Maidstone

Maidstone is the county town of Kent, in southeast England, about 30 miles from London. It is also the administrative centre for the Borough of Maidstone. It stands on the River Medway at a point where the tributaries of the combined Rivers Beult and Teise enter the main stream.

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Maidstone is literally a "stone of the maidens", most likely indicating a place where they were known to gather. Its Anglo-Saxon form was M?gthan stan.

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Early history

Although Stone Age finds have been made locally, it is the Romans who first gave Maidstone some importance. Their road from Watling Street at Rochester to Hastings across the Weald passed through the site, and two villas have been discovered. They were also among the first to extract stone (the sandstone known as Kentish Rag) from the area.

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This part of the Medway Valley was important too, by the time of the Domesday Book. In the Middle Ages there were two hospitals here built for the care of wayfarers, especially those on pilgrimage; and a ?college? of secular priests.

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Town Status

Maidstone?s town status was confirmed when, in 1549, it was incorporated. It had originally been governed by a portreeve, 12 brethren and 24 commoners under the direction of the Archbishop of Canterbury. However, when the people of Maidstone rebelled against the crown in support of Thomas Wyatt in 1554, this charter was revoked, although a new charter was established five years later, when Maidstone was created a borough.

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The town's charter was finally ratified in 1619 under James I, and the coat of arms, bearing a golden lion and a representation of the river, was designed. Recently these arms were added to by the head of a white horse (representing Invicta, the motto of the county of Kent), a golden lion and an iguanodon. The iguanodon relates to the discovