used in their trades.
Crossing the road from Newnham court, we passed
by Venters, anciently the residence of a family of
that name : it now belongs to James Whatman, Esq.
whose father purchased the estate, and built the pre-
sent elegant mansion, a view of which is presented
to the reader with this walk. Several Roman coins
and urns have, at different times, been found in this
neighbourhood. The park attached to Vinters is
small, but exceedingly beautiful, possessing the
charming variety of hill and dale, wood and water,
with a pleasing, although not very extensive pros-
pect.
EASTERN EXCURSION.
No. 3.
From Maidstone our path lay through the paddock
of Vinters, mentioned in the last walk, to the hamlet
of The Grove, where there is a vein of very fine
fullers' earth, which for the last two centuries, has
been a source of considerable profit to its different
owners. In the reign of Charles the I. John Ray
was pilloried and fined £2000, by the sentence of
■
ea
:
EASTERN EXCURSION. 69
the Star Chamber, for exporting this earth contrary
to the king's proclamation.* Many years ago several
Roman remains were discovered here, among which
were some coins of Adrian and a funeral urn.
Bersted followed next in order ; this truly Old
English village surrounds a large and very pleasant
green, and has many good houses. Small white crys-
tals are frequently found in the sand in this parish,
they are exceedingly hard, and when polished arc
very brilliant; they are known in this neighbourhood
by the name of Bersted diamonds. This place be-
longed to the illustrious family of the Berties, from
whom it took its name. It seems to have been in
their possession as early as the time of the Saxon
king, Ethelred, in which Leopold de Bertie, who was
constable of Do\er castle, having a quarrel with the
monks of Canterbury respecting the tithes, in which
his son was slain, appealed for redress to the kinu' ;
he however sided with the Archbishop, Alphegus,
and Bertie, then induced Suene, king of Denmark,
to invade this kingdom, and returning with an army
of Danes, he took Canterbury, made the Archbishop
prisoner, and, in 1014, revenged his son's death by
killing every tenth monk in the Abbey. Soon after, on
the defeat of the Danes, the son of Bertie retired to
the French court, where his descendants remained
until Philip de Bertie came over with Henry the II.
who reinstated him in this his patrimonial estate,
which continued in the hands of his family down to
the time of Henry the VII. From this Philip de
* See Hume and Hasted, and the authority cited.
70 ENVIRONS 01 MAIDSTONE.
Bertie descended the Dukes of Ancaster, now ex-
tinct, the Earls of Abingdon, the Barons of Wil-
loughby and many other illustrious families.*
In the Church was buried Master Freeman Sonds,
(second son of Sir George Sonds, of Lees court.)
This youth was executed at Penenden Heath, on
the 21st of August 1655, for the murder of his elder
brother. The tower is ornamented with several gro-
tesque heads, similar to those seen in the halls of col-
leges and other buildings of the 12th and two follow-
ing centuries; and on its top are the figures of three
animals, which some persons, for the sake of analogy
with the name of the place, would have to be bears ;
but, from the positive dissimilarity of their forms,
there can be, at all events, but one figure of that
beast : we allowed that each might with equal pro-
priety claim the distinction of the name, and con-
cluding, therefore, that they were intended to repre-
sent creatures of classes now extinct, we left them in
their "pride of place," and proceeded on our way.
On arriving at Hollingeourne, we first visi-
ted the Church, the interior of which is decorated
with some very fine and curious monuments. At
the eastern end of the northern aisle there is an elegant
chapel, beneath which is the vault of the Culpepers,
formerly of this place: the walls of this chapel are
almost covered with black marble shields, intended
for the arms of those members of that family who
might be buried here, but, with the exception of two,
* See Francis Nichols' British Compendium or Rudiments
of Honour.— 1731.
EASTERN EXCURSION. 71
they are unlionored : in the centre of the pavement
there is a splendid specimen of sculpture ; it is a mo-
nument of white marble in memory of Lady Elizabeth
Culpeper, who died in 1638 ; her figure lies at length
on the top of a raised tomb. The whole of the work
is exceedingly fine, but the pre-eminent skill of the
artist is shown in the most difficult part of this task,
the drapery, which has that appearance of lightness
and graceful ease, which can alone be given to stone
by a master spirit. The chancel also contains some
good monuments of the Culpepers, and one of Sir
Martin Barnham and his wives. We could not ob-
tain a sight of the superb plate and furniture of the
altar. There are many other remarkable memorials
of the dead in this church ; but our time was so limited
that we could not give them the attention they justly
claimed.
At a short, distance above the church in the village
street, stands an old brick mansion of the Elizabethan
age, which exhibits a remarkably fine specimen of
the architectural style of that time. Hasted says that
the rector of Hollingbourne claims the use of two
rooms in this house.
Sandys, the translator of Ovid's Metamorphoses,*
speaks, (in the notes to the eighth book, while treat-
ing of the punishment of Eresicthon,) of one Wood, a
labourer of this parish, who required as much food as
twenty ordinary men. The author, on the testimony
of eye witnesses, says that Wood eat at one meal,
a whole hog, and at another, thirty dozen of pigeons!
* See the original folio edition — 1632.
72 ENVIRONS OF MAIDSTONE.
being a needy man he "could hardly compasse better
food then the livers of bullocks."
For the sake of the prospect, we ascended the hill
to the elegant villa of Baldwin Duppa Duppa, Esq.
whence there is a most enchanting view of the valley,
including Hollingbourne, Harrietsham, Leeds park
and village, Otham, Bersted and their vicinities.
Hollingbourne having no farther attractions, we
turned to Leeds Castle, which is one of the most
interesting objects in this part of Kent. The northern
view of this noble pile, has been selected as the illus-
tration for this division. The park is generally
allowed to be the most beautiful in the county : its
surface is pleasingly broken into hill and valley, richly
wooded with fine forest trees, and watered by the Len,
which winds through its centre, falling occasionally
in cascades, and spreading into large ornamental
ponds. The castle is encircled by a very wide moat :
the greater part of the present building was erected
a few years ago, and corresponds in style with the
remaining portions of the old edifice, which seem to
be of the time of Henry VIII. There are, however,
some relics much more interesting on account of their
antiquity : the shattered and ivied walls of the bar-
bican, and the sullen grandeur of the gateway tower,
carry the mind back to the times of feudal pomp and
power : they are supposed to be remnants of the castle
built here soon after the conquest by the Crevequers,
on the site of an Anglo-Saxon fort. On the right
hand side of the court, within the gates, is a large
square building, said to be a part of the additions
made in the time of Edward III. to this castle, at the
EASTERN" EXCURSION. id
expense of the crown, under the superintendance of
William Wykeham, "the good Bishop of Winches-
ter," who gained that honorable title by expending a
portion of the vast revenues of his bishoprick in
founding hospitals for the sick and poor, and schools
for the encouragement of learning.
There are many remarkable persons and events
connected with the history of this place, of which I
cannot forbear taking a brief review, though, in so
doing, I depart, in some measure, from my usual con-
ciseness. The first record we have of this place men-
tions that one Ledian, chief counsellor of the Anglo-
Saxon king, Ethelbert the II. built a fort here, about
the year 865,* which was soon after destroyed by the
Danes. The name of this castle and parish is a cor-
ruption of that of Ledian. In the early part of the
Conqueror's reign this place was in the possession of
his brother, Odo, on whose disgrace it was given to
the Crevequers, one of whom in the same reign built
a castle on the ruins of that of Ledian. Kilburne
ascribes that work to Sir Hugh de Crevequer, and
his son Robert. In the reign of Stephen, dur-
ing the contest between that king and the empress
Matilda, Robert, Earl of Gloucester, her natural
brother, on a report of Stephen's death, seized this
castle for the empress; "but King Stephan used
against him such force and celeritie, that he soon
wrested it out of his fingers. "f
* See Kilburne ; — Ethelbert the 2nd. commenced his reign
in 861.
t See Lambarde.
74 ENVIRONS OF MAIDSTONE.
From the family of the Crevequers it passed to
the Leybournes, of whom the last possessor surren-
dered it into the hands of Edward I. it being consi-
dered, on account of its great strength, a necess; ry
appendage to the crown : it was settled by that king
on his second queen, Margaret, as part of her dower.
Edward the II. afterwards granted this castle and
manor in fee to Bartholomew de Badlesmere, who,
from his immense wealth, was named "the rich lord
Badlesmere of Ledes :" he joined the Earl of Lancas-
ter and the barons in their attempt to overthrow the
Spencers, in the year 1321. The king, anxious to
wrest this strong hold from Badlesmere's hands, in-
structed his queen, (the infamous Isabel,) to gain pos-
session of it, if possible. For this purpose she set
out with a large train, as if "minding a pilgrimage
towards Canterburie," and approaching Leeds castle
about sunset, sent her marshal to prepare lodgings
therein, for herself and her attendants, in the king's
name. Badlesmere was then in the north of England
with the malcontents, having intrusted the custody
of his castle, family, and treasure to Thomas Culpe-
per, his castellan, who proudly and peremptorily told
the queen's officer that " neither the queen ne any
other person should be lodged there, without the
commandement of his lord the owner." Isabel, on
coming up, attempted to force an entrance, but was
repulsed, and some of her attendants were slain.
The King, vexed at the failure of his plan, hastily
raised an army in London and Essex, and personally
invested the fortress. Badlesmere persuaded his
confederates to march to its relief; but they advanced
EASTERN EXCURSION. 15
no farther than Kingston, and, according to Sir
Thomas De la More, endeavoured to make terms with
Edward, by the mediation of the Bishops of Canter-
bury and London. The king rejected their propo-
sals, and stormed the castle, which, after a despe-
rate struggle, was taken. Culpeper and the men
under his command were immediately hung, the
family of Badlesmere were sent to the tower of Lon-
don, and the treasure and munitions appropriated
by the king to his own use. Some writers assert
that the garrison surrendered the castle for want of
food. In the following year, Edward, having routed
the rebels at Boroughbridge, in Yorkshire, and taken
Badlesmere (amongst others) prisoner, sent him to
Canterbury, where he was drawn, hanged, and be-
headed; his estates were confiscated to the crown,
in the possession of which this portion of them con-
tinued to the reign of Edward VI.*
Edward III. caused this castle to be repaired, and
its splendor and strength so much increased, that
it became a favourite residence of his successor,
Richard II. Here too, it is said, that unfortunate
prince was confined after his deposition, prior to his
removal to Pomfret.f His successor, Henry the IV.
also spent a short time here, while the plague raged
in London. Henry the V. committed his step mo-
ther, Joane, to Leeds castle for conspiring against his
life. In the reign of Henry VI., Eleanor, Duchess of
Gloucester, was tried here before Archbishop Chichely
* See Camden, Lambarde, Philipott aud others.
t See Kilburne.
76 ENVIRONS OF MAIDSTONE.
for sorcery. On the accession of Pochard the III.
Sir Thomas Bourchier, who resided at this castle,
was one of the commissioners appointed to take the
oaths of allegiance of the inhabitants of this county.
In the reign of Henry the VIII. Henry Guildford, Esq.
■who held this estate of the crown, rebuilt a great part
of the castle at the king's cost.
I have already stated that this place formed a part
of the possessions of the crown till the time of Ed-
ward the VI.: that king granted the fee of it to the St.
Legers : they alienated it to the Smyths, who sold it
to the Culpepers, one of whom, Lord John Culpeper,
is famed for his faithful attachment to the cause of
the Stuarts; he shared the exile of Charles the II.
during which Leeds castle was used by the republi-
cans as one of their places of rendezvous, and as a
state prison for the principals of the royalist party.
From the Culpepers this estate passed by marriage to
Thomas, the fifth Lord Fairfax, who was the son of
the cousin of the celebrated parliamentary general,
Thomas, third Lord Fairfax, of whose deeds, so
much, — of whose motives, so little, is known. Robert
the seventh Lord, dying without issue in 1793, left
this castle, with his other estates, to his nephew the
Rev. Denny Martin, D. D., who assumed the name
and arms of Fairfax: on his death it passed to his
brother, General Martin, who by his will left it to
Fiennes Wykeham, Esq. who has since taken the
surname of Martin, and is the present owner.*
* For further historical information respecting Leeds castle, see
Camden, l.ambarde, Hasted and others.
EASTERN EXCURSION. 77
On the 3d of November, 1778, George the III. and
his queen, after having reviewed the grand camp at
Coxheath, visited Leeds castle, where on the follow-
ing day, they received the nobility and gentry of the
neighbourhood.
At a short distance to the westward of Leeds park
is Battle Hall, a building evidently of very ancient
date : in one of the walls there is a large Gothic arch,
which rises to the top of the house; the piers of this
arch are ornamented with curious figures : there is
also a place for holy water : these, and several other
remains, indicate that the edifice was designed for re-
ligious purposes: one of the rooms has a carved
mantel-piece of fine workmanship. It is probable
that this was a chapel under the priory of Leeds.
When Hamon, or Hugh de Crevequer commenced
building Leeds castle, he placed three canons in a
chapel which he erected at the north-western side
of it, who were removed by his son Robert, to the
priory, which he founded in this parish in the reign
of Henry I.* Some suppose that Battle Hall stands
on the site of Crevequer's chapel ; but, as Hasted
remarks, no part of the present building seems suffi-
ciently ancient to give any support to this opinion,
nor does its situation correspond with the above
statement of that of Crevequer's chapel.
The Church stands between Battle Hall and the
village; it has a singularly low and strong square
tower, which from its style is generally supposed to
have been built soon after the conquest. It was
* See Kilburne and others.
Ts ENVIRONS OF MAIDSTONE.
probably erected by Robert de Crevequer when he
founded the priory. This church contains several
curious tombs of the Merediths, the possessors of
Leeds Abbey, from the time of James I. to that of
George II.; and a most costly monument of white
and black marble, to the memory of Lady Jane,
Dowager Countess of Carbery, who died in 1643 ;
her first husband was Sir Wm. Meredith, Bart.: this
tomb is almost covered with heraldic and other
ornaments, but still has a very clumsy appearance.
The site of the Abbey or Priory is immediately
behind the south-eastern side of Leeds-street, but
nothing exists now, save a few fragments of the walls,
and the stone arch of the water-way of the mill, which
belonged to the establishment.
This priory was founded in the yearll 19, by Ro-
bert de Crevequer, (of whom I have frequently before
made mention,) for black canons of the order of St.
Augustine.* At the time when Henry VIII. thought
it expedient " to turn church lands to lay" this was
one of the principal of the lesser monasteries. It is
said to have had a large and magnificent church,
which contained a celebrated figure of the Virgin,
that of course possessed all the miraculous powers
necessary to make money pass from the hand of the
admiring and credulous devotee, to that of the priest.
Several of the Crevequers, Guido Mone, Bishop of St.
David's in the reign of Henry the IV., and many
other persons of note were buried in this church, of
which now the place even is unknown. In cleaning
one of the ponds on the abbey lands some years
* See Lambarde and Philipott.
EASTERN EXCURSION. 79
ago, a small dagger of great antiquity was found ;
the. hilt appears to have been ornamented with
chased work, and the shank is bound with twisted
silver wire.
The most pleasant path from Leeds to Maidstone,
lies through Caring- street, and the valley at the back
of Millgate, the late residence of the Rev. Charles
Cage, whence it turns into the turnpike road at Link
or Lilk hill.
Most persons in this neighbourhood are well ac-
quainted with the beauties of the Mote Park, though
the free enjoyment of them has long been forfeited by
the public, in consequence of the abuse of the privi-
lege by many of those who availed themselves of it.
This manorial estate, in the time of Henry the III.
formed part of the extensive possessions of the Ley-
bournes. In the early part of the reign of Edward
the III. it appears to have belonged to John de Shof-
ford, by whose family name it was called. It was
afterwards held by Ralph de Ditton, from whom it
passed to the Burghersh family : Bartholomew de
Burghershwas one of the first knights of the garter
and held many high offices. In the latter part of this
reign the Mote became the property of the Wydevilles
or Woodvilles. John de Wydeville possessed it in the
reigns of Richard the II. and Henry the IV. His son
Richard was made a baron, by the style of Lord Ri-
vers,Grafton and De la Mote, by Henry the VI. and
Earl Rivers, by Edward the IV. who had married his
daughter : that monarch also conferred the highest
honors and trusts of the state upon him. The good
fortune of Lord Rivers excited the jealous hatred of
80 ENVIRONS OF MAIDSTONE.
the nobility, and he was beheaded at Northampton,
without trial, by the people who had risen, under the
Earl of Warwick, in favor of the dethroned Henry.
When Edward had quelled this rebellion, Anthony,
son of Richard Earl of Rivers, succeeded his father
in the king's favor ; he was made a knight of the
garter, governor of Calais, constable of several cas-
tles, captain-general of the king's forces, both by sea
and land, chief butler of England, and governor of
the Prince of Wales, his nephew. On the death of
Edward the IV. he fell a victim to the diabolical de-
signs of Richard Duke of Gloucester, (afterwards
Richard III.) The unfortunate Anthony was suc-
ceeded by his brother, Richard, Earl Rivers, from
whom the Mote and his other estates in Kent were
wrested by Richard the III. and bestowed on Sir
Robert Brackenbury, constable of the tower of Lon-
don : Henry the VII. restored them to the Earl. lie
left them to his nephew, Thomas Grey, Marquis of
Dorset, who sold this part of them to Sir Henry Wiat,
a privy counsellor of Henry the VII. His grandson,
Sir Thomas Wiat was executed for rebellion in the
first year of Queen Mary's reign, and the Mote,
among his possessions, was confiscated to the crown.
In the time of James the I. Sir Thomas Caesar, one
of the barons of the exchequer, owned this seat. His
family alienated it in the reign of Charles I. to Sir
Humphrey Tufton, brother of Nicholas, 1st Earl of
Thanet.*
About the year 1690, it was sold by one of this
* See Philipott, Newton and Hasted.
EASTERN EXCURSION. 81
family to Sir John Marsham, of Whorne's place, in
Cookstone, Bart. He was succeeded by his son of
the same name, on whose death without issue, this
and his other estates passed to his uncle, Sir Robert
Marsham, of Bushey hall, Hertfordshire, whose only
son, Sir Robert, was made a peer in 1716, with the
title of Baron Romney. His son and heir, Robert,
Lord Romney, was L.L.D. F.R.S. President of the
Society of Arts, and Lieut. Colonel of the West Kent
militia. He was succeeded on his death in 1793, by
his eldest son, Charles, who, in 1799, built the present
mansion, the situation of which is in every respect
preferable to that of the old house, which stood in the
valley on the other side of the moat.
On the 1st of August, 1799, his lordship enter-
tained king George the III. his queen, the royal
family, the principal officers of state, a great number
of the nobility and gentry of the kingdom, and the dif-
ferent corps of the Kentish volunteers, making collec-
tively nearly 6000 men. This grand fete was given
on the review of the volunteer force of the county, by
his majesty. Hasted, at the end of the 10th volume
of the octavo edition of his history of Kent, has given
a very particular account of the review and dinner,
as well as of all other matters connected with them :
my limits will only allow room for a brief summary
of the bill of fare : — the principal dishes were in
number about 2,200: seven pipes of wine were
bottled off to supply the tables, near which were
placed 16 butts of the best ale, and the same quantity
of good beer, to be resorted to by the guests at their
F
82 ENVIRONS OF MAIDSTON] .
pleasure; besides which, li is Lordship's cellar was
open in case of a further supply being necessary.
Hasted says that the length of the several tables
added together, was 13,333 yards; but I conceive
the word yards was put by mistake for feet . With
the surplus of this splendid banquet, above 600 poor
families, in Maidstone and its neighbourhood, were
relieved on the following day. His majesty, by
the commander in chief, and afterwards by an of-
ficial letter, expressed his gratification in the warmest
terms.
Soon after the review the corporation of Canter-
bury voted the freedom of the city to his Lordship,
and in 1801 he was created Earl of Romney. In the
same year the officers of the Kentish volunteers
erected an elegant Pavilion, on the spot where the
royal marquee stood at the review, to commemorate
that event, and to mark their high respect for his
Lordship's character, and their gratitude for his kind
attention to their corps on every occasion, and parti-
cularly for his unparalleled hospitality on the 1st of
August 1799. This building is of a circular shape
with a dome roof.
At the southern part of this park there is a ca-
vern or subterranean passage of great length, which
seems to be a work of art, though it would be difficult
to say for what use it was designed ; on this point
there are several absurd speculations current in this
neighbourhood, which are not worthy of repetition.
Caverns of a similar description found in England,
are supposed by some writers to have been dug by
the Britons or An°lo Saxons for secret erranaries or
SOUTH-EASTERN EXCURSION. 83
places of concealment.* The passage is generally
about seven feet high and six broad, but in some
places is much contracted, and in others expands
into large cavities or rude chambers. The soil
through which is passes is the hard rag-stone.
The late earl died in 181 1, leaving one son, Charles,
the present earl, and three daughters, Frances, Har-
riet, and Amelia Charlotte : Lady Frances, in 1805,
was married to Sir John Riddell, of St. Boswell's
Green, Scotland, Bart., since deceased : Lady Har-
riet Marsham died about nine years ago. The
present earl has within the last few years repaired
the Mote house, and built a stone wall round his ex-
tensive park.
I must not conclude this excursion, without no-
ticing a chalybeate spring which rises under Turkey
mill, and is said to be as strongly impregnated as
those ofTunbridge Wells. Another little rill, which
runs into the Len below the Artichoke public house,
is said to possess a petrifying quality.
SOUTH-EASTERN EXCURSION.
No. 4.
For this walk we left the town by the Sutton road,
from which we turned into the path which passes
through Willington-street to Otham.
* See Camden's account of those near Faversham in this
county.
84 IN VI RONS OF MAIDSTONE.
The view from Otham Church-yard is not sur-
passed, if it be equalled, by any other in thi> neigh-
bourhood : in the foreground lies a valley possessing
every scenic charm but that of water : on the i
ground beyond, to the left, are the hamlets of The
Grove and Wavering; in front, Bersted church,
Thumham, and Aldington place; and, to the right,
the paddock of Millgate, with its groves of oaks :
while "the bluehills in the distance rise" as the lovely
boundaries of the prospect.
Not far from the church is the mansion of Gore
Court, now the property of the Rev. Win. Home,
rector of the parish. Over the mantel, in the hall
of this house, there is a fine specimen of antique carv-
ing in oak; its devices are chiefly floral, and are
wrought in a most masterly style ; at the lower part
the heads of a king and queen are introduced, but
they are not sufficiently good likenesses of any
English monarch and his consort to determine the
precise age of the work : it may, however, be safely
said to be of a date prior to the time of Henry VIII.
George Home, Bishop of Norwich, was born in this
house, on the 1st November 1730. He received his
early education at Maidstone grammar-school, whence
he went to University Coll. Oxford. This learned pre-
late was one of the most successful opponents of
Hume, and is well known in the literary world by his
numerous theological and philosophical writings. His
most popular work is the Commentary on the Book
of Psalms, published in 1776. He was made Dean
of Canterbury in 1781, and Bishop of Norwich in
1790. He died on 17th January 1792, and was
SOUTH-EASTERN EXCURSION. 85
buried at Eltham. William Henley, Esq. the late
owner of this estate, married the Countess of Berg-
hausen in Germany, who was celebrated for her
beauty and accomplishments.
In the reign of Richard the II. a monastery was
founded in this parish for Prcemonstratenses, or
Avhite canons, by one Ralph de Dene, but the es-
tablishment was soon after removed by his daughter
to Bayham in Sussex, where an abbey was built on a
piece of land given by Sir Robert de Thornham.*
FromOthamwe proceeded to Langley. A spring
rises in the park lands in this parish, which,, after
running about a mile, sinks into the earth at Brissing
farm, and takes a subterranean way for nearly half a
mile, but bursts forth again below Boughton Quarry
and thence flows on without any farther break till it
joins the Medway. The connection of the stream
has been frequently proved by the re-appearance at
Boughton of oil and pieces of wool thrown into the
water at Brissing.
In the year 1472, (according to Kilburne), a new
spring broke forth in Langley park : Leland gives
a curious account of this brook ; — he says, that the
pit in which it rose would, when any battle was about
to take place, be dry ; but, when no battle was near,
it would be full of water, however dry the weather
might be. We could not find this mysterious and
quaker-like spring. f
* See Kilburne and Philipott.
t There are several streams in this county, which, like this,
only flow occasionally ; they are commonly called nailbourns ;
there is one in the parish of Addington.
86 ENVIRONS OF MAIDSTONE.
We then took the high-road to Town Sutton, or
Sutton Valence. The latter addition to the name
of this place is derived from the Valences, Earls of
Pembroke, who held the manor in the reigns of Henry
III. and of the first and second of the Edwards.
A few years ago, a Roman Burying Ground of
large extent was discovered immediately above the
street of Sutton ; it contained about 100 earthen and
glass vessels ; among which were several parterse,
dishes, bottles, and urns in a perfect state ; many of
the urns had ashes and fragments of human bones
in them ; some of the pieces are very highly glazed
and a few have names upon them, which, however,
as they were evidently impressed at the pottery, were
probably those of the makers. The ground was
nearly square, and bounded on every side by a stone
wall ; at one corner there was a small square walled
off from the rest of the enclosure. Most of the valu-
able relics collected from this spot are in the posses-
sion of a gentleman in Maidstone, whose kindness
enabled me to give this account of them.
At the eastern end of the village stand the ruins
of The Castle, which, as some suppose, was built
early in the reign of Edward I. by William de Va-
lence, Earl of Pembroke, then owner of this place.*
Others, however, consider it to be of much greater
antiquity, and many, from the appearance of its re-
mains and the materials of which they consist,
which are quarry stone, flints and thin bricks, are of
opinion that it was erected by the Romans as a watch
* See Philipott.
SOUTH-EASTERN EXCURSION. 87
tower, and converted after the conqnest, by the
nobles who possessed the Sutton estate, into a for-
tress for their adherents in times of commotion.
This opinion, with regard to the origin of Sutton
castle, is much strengthened by the discovery of the
Roman burying ground.
The now remaining fragments of this fortress are
luxuriantly enveloped with ivy and form an exceed-
ingly picturesque object, as the reader will observe
from the accurate view accompanying this account
of them.
Edward I. sent Aymer de Valence, in 1306, to
quell the third insurrection of the Scots against the
dominion of England. He, suddenly attacking them,
at Methven in Perthshire, after an obstinate conflict,
completely overthrew them, though led by the gallant
Bruce, who in vain exerted his utmost power and
skill, and exposed himself to every danger; thrice he
was dismounted, yet still continued the fight, until he
was obliged to fly, his army being entirely routed.
After this battle, Bruce concealed himself in the
Western Isles, until a favorable opportunity presented
itself, in the following reign, to liberate his country
from the English yoke.*
In the 2nd year of Henry IV. the castle and
manor of Sutton Valence passed to Reginald Lord
Grey of Ruthin, whose quarrel with Owen Glendower
led to the war between the Welsh, headed by that
chieftain, and the English.* Lord Grey being taken
prisoner by the Welsh, this with other estates be-
longing to him, was sold under the king's licence,
* See Hume.
88 ENVIRONS OF MAIDSTONE.
to pay his ransom which was fixed at 10,000
marks.
A new Church was built here about eight years
ago, on the site of the old one.
There is a Free Grammar School in this place,
which was founded, in 1578, by William Lamb, a
native of this parish, who, as my reader will remem-
ber, was a benefactor to the Maidstone school : he
gave to the master of that of Sutton the use of a
house and garden, with an annuity of £20, and the
yearly sum of £10 to the usher. He also founded
and endowed six alms-houses in this village.
Sutton commands a most extensive and enchanting
view of the rich valley of the Weald of Kent. It is
said that 16 churches are to be seen from this place.
Kilburne states that these low-lands were once co-
vered by the sea, and brings forward to justify this
assertion, the fact of an anchor having been found at
a short distance below Sutton castle, not long before
the time at which he wrote, (1659). A few years
after, that is to say, in 1683, this opinion received a
farther confirmation, from the discovery of a large
collection of sea-shells imbedded in marie, at the
foot of the hill at Hunton : this stratum lay about 15
feet below the surface; it was about an inch in
thickness, and several square yards in extent ; when
dry, it resembled in appearance the Bethersden mar-
ble in a rough state.
There was nothing to attract us from the turnpike
road on our way homeward, excepting the Laby-
rinthian Path, in Mangravit Wood, which was
made by the late Earl of Romney : after wandering
SOUTHERN EXCURSION. 89
through its maze we again turned into the road, and
soon regained our place of repose.
SOUTHERN EXCURSION.
No. 5.
We found nothing worthy of notice in this walk
until we reached Boughton Mount. This estate is
situated on the eminence which overlooks the quarry,
from the Maidstone side. The late proprietor, John
Braddick, Esq. built the present house about seven
years ago : the old mansion, which stood on the
other side of the road, and nearer to the valley, was
a clock-house, and appeared to be of the time of
Mary or Elizabeth. Mr. Braddick, who was a distin-
guished member of the Horticultural Society, chose
this spot for his experiments, and stocked the grounds,
at an immense expense, with the rarest and choicest
fruit trees. This plantation will, it is thought, in a
few years be one of the most valuable in the county.
The glen of Boughton Quarry has charms for the
admirers of the picturesque and romantic, which are
unrivalled in this neighbourhood. The valley is
bounded by broken precipices of the rock, and
abruptly-rising grass banks ; while the neat cottages
peep here and there between the trees by which its
centre is ornamented. There was formerly at the
north-eastern side of the quarry, a curious cavern
commonly named Tinker's Hole from its being
used for many years as a dwelling and work-shop
90 ENVIRONS OF MAIDSTONE.
by an itinerant brazier, during his stay in these parts,
which he visited annually. The cave, which was in
the solid rock, was about twenty five feet in diame-
ter, and was covered with a dome of rough crag-;
which formed a ceiling not very pleasing to the eye of
him who stood beneath it. At the farther part of
the cavern, towards the right, was a recess in which
the Tinker used to spread his couch; he also cut
several smaller holes in the rock for storing his pro-
visions, tools, and other necessaries. I have not
been able to collect any biographical anecdotes of
this eccentric son of Vulcan, nor can 1 find that any
vera effigies exists of him ; his likeness would be an
excellent companion to that of old Yorke of Detling
It is not known whether Tinker's hole was a natural
or an artificial cavern — probably the former ; it was
destroyed when that part of the quarry was levelled
about eight years ago. Many fossil remains were then
found near this spot, and among them those of an
animal much resembling the hyaena, which were pre-
sented to the museum of the Zoological Society in
Baker-street, London.
The greater number of the houses in Boughton are
at the Quarry, but the Church stands above a mile
to the southward of it. On the 30th of December,
1832, the body of Boughton church was destroyed
by fire: it has since been restored. In the church-
yard there is a stone with the following curious in-
scription on it : —
B
HOVLD
1 stand here to testify that here lyeth the body of
Thomas Walker, youngest Sone of Sarah Maddox.
He departed this Life the 12 day of January, 1688.
Aged 10 yeares.
SOUTHERN EXCURSION. 91
The chancel of this church contains several re-
markable monuments, which were happily preserved
from the fire, but I have only room to notice here
that of Sir Christopher Powell, of Wiarton in this
parish, who died on the 25th of June, 1742. The
figure of Sir Christopher, in the Roman costume, lies
at length on a sarchophagus of black marble ; on one
side is the figure of his wife ; her eyes are turned to-
wards heaven and the expression of her countenance,
that of resignation, is very strikingly marked ; a
figure on the other side, represents his mother.
The three figures are cut in white marble and are of
the full size ; the tomb is also adorned with shields
of arms, and heraldic devices. This superb work is
from the chisel of Scheemaker.
Near to the church is the mansion of Boughton
Place, the seat of Thomas Rider, Esq., one of
the members of parliament for West Kent. A great
part of the present house was built in Elizabeth's
time, by Robert Rudston, Esq. who, in the preceding
reign, had forfeited this with his other estates, and
been even condemned to death, as one of the coadju-
tors of Sir Thomas Wiat in the Kentish rebellion ;
Mary, however, spared his life, and Elizabeth res-
tored his property. #
A spring rises near Boughton church, which is
supposed to have communication with that of Bris-
sing, which I noticed in my last excursion ; several
experiments have been made in order to ascertain
whether a connection existed between them or not,
but accounts both pro and con. are given of the
result of these trials.
92 environs or MAIDSTONE.
Coxheath lies at a sliort distance to the west-
ward of Boughton church. This spot on account of
its contiguity to those parts of the sea coast of Britain,
which arc nearest to the continent of Europe, and
also for its healthly situation, has been repeatedly
chosen for encampments, when this kingdom has
been threatened with invasion. In 1756, there was
a Hanoverian camp here of 12,000 men. In 1778,
a force of 15,000 lay here, which was personally
inspected, on the 3rd of November, by George the
III. In the following year, and in 1781, as also in
many other subsequent years, there were large en-
campments on this heath, and even as recently as
1804, it was a Campus Martius. It is now en-
closed, and
The corn-field takes the place of bristling spears.
We then entered the Maidstone road, and soon
arrived at the village of Loose, which probably is so
called from its being situated on the stream, which,
as I have before said, loses itself in the earth at
Brissing, and rises again at Boughton quarry, whence
it flows on through this place. The view which em-
bellishes this excursion will at once recal, to the
minds of most of my readers, the beauties of this
village, as they appear from the path leading towards
the ponds below Loose Court.
The steepness of the descents to Loose from Cox-
heath and Maidstone having occasioned many seri-
ous accidents, a new road was a few years ago raised
across the valley, not far from the old one, in the
easterly direction. It passes over the stream and
the Boughton road, on a fine arch almost rivalling
*-«
'•^'K
SOUTHERN EXCURSION. 93
that at Highgate. As far as we could judge by
the eye, its span is about fifty feet, and its height
about thirty.
The old mansion house of Salt's Place, formerly
the seat of the Bufkin family, now a part of the
estates attached to Leeds Castle, stands just out of
the village on the way to Bough ton. The gardens
have still terraces in them.
On our way homeward, instead of keeping the
highway, we took the road which passes by Loose
Court. This elegant villa belongs to Edward Pen-
fold, Esq. who has laid out the grounds attached to
it in the most tasteful manner. About midway be-
tween Mr. Penfold's and the town of Maidstone is
Hayle Place, formerly named Le Haylc from the
healthiness of its situation : Colonel Jones, its pre-
sent owner, has much enlarged and improved the
house. In the last spring several Roman Urns,
were found on this estate, some of which were of a
singular shape ; unfortunately few of them were suf-
ficiently perfect to be worth preserving. From the
side of the hill to the northward of Hayle Place,
Maidstone is seen to greater advantage than from
any other point, and the back ground of the scene
is rich in those charms which the pencil of Claude
Lorraine loved so much to depict.
Our walk was then nearly ^finished and we re-
entered the town by Stony-lane and Knight-rider-
street.
94 I W [R0N9 OF MA1D8TON1 .
SOUTH-WES1 ERN EXCURSION.
A'.-. G.
In commencing this walk, as in fiuishing our 1; Bt,
we passed over the spot where the Kentish royalists
first engaged the Parliamentary forces, under their
celebrated general, Fairfax, when they attacked
Maidstone in 1648, as I have before stated.
The hop-ground, (commonly known by the name
of its possessor, Mr. Corrall,) through which our
path lay, is a favorite walk of the inhabitants of
Maidstone in the summer months. As this planta-
tion is uniformly well cultivated, it is frequently vi-
sited by the London dealers in hops, during the
growth of the plant, in order that they may be en-
abled, from the appearance of this their sample Har-
den, to form an estimate of the probable growth of
the particular year. It may here be remarked that
it is supposed the hop was first planted in the neigh-
bourhood of Maidstone, after its introduction to
England from the Netherlands, in 1524. Thomas
Tusser, the poet, who flourished at that time, gives
directions for its culture, which are by no means
despicable even in these days ; he concludes with the
following quaint lines : —
The hop for its profit, I do thus exalt,
It strengthened drink, and it savoureth malt,
And being well brew'd, long kept it will last,
And drawing abide, if you draw not too fast.*
On the other side oftheToville road, where this
path joins it, is the Pest- house, [t derives it name
" See his ' Five Hundred Points of Good Husbandry.'
SOUTH-WESTERN EXCURSION. 95
from having been used as an hospital for those who
were afflicted with the small-pox, when it raged in
Maidstone, to a most terrific extent, about the middle
of the last century.
In the quarry behind this building, the skeleton
of a man was found about nine years ago ; a bayonet,
and some military buttons, bearing the East India
Company's mark, were with the bones, which, from
that circumstance, were supposed to have been
those of a soldier in that service. I have heard that
the bayonet also bore the date 1809, and that some
fragments of cloth remained attached to the buttons,
so that, probably,
On earth foredoom'd to feel the pangs of hell,
He still exists whose tongue the whole could tell.
The discovery furnished a topic for mysterious
surmise for a few days, but was treated too much
as a subject for mere wonder. A gentleman in this
town certainly exerted himself to obtainra clue which
might lead to the discovery of the circumstances
connected with the death and burial of the man,
but, unfortunately, his laudable efforts were without
success.
The hamlet of Toville is pleasantly situated on
the banks of the Langley stream, which just below
falls into the Medway. On this brook, between
Bough ton Quarry and its junction with the river,
a distance of about three miles, there are no less
than twelve large mills for paper and flour. The
house of Toville Place, now belonging to — Hep-
burn, Esq. is most delightfully placed on the Maid-
96 ENVIR0K9 01 MAIDSTON1 .
stone side of tlic hamlet, and overlooks t lie town, and
the rich country through which
The silver Med way glides, and in lier breast
Views the reflected landscape.
On the top of the hill, at the other end of Tovilh ,
within a short distance of the road to the Farleighs,
is an old Burying Ground Cor dissenters: theoldesl
tombstone now remaining there is that of Simon
Pine, which bears date 1681.
I presume that most of my readers have enjoyed
the enchanting view from the field hard by this
cemetery : those who have once known its charms
must again often seek the renewal of the delight they
bestow ; those who are unacquainted with them have
a new pleasure in store, which will not fall short of
their brightest imaginings : cynical indeed must lu-
be, who, gazing on such a scene as is herr presented
to the eye, would not, for the time at least, i
to rail against the world, and to remember its cares
and vexations.
In the dwelling house of the Rev. B. Post, which
stands near the burying ground, there is a room
which was used as a conventicle by the Puritans,
during the persecutions to which they were subjected;
on the walls of this apartment, until they were pa-
pered recently, several texts from the Holy Scriptures
were legible. There was a very spacious hall in this
house, but it has been long since divided into se-
veral rooms.
From this place we returned to Toville, and took
our way up that beautiful vale through which the
SOUTH-WESTERN EXCURSION. 97
Langley stream, which I have had occasion frequently
to mention before, takes its course, forming those
several fine sheets of water, commonly known by the
name of the Loose Ponds. This happy valley com-
bines within its narrow bounds the most varied and
exquisite beauties of scenery : —
'Tis lovely in hill and in dale,
And in groves, those soft groves,
Where the nightingale loves,
To warble his tenderest tale,
While the moon from above,
Smiles down on this beautiful vale.
'Tis lovely in crag and in lake,
And in stream, gentle stream,
Where the pale lilies gleam,
When Zephyrs their liquid couch shake,
And all playfully seem
To fondle the charms they awake.
There is not even in this neighbourhood, rich as it
is in the romantic and picturesque, a more delightful
spot than this, for an evening walk,
When the mind is at ease, and the eye and the heart
are contented.
Near Hayle mill there are several little rills which
have been tested and found highly impregnated with
iron.
From the southern or upper end of this valley, we
turned up the hill to Pimpe's Court, which takes its
name from the Pimpes, who held this manor from
the reign of Edward I. to that of Henry the VII.
I shall have occasion to speak again of this illustri-
ous family in my next division, under the head of
Nettlested Place, which was their principal seat.
G
98 ENVIRONS OF MAIDSTONE.
In the reign of Henry the VIII. Pimpe's court be-
longed to Edward Stafford, Duke of Buckingham,
and lord constable of England. This nobleman was
descended from Edward the III. and, being a beliei er
in astrology, made "some dark applications to a
wizard and a monk" named Hopkins, who persuaded
liim that on the king's death without issue he would
by right succeed to the throne. By this infatuation
he was beguiled into treasonable expressions and acts,
for which he was tried and condemned by a jury of
peers, and shortly afterwards beheaded, and this and
his other estates were forfeited to the crown.* On
the accession of Mary, Pimpe's court belonged to
William Isley, Esq. who, taking a part in the Kentish
rebellion against that queen, forfeited this witli his
other possessions : his father, Sir Henry Isley, who
was also concerned in that unfortunate affair, was
executed at Maidstone, or, as some state, at Seven-
oaks. There are no remains of the old mansion
standing now, at least none deserving notice.
Passing over the western end of Coxheath we
then went to Hunton. As I had heard much of
the old mansion of BuRSTON in this parish, we
visited it first; but were much disappointed when
we found that its appearance was very similar to
that of any other large farm-house : however,
a friend of mine, who resides in the neighbour-
hood, told us that he well remembered the time
when a great part of the old house was standing, in
which there were several fine rooms, a very spacious
gallery, and a small chapel. The only thing now
• Pliilipotl and Ihime.
SOUTH-WESTERN EXCURSION. 99
remaining to show that the place has ever been more
distinguished than it is at present, is the terrace walk
in the garden. The manor and house of Burston
belonged to a family of that name, from the time of
Henry III. down to that of Elizabeth, when they
were sold to the Fanes, several of whom lie buried in
this church. The Parsonage, which is not far below
Burston, is an elegant and spacious house, most
pleasantly situated in the midst of pleasure grounds,
which are laid out with very great taste. In a
retired part of the garden there is a summer-house,
which is built and fitted up like a hermit's cell, and,
in the summer, must be a delightful haunt for medi-
tation. A little farther on is the house of Jennings,
the seat of — Malcolm, Esq. which is surrounded by
a neat paddock, ornamented with oaks and other
forest trees.
We next visited the Church, in which, on the north
side of the altar, there is a grand monument to the
memory of Sir Thomas Fane, of Burston, Knight,
Lieutenant of Dover castle, and Dame Helen So-
merset, his wife, who both died in the year 1606.
Their figures, finely carved in white marble, lie at
length on the tomb ; he is represented in armour ;
beneath are the figures of two children, one kneel-
ing,, the other lying as if dead. In the chancel there is
a curious place for the reception of holy water, which
is in a fine state of preservation. Near the church
stands an old clock-house, with the dial-plate still
remaining. At Barnhill farm there is also an old
dwelling, the gables of which are ornamented with
carved wood-work. In the centre of the cross-beam
100 ENVIRONS OF MAIDSTONE.
(which is decorated with figures that may be taken
for dragons, or any other description of winged an-
imals,) is the name Samvel Rich, surmounted by
the date 1623.
Re-crossing Cox-heath, we paid a visit to West
Farleigh. Smith's Hall, the residence of Sir H.
Fitzherbert, Bart., stands on the site of an old man-
sion of the same name, which for many centuries
belonged to the Brewer family. In the reign of John,
William de Brewer, of Smith's Hall, was Lieutenant
of Dover castle. Tutsham, or Totesiiam Hall,
stands about three quarters of a mile to the westward
of the church; the present house is chiefly modern,
but some parts of the original mansion are still to be
seen. John de Totesham was one of the Judges of
the great Assize under king John. Tiie view from
this spot is exceedingly fine : immediately beneath
the eye is a most lovely valley, in which the corn-
field, the hop-garden, the orchard, and the mead, in-
terspersed with stately trees, unite their varied
beauties, amidst which, the Medway holds its path,
enlivening with its silvery mazes the charms of the
prospect, which is bounded on the left hand by the
high part of Mereworth park, — in front, by the
church, village, mansion and park ofTeston, and on
the right by the rising ground of Barming, and
the Boxley hills which are seen in the distance.
We were then homeward bound, and soon arrived
at East Farleigh. In the church of this parish
there are several monuments of the Amhersts, and
it is said that many of Pimpes lie buried in it : a
large canopied tomb, without any figure or inscrip-
SOUTH-WESTERN EXCURSION. 101
tion, which stands in a chapel in the south chancel,
is supposed to have been placed over the remains
of one of that family ; the chapel still belongs to
the Pimpe's court estate. There is a curious flat
arched tomb on the north side of the chancel, bear-
ing- the arms of the Culpepers. The lofty door way
which opens from the tower into the church is Nor-
man ; it is ornamented with chevron or zig-zag
mouldings.
The Farleighs were given by Queen Ediva, in the
year 941 , to the monks of Christ church Canterbury,
to whom they produced an annual rent of 1200 eels.*
As we took this walk during the hopping season, we
had the pleasure of seeing the Irish pickers in their
glory : hundreds of these poor, but happy creatures,
divided into parties of six or eight each, were em-
ployed in preparing their suppers at fires by the
side of the road; and, excepting an occasional skip
and " hurrah ! for ould Ireland !" seemed as amiably
quiet and contented as their betters. The hop
has often engaged the attention of the poet ; the
beauty and virtues of this valuable plant are fre-
quently alluded to by Philips, in his poem entitled
Cider, (which I may remark, is considered to be the
closest imitation extant of Milton's style of versifi-
cation;) and the poems of Christopher Smart, M. A.
who was born at Shipbourne, near Wrotham, in
1722, contain one, 'The Hop-garden,' exclusively
devoted to its praise ; this piece and the other nu-
merous productions of his Muse exhibit great power
* See Lambarde and Philipott.
102 EHVIRONS OF MAIDSTONE.
and beauty both in thought and expression. Mr. S.
was educated at Maidstone grammar school; be
died in 1770.
The view of this village here presented, is taken
from the opposite side of the river a short distance
above the bridge, a slight trespass having been made
on the boundary of the next excursion, for the sake
of the additional beauties which were so obtained for
my reader's gratification . We then crossed the river,
in order that we might return to Maidstone by the
path along its bank. I must here notice that when
General Fairfax marched to surprise Maidstone,
he passed across the Medway, just below East Far-
leigh, having dispersed a small body of the royalists,
who ventured to oppose him. On the Farleigh side
of the stream, at a short distance from the village, is
a modern castellated house of a very singular style,
which was built by the late Captain Dominicus.
Near Fant there are several large hollows where
stone was formerly dug; these quarries are supposed
to have been worked many centuries ago. Henry V.
in 1419, gave an order to John Benet, a mason in
Maidstone, for 7000 stone cannon balls, which were
probably supplied from this spot : the use of iron
shot was introduced by the French, at the siege of
Cherbourg, in 1418, to annoy the English camp.*
Passing on by the river side, through the Pakk
Meadows, which are in front of the Palace, of wdiich,
when it was the residence of the Archbishops, thev
formed the Park, we re-entered the town by the
bridge.
* See Grose's Military Antiquities.
WESTERN EXCURSION. 103
WESTERN EXCURSION.
Ko. 7.
Turning from the Tunbridge road, at the Bower,
we went through the fields to the estate of Half
Yoke or Halfway Oke, which lies near to the
northern end of East Farleigh bridge, and was
formerly a manor. Halfway Oke formed a part of
the possessions of the Pimpes, from whom it passed
to the Isleys, and was forfeited to the crown on
the attainder of Sir Henry Isley for treason against
Mary.
About a mile from East Farleigh bridge is that of
St. Helen, which is built of wood: its name is de-
rived from St. Helen's, or East Banning manor,
the house of which stood a short distance northward
of the river, where it is now crossed by this bridge.
This manor of East Banning was called St. Helen's,
Ellen's, or Elen's, (for the name is thus varied in
different writings) because it was anciently attached
to the nunnery of St. Helen, in Bishopgate-street,
London.
We continued in the delightful path by the river's
side, till we arrived at Xettlested, which is about
six miles from Maidstone. The ruins of the mansion
of Nettlested Place, which was the principal seat
of the Pimpe family for many centuries, stand near
to the western bank of the Medway, and hard by
the parish church. Sir Philip de Pimpe was one of
those who were assessed bv Edward the III., during:
104 BNVIBOV8 01 KAID8TOV1 .
his wars with France, to provide a guard for th<
coast of Kent. Reginald de Pimpe, joining the Duke
of Buckingham against Richard III. was attainted,
and forfeited the manor of Nettlested with his other
estates, but, on the accession of Henry VII. h(
restored in blood and re-instated in the possession of
his property. He left an only daughter, who carried
tin's estate in marriage to John Scott. Esquire, of
Scott's Hall, at Sinethe, in this county, about 1.300.
His grandson, Sir John Scott, Knight, in the n ign
of Mary, married a lady of the Strafford family, who,
being a zealous protestant, in order to avoid pi
cution, retired to Geneva, where she remained till
the accession of Elizabeth, when returning to I
land, she was received by that queen with the
greatest kindness, and made one of the ladies of
the bedchamber. I presume that her husband died
duringher exile, as it appears that on her return she
resided at Nettlested place with her son. Sir John
Scott, wdio during her life repaired the house, in
the year 1586. She died in 1598, and i< buried
in Nettlested church. It is said that Elizabeth
once visited this mansion while this lady posw BSed it.
The estate remained in the Scott family till the
time of William III. when it was sold to the Boi
of Teston House, in Teston, to the owner of which
(Lord Barham,) it still belong
The parts of the mansion now remaining seem to
have tunned the southern wing, and a -mall portion
ofthe centre, which connected the eastern e\tn mities
of the wings. The southern wall is strengtl
with buttresses of a curious construction, each being
WESTERN EXCURSION'. 105
hollowed within so as to form a recess in the apart-
ment against which it is placed, and pierced with a
circular window : between these buttresses there are
gothic windows of a remarkably elegant design. On
the sides of the upper part of a stone door case in
this wall is inscribed A.D. — 1586. We noticed one
room the sides and ceiling of which seemed to have
been handsomely panelled with oak, but only a small
piece of this ornamental work now remains on the
walls; the joists to which the ceiling was attached
have beenentirely cut away. Under this apartment is
another which appears to have been the kitchen, at
one end of which there is a very fine crypt, vaulted
with stone arches intersecting each other : two short
pillars support the ends of the arches in the middle
line of the vault, which is now divided into three
small rooms, by modern brick walls, and is used
for store cellars : its entire length is about thirty-five
feet.
The Church stands at a short distance to the
north of these ruins. The body of the present build-
ing is supposed to have been erected between 1460
and 1470 by Reginald dePimpe, of whom I have be-
fore spoken. The windows on the north side of the
church are chiefly of painted glass, exhibiting the
coats of the Pimpes, Scotts and several other illustri-
ous families, interspersed with white roses, from
which it may be presumed that those whose devices
are here depicted, were favorable to the house of
York. Several of the Pimpes and Scotts are buried
in Nettlested church, and amongst those of the latter
family, the Lady Scott of whom I have before
106 ENVIRONS Of M lIDSTt I
spoken, who, from thf h indsome marble monument
which covers her remains, appears to have died in
1.598. Before I quit this interesting place, I should
inform my readers, that the account I have give i of
it- Former possessors in some points differs from thai
of Hasted, my information on the subject having
been derived from the M.S. of a gentleman, whose
account seems to be more connected than that of the
great Kentish historian.
We next visited Mereworth Castle, the Beat of
the ancient and noble family of the Le I >■ spencers.
This house was built about the year 1740, by John,
the seventh Earl of Westmoreland : the plan was taken
from that of a villa near Venice, di signed by tl.
lebrated Palladio. It is surrounded by a moat, and
approached by a noble flight of steps m the north-
ern side : the building is of a square form, and is
surmounted by a lofty dome, under which is the hall:
the walls and ceiling of this and the other pi incipal
apartments are painted : the wings stand a little in
advance of the main building, with which
correspond in design. The park is ex>
itiful, being watered by a fine stream, and well
wooded with stately oaks: the high grounds at its
southern side command delightful views of this th-
richest district in Kent.
Mereworth, from the time of Henry the II. to
that of Edward the III. was held by a family of that
name. William de Mereworth accompanied Richard
Coeur dc Lion to Palestine. It subsequently be-
longed to the Earls of Arundel, the Lords Iberga-
'. liny, and the Fai aoreland. It
WESTERN EXCURSION. 107
passed on the death of John Eavl of Westmoreland,
in 1760, to Sir Thomas Stapleton, Bart., afterwards
Lord Le Despencer, whose grand-daughter at this
time possesses it together with the title, the Barony
of Le Despencer descending to the heirs general.
The Church of Mereworth, which was also built
by the Earl of Westmoreland, about the same time
as the castle, is remarkable for the beauty of its style :
at the west end there is a fine Corinthian portico
and a tower surmounted by a lofty and elegant spire :
the interior is painted and the windows are orna-
mented with coloured glass.
At Wateringbury, our first enquiries were for
the Wooden Borsholder and its Deputy, but we
found that these powers had ceased to be. As the
instrument was formerly a thing of no little import-
ance in this parish, perhaps a description of it will
not be deemed out of place here. In shape and
size it nearly resembled an instrument well known
in this county — the hop pitcher : at its top there
was a round knob to which an iron ring was attached ;
four more rings of the same metal were affixed to the
swell at the lower part of the staff, which was shod
with a strong spike ferrule of iron, about four inches
long; the length of the staff", exclusive of the spike,
was about three feet. The deputy of this Dumb
Borsholder of Chart, as it was generally called,
claimed liberty over fifteen houses situated at Pizein
Well, near a place called Chart Garden, in this
parish, into any of which he might, with the aid of
his principal, force an entrance, without a justice's
warrant, if stolen goods were supposed to be con-
108 ENVIRONS OF MAIDSTONE.
cealed therein. This instrument has for nearly a
century been deprived of its power and deputy,
the borsholder of Wateringbury baving ever since it
was put aside had authority over the whole par sli. *
In Wateringbury Ciilhch there are some fine speci-
mens of painted glass. One of the windows, on the
southern side, seems formerly to have been orna-
mented with a pictorial representation of some his-
torical subject from the Holy Scriptures, but the
fragments remaining are insufficient even to develope
the story.
I must not pass by Teston Horsr., or Bauiia.m
Court, as it is also called, without remarking that
it belonged, in the reign of Henry II. to Randal
Fitz-Urse, one of the four knights who murdered
Thomas a Beckct at the altar of St. Benedict, in
Canterbury Cathedral, on the 29th December, 1170.
After the assassination of the Archbishop, Fitz-Urse
fled to Ireland and took the name of Mac Malion,
of which the meaning, the son of a bear, was simi-
lar to that of his former name.f His estate passed
to one of his near relatives, Robert de Barham, whose
descendants possessed it down to the latter part of
Elizabeth's time, when it went by marriage to the
Boteler family. Sir William Bottler, who in 1641
was made a baronet by Charles I., distinguished
himself by his firm attachment to that monarch, dur-
ing the civil war with the parliament. He was one
of those who signed the petition for peace, when the
parliament had declared war against the king, for
which he was committed to the Fleet prison, and
• See Hasted. t See Philipott.
■
■■ '■'
WESTERN EXCURSION. 109
there confined for seven weeks, when he was dis-
charged on bail to the amount of £20,000. After
this his house at Teston was attacked and plundered,
and his estate devastated by the opposite party, who
exacted above £3000 from him before they permitted
him to resume the possession of his own property.
Far from being disheartened by this persecution, he
raised and armed a regiment of royalists, at his own
cost, at the head of which he was slain at the battle
of Cropredy bridge, in 1644. A full account of this
gallant cavalier, is to be found in Lord Clarendon's
history of the rebellion. Lord Barliam now owns
this estate. The house, an elegant modern building,
stands in a very pleasant park, and overlooks the
Medway, and the greater part of that tract which is
justly denominated The Garden of Kent.
Here towering spires
First catch the eye, and turn the thoughts to heaven.
The lofty elms in humble majesty
Bend with the breeze to shade the solemn groves,
And spread a holy darkness : Ceres there
Shines in her golden vesture. Here the meads,
Enrich'd by Flora's daedal hand, with pride
Expose their spotted verdure. Kor are you,
Pomona, absent ; you 'midst hoary leaves
Swell the red cherry ; and on yonder trees
Suspend the pippin's palatable gold.*
The annexed sketch exhibits many of the charms
which the poet has so happily described.
We then passed on by the road to Barn-jet, or
West Barmixg. The manor house, and the greater
* From ' The Hop-garden,' by Christopher Smart, M. A.
110 ENVIRONS OF MAIDSTONE.
part of this little parish, have for more than a century
belonged to the Amherst family. The living of this
parish in the reign of Henry the VII., was united to
that of Nettlested. The church, or ratlier chapel,
which stood immediately behind Barn-jet house, of
course soon became ruinous, and now not a stone of
it remains. The inhabitants have since paid a small
yearly sum to the patron or the rector of Nettlested
as a composition for tithes, and supported their own
poor.
About fifty years ago, some skeletons of men and
horses with several fragments of armour, were dug
up between Barming Heath and the river, on the
spot where a small party of the royalists attempted to
dispute the passage of the parliamentary forces in
their march to attack Maidstone in 1648. Several
Roman urns and coins have at different periods been
discovered in the vicinity of this heath, which
strengthens the opinion of those antiquaries who
think that the military way to the Roman station at
Oldborough, in Ightham, passed over this spot.
A Lunatic Asylum for this county was built
about four years ago on the eastern part of Banning
heath, but within the bounds of Maidstone parish.
It is calculated for the reception of 168 patients and
cost about £40,000. It is a plain stone edifice, well
adapted in situation and every other respect to the
melancholy purpose for which it is designed, and
much as we must regret that so large a building of
this description is required for this county, we must,
at the same time, admire and commend the be-
nevolent care which thus provides a safe and proper
NORTH-WESTERN EXCURSION. Ill
hospital for those, who, by the severest of earthly
afflictions, are rendered unfit to join in the commerce
of society.
NORTH-WESTERN EXCURSION.
No. 8.
The first object of interest which we had to seek
in this walk, was the ruin of The Free Chapel of
Longsole, which stands nearly in the centre of the
wood between East Mailing and Maidstone. On
arriving at Rocky hill, we turned to the left in the
path which passes behind the large stone quarries of
Messrs. Bensted and Higgins. In March last a consi-
derable portion of the fossil skeleton of an Iguanodon
was discovered here, at a depth of above forty feet
below the surface of the earth : the rock which con-
tained it was blasted with gunpowder, and conse-
quently a great part of the skeleton was destroyed,
Mr. Bensted carefully collected and arranged all the
fragments that could be found, which were inspected
by Mr. G. Mantell, F.R.S., Mr. Saul, F.S.A. Lord
Cole and other geologists and scientific persons
It appears that the Iguanodon was an herbivorous
reptile, and by a careful comparison of its bones
with those of the Iguana, that its length sometimes
exceeded 100 feet; that of the individual animal,
whose remains were discovered here, was computed
to have been about 70 feet. The bones of the
Iguanodon had previously only been found in the
112 ENVIRONS 01 MAIDSTONE.
Hastings sands, in Tilgate forest. This interesting
relic of the antediluvian world, is in the museum of
Mr. Mantell, who resides at Brighton. Two fossil
teetli of the crocodili.m type, one of which was I
inches long, have since been found in this quarry.
Hence we proceeded through the wood to the Her-
mitage, for such is the common name of the little
farm on which the ruin of the chapel stands. It is
now used as a barn, and there is little to show that
it was ever designed for a higher use, excepting a stone
door-case of good workmanship and proportion-, at
the western end of the building. It was dedicated
to St. Lawrence, and seems to be of very early found-
ation. Edward III. granted his licence to Stephen
Fynamour, chaplain to Longsole chapel, to buy lands
of the yearly value of 100 shillings, for the mainte-
nance of himself and his successors. In the
of Henry the V. an enquiry was instituted to deter-
mine whetht r Longsole was in the parish of Ailing
or of Aylesford; the rector of the former, and the
vicar of the latter, mutually claiming the oblations
offered at this chapel; when it was ascertained to be
in Aylesford parish.*
From the Hermit ig _ lined the London road,
in winch we continued till we reached Larkfield,
when, again inclining to the left, we passed by
Bradbournj , the delightful seat of Sir John Twis-
den, and through the village of East Mailing
West or Town Malling. At the eastern end of
Town Mailing Btand the remains of the Abbey for
black nuns of the order of St. Benedict, which was
• See Hasted
NORTH-WESTERX EXCURSION. 113
founded about the year 1078, by Gundulph, bishop
of Rochester, the church of which was dedicated to
the blessed Virgin.* He governed this establish-
ment himself, and, when dying, appointed Avice
lady abbess ; but, before he consigned to her the
pastoral staff, ring, and gloves, he obliged her to
promise canonical subjection to the see of Rochester,
and to swear that no nun should be admitted, nor
abbess appointed to that house, without the consent
of him and his successors. Lambarde, in his zeal
against papistry, insinuates that the bishop annexed
these conditions from an attentive regard to the
comfort of the monks of Rochester, and gives a long
paragraph in support of this opinion under the head
of The Solaces of Sole life. Gundulph, in 1090, en-
dowed the nunnery with the manors of East and
West Mailing, together with the church of the latter,
and the chapel of St. Leonard in this parish, and
this place, which, before the founding of the abbey,
had borne the name of Mailing Parva, soon became
a town of consequence. In the reign of Richard I.
both the town and abbey were devastated by fire ;
but, by the munificence of that monarch, and the
contributions of individuals in the neighbourhood,
they were soon rebuilt. In the year 1348 an epidem-
ical disease raged in West Mailing, which, in a short
time, carried off two abbesses, and almost depopu-
lated the convent, leaving only four professed, and
the same number of uninitiated nuns. In the 30th
year of Henry VIII. this house was surrendered into
* See Kilbume.
114 ENVIRONS OF .MAIDSTONE.
the hands of the king by Margaret Vernon, the ab-
bess, and her eleven nuns; and in the next year the
site of it was granted to Cranmer, with its appen-
dant manors.*
To this summary of the history of Mailing abbey,
I must add a description of its venerable remains.
The approach is by a fine gateway tower, with two
archways ; over the smaller one of which are three
shields, two bearing the arms of benefactors of the
house, and the other, a heart pierced with an arrow
and distilling drops of blood. This device was pro-
bably intended as an emblem of the nature of the
house — an asylum for the heart wounded by the
follies or cares of the world. On the left-hand side,
within this tower and connected with it, there is an
antique oratory, which is now used as a dwelling ;
the window at the eastern end is worth the notice of
the antiquary; but the most attractive part of the
ruins is the western tower of the conventual church,
which is undoubtedly a portion of the work of Gun-
dulph : on either side of it is a turret richly decorated
with small semicircular arches ornamented with
chevron or zigzag mouldings and grotesque heads.
This portion of the abbey is of a design very similar
to the western end of Rochester cathedral, the work
of the same bishop; it forms the subject of the illus-
tration for this walk. Some stone coffins containing
human skeletons, and a quantity of human bones,
have, at different times, been dug up near the south
side of the church. The situation of the abbey is
* See Hasted.
NORTH-WESTERN EXCURSION. 115
particularly pleasant ; a fine stream flows through
the grounds, in which there were formerly several
large ponds. The present house was built about
the middle of the last century by Frazer Honeywood,
Esq. who, at that time, possessed the estate : it is in
the Gothic style. Mr. Losack is now the proprietor
of Mailing abbey.
The Church of this place has a Norman tower at
the west end, and contains some curious old brasses:
the nave was rebuilt in the latter part of the last
century.
I have before said that the chapel of St. Leonard
was attached to this nunnery; the hamlet of St.
Leonard lies a short distance to the southward of
Mailing street : a part of the square tower of the
chapel still remains, which seems to be of the same
age as the ruins of the abbey.
As the distance between West Mailing, and the
remains of Leybourne Castle scarcely exceeds a
mile, we could not omit visiting the latter, although
we had already exceeded our usual limits. In the
reign of William the Conqueror, the manor of Ley-
bourne was given to one of his knights, Sir William
d'Arsic ; but the castle, for there appears to have
been one here before the conquest, was held by
the Leybournes, then, and for many succeeding
reigns, a family of distinction. Sir Roger de Ley-
bourne was among the Kentish knights who attended
Richard I. to the Holy Land, and he particularly dis-
tinguished himself at the siege of Aeon. His grand-
son, also Sir Roger, in the 36th year of Henry the
1 16 ENVIRONS OF MAIDSTONE.
IH, killed Ernulfde Mounteney in a grand tourna-
ment of the knights of the Round Table, which was
held at Walden in Essex : Mounteney had in a pre-
vious encounter broken Leybourne's leg-, and it was
supposed that the latter thus took revenge for the
injury, as his lance was without a rocket and struck
his adversary's throat, which accidentally wanted the
protection of a gorget. His son, Sir William, enter-
tained Edward I. at Leybourne castle, who immedi-
ately afterwards appointed him his Admiral. Two of
his younger sons, Henry and Simon de Leybourne,
were knighted by Edward the I. under the roval ban-
ner at Carlaverock in Scotland, for their gallant con-
duct at the siege of that place. Sir William de Ley-
bourne survived all his children, and died earlv in the
reign of Edward the II. leaving his grand-daughter
Juliana his heir. Her property in this county was so
great that she was commonly called the Infanta of
Kent: she was thrice married; first to John de
Hastings, secondly to Thomas le Blount, and lastly
to Sir William de Clinton, afterwards Earl of Hunt-
ingdon. On her death, no person was found who could
take her estates, which therefore escheated to the
crown, and this part of them was granted to the abbey
of St. Mary Graces, on Tower-hill, London. On
the dissolution of that monastery, Henry VIII. gave
Leybourne manor in exchange to Archbishop Cran-
mer, but afterwards resumed it, and gave it to Sir
Edward North, chancellor of his court of augmenta-
tion. After passing through several families it was
purchased by James Hawley, M.D. and F.R.S. in
SOUTH-WESTERN EXCURSION. 117
the year 1776, and now belongs to Sir Joseph Henry
Hawley, Bart.*
Only a part of the entrance, and the towers which
flanked it, with a few fragments of walls, now re-
main of this castle. The moat enclosed about three
quarters of an acre of land. The ruin is probably a
portion of the castle which Sir Roger de Leybourne
built in the reign of Richard I.
As in our return to Maidstone we took the road
which passes along the north-western-side of the
paddock of Preston Hall, the seat of Charles Milner,
Esq., to Aylesford, we had an opportunity of inspect-
ing the buildings on Mr. Milner's estate which bear
the very remote date of 1102. This date, and the
initials T. C. with the arms of the Culpepers quar-
tered with those of the Hardreshulls, are to be seen
on the lintel of a stone door-case in a brick building,
which stands by the side of the road, and on the end
of a stone barn, near the mansion. Neither of these
buildings seems to be of more ancient date than the
16th century, so that it may be presumed they were
erected by Thomas Colepeper, who possessed Preston
Hall, in the reigns of Mary and Elizabeth, and that
he set up the date 1102, to mark the time at which
one of his ancestors first acquired that estate, and
added his arms, quartered with those of Hardreshull,
to denote that he belonged to that branch of the Cul-
pepers, of which one, in the reign of Edward III. had
married a lady of the Hardreshull family. The date
in both instances is in Arabic numerals, which were
not used in Europe till the latter end of the 13th
* See Hasted.
118 I NVIRONS OF MAIDSTONE.
century, nor were coats of armour quartered before
the beginning of the 14th; it would, therefore be
absurd to suppose, that these stones were cut at the
time to which the date they bear refers.*
We then descended the hill towards Aylesford, but
turned to the right on approaching the bridge, as by
crossing that, we should have passed from this our
last division, into our first.
In deepening the river about nine years ago, several
ancient weapons and other articles, made of a curi-
ous mixed metal, the art of compounding which is
now lost, were found in the shoal near Little Preston.
Among them were many fine specimens of the small
battle-axe, commonly called a celt; and a sword
blade about 18 inches in length. These, with other
weapons of a similar description, which have, at dif-
ferent times, been discovered in this neighbourhood,
are probably the relics of the engagement which took
place between the Britons and Saxons in this neigh-
bourhood, and is noticed in the first excursion, in
which, however, I omitted to state that the Saxons
had been previously defeated at Darent, and were
overtaken in their flight by the Britons at Aylesford,
formerly called Anglesford or Eglesford, — the ford
of the Saxons.
We continued in the path along the western bank
of the river, passing by the lonely little church of
Allington to Great Buckland, which is situated on
the side of the hill near the Medway. This name
* Hasted mentions some other early inscriptions in Arabic
figures.
NORTH-WESTERN EXCURSION. 119
seems to be a corruption of Bocland, which, in the
Saxon, was used to denote lands held by deed, hoc
signifying a book or roll of writing. This estate is
now divided into two farms, Great, and Little Buck-
land. The manor, previous to the time of John, was
held by the Archbishop of Canterbury, who then
granted it to a family, which took its surname from
it, in whose hands it continued till the reign of
Richard II. when it again passed back to the church,
and was annexed to the College of All Saints, at
Maidstone, by the founder, Archbishop Courtney.
On the dissolution of that establishment, in the first
year of Edward VI., this estate was held by the
Smyths, or Smythes, and continued in their tenure
for many years after that time. The pedigree and
arms of this family, which has ever since continued
in this neighbourhood, are given in the Visitation
of Kent, made in the time of James I. Edward VI.
granted Buckland to Sir George Brooke, Lord Cob-
ham, whose grandson forfeited it with his other estates
for treason against James I. However, his wife was
permitted to enjoy this part of them for her life ; on
her death it was given to Robert Cecil, Earl of Salis-
bury, from whose family it passed through many
hands, till about the beginning of the last century,
when it went by marriage to the Finch family : it
still forms part of the Earl of Aylesford's property.
The old mansion is yet entire, and exhibits a good
specimen of the style of country houses in the begin-
ning of the 17th century.
After pausing for a few minutes, to enjoy the de-
120 ENVIRONS OF MAIDSTONE.
lightful view of Maidstone and the beautiful scenery
that environs it on every side, which the path from
Buckland commands, we entered the town, and thus
completed the pleasing task of our perambulatory
excursions.
POETRY.
THE MED WAY.
Wanderer of a vale as fair
As Eden's garden in its prime,
Where angels deign'd its sweets to share,
With man, then pure as they from crime,
Unto the gazer's raptur'd eyes
The scenes that deck thy lovely stream,
Soft Medway, more than realize
Of Poesy the brightest dream,
And task the painter's subtlest art
Their beauties' semblance to impart.
With thine enlink'd shines many a name
Bright in the choicest lists of Fame :
Thy mazy way too lies among
Fields which can boast full many a spot
Still hallow'd by Tradition's song,
Nor e'en in History's page forgot.
The Lusian stream, to which of old
The poets gave a bed of gold,*
And that, whose rapid currents sweep
'Neath Drachenfels' proud castled steep,
Though grac'd with Nature's majesty,
In loveliness must yield to thee: —
The velvet mead ; — the hanging wood,
Stooping to kiss thy silvery flood ; —
* Tagus aurifer. — Silius.
122 POETRY.
The golden corn-field, shining here ; —
The thriving orchard, smiling there ; —
The neat white cot, scarce seen among
The shelt'ring groves of some sweet dell.
Which echoes all the spring night long
The soft love-notes of Philomel ; —
The village spire, — and on the hill
The, here for ever busy, mill : —
The frequent arches o'er thee laid ; —
The town by thee enrich'd with trade ; —
The shady elms, — the oaks more grand,
To form the bulwarks of our land; —
The ruin'd tower, whose spectral air
Of glories gone doth sadly tell; —
The park and modern mansion, where
Retiring Wealth and Honour dwell; —
The craggy glen; — the flowery nook,
Enlivened by the sparkling brook ; —
The hops, supplying here the place
Of vines, as well in use as grace : —
These are the charms strewn round thy path,
And that is beauty's perfect line :
Can Cintra boast that such she hath ?
Do such adorn the banks of Rhine ? —
While, with a gentle swell around,
The blue hills in the distance rise,
A soft and worthy chain to bound
And fence this England's paradise !
Well might the bosom doom'd to roam
From scenes which such delights bestow,
E'en midst the lovely Pays de Vaud,
Thus breathe its longing sighs for home.
POETRY. 123
My native land ! beloved clime !
Thou brightest gem that decks the sea !
Ever to thee at eve's soft time,
My thoughts in mournful fondness flee :
Though lovely scenes around me shine,
I turn from them to dream of thine.
Though here the Alps about me raise
Their heads, as if to meet the skies,
To those soft hills my fancy strays,
Which round my native valley rise ;
Though amidst splendor still I pine
For charms which can be only thine.
With front of stately pride, this tower
Looks on the smiling lake below, —
But lovelier far to me the bower
Near which the Medway's waters flow ;
Though Leman brightly blue may shine,
More dear to me that stream of thine.
Yes, lovely and beloved land,
This hour e'er brings thee to mine eye, —
Awhile in bliss entranc'd I stand,
Then wake for absent scenes to sigh ;
While pleasures here as spells combine
To make me think the more of thine.
124 POETRY.
LINES
WRITTEN IN THE RUINS OF ALLINGTON CASTLE.
Here, where once stood the festive hall,
Now strewn in ruin wide,
I'll sit me on the broken wall,
To muse on human pride :
The lesson books have feebly told,
E'en to the eye these towers unfold,
And vanity deride ;
Straight to the heart those truths they teach,
Which Stoics long might vainly preach.
Ah! who would now deem, Allington,
Beholding thy decay,
Thou wast the lov'd retreat of one,
The glory of his day .
Would deem thy riven, ivied towers
Were once the Muses' loveliest bowers, —
That Wit and Learning's ray
Bright'ning thy courts had ever shone, —
Where silent gloom now reigns alone.
Yet, though thy noontide glories now
Are past, on Medway's stream,
Like yonder sun from western brow,
Thou smil'st with setting beam ; —
He goes his way again to rise
In morning splendor through the skies, —
How fondly could I dream,
Albeit in vain, that so with thee
The future as the past might be.
POETRY.
All is but vanity ; — a span
Equals our time to live, —
Yet, of its flight unmindful, man
Rears dwellings to survive
Even the echo of his name, —
Save when supported by the fame
Which virtuous actions give ;
Such as protects thy "Wiat's tomb
For ever from Oblivion's gloom:
For he reposed not his trust
On strength of turrets high ;
Norlook'd to things of mould'ring dust
For immortality ;
His confidence, his treasure lay
Far 'bove the danger of decay ;
To heaven he rais'd his eye :
Thus, upon earth his fame ensur'd ;
Thus, an eternal crown secur'd.
125
TWILIGHT
ON THE BANKS OF THE MEDWAY.
If in this life of toil one hour be given,
An earnest of the tranquil bliss of heaven,
'Tis that which rises when the summer Sun
Declines into the west, his circuit done : —
Ling 'ring he seems to feel the soothing pow'r,
The heavenly influence of the coming hour,
Then, sinking down his gilded screen below,
He leaves to man the joys he can't bestow.
126 POETRY.
O, then 'tis sweet to roam by Medway's side,
Where Fant's soft groves o'erhang the gentle tide ;
Or where with orchards rich, enchanting sight !
The golden hops their elegance unite ;
Or where the Wiats' time-worn towers display
The vestiges of grandeur pass'd away ;
While Memory lends to each endeared scene
The rainbow hues which once its own have been ;
And with her soft " ' Twas here ! " — demands a sigh
For hopes which crush'd, yet, worm-like, will not die.
O, then how sweetly beams the Evening-star,
No stronger light her loveliness to mar ;
From us withdrawn, 'tis sweet to mark the day
Still light the hill-tops with a pallid ray,
Till o'er them, one by one, the darkness thrown,
Mild Evening undisputed reigns alone,
To mortals sent in pity from above,
The beauteous queen of peace, of rest, of love.
THE END.
INDE X.
Preface
Sonnet
Pagj
MAIDSTONE.
Of the Situation of Maidstone - - - 1
Of the Antiquity of the Town, and Derivation of its
Name ..... ibid.
General Description of the Town, &c. • - 2
Local Government, Charters, Privileges, &c. - 4
Antiquities ..... 6
Churches, &c. ----- 12
Public Buildings, and Institutions, Charities, &c. 16
Historical Matters connected with Maidstone - 27
Persons of Xote born in, or otherwise connected with
the Town ..... 33
Trade, Manufactures, &c. ... 42
Of the Parish, Hundred, and Manors 45
ENVIRONS OF MAIDSTONE.
Northern Excursion, No. 1. - - - 49
North-eastern 2. - - 62
Eastern 3. ... 68
South-eastern 4. - 83
Southern 5. 89
South-western — 6. - 94
Western ■ ■ 7. - - - 103
North-western 8. - - 111
128 INDEX.
POETRY. Page.
The Med way - - - - 121
Lines written in the Ruins of Allington Castle 124
Twilight on the Banks of the Medway - 125
ILLUSTRATIONS.
Map to front Title
Maidstone: All Saints' Church, 6cc.
to front 1
Kits Coty House ...
49
Vinters ....
68
Leeds Castle ...
72
Sutton Castle -
87
Loose ....
92
East Faileigh -
102
Teston Biidge ...
100
Mailing Abbey •
114
CORRECTIONS.
Page 1 , line 15, for ' nearly ' read ' more than'
5, note, for « 34th ' read ' 22d.'
21, line 32, for ' 12 ' read ' 13 '
22, The head-master of the Subscription Academy does
not hold his house rent free.
• 34, line 28. for ' include read ' included'
40. — 14, after ' in ' read ' this '
41, — 12, for ' 34 ' read ' 33." — J. Jefferys was boru
in the spring of 17 51.
43, — 10, for ' caried ' read ' carried '
51, — 4, dele ' con-'
56, — 19, for *it ' read ' Kits Coty House'
57, lines 27 and 28, for ' a sacrificial altar or a monumental
trophy' read 'sacrificial altars or monumental trophies'
94, last line, for ' it ' read ' its '
MAIDSTONE ■•
TRINTED BY J. BROWN, KENT ARMS OFFICE,
87, WEEK STREET.
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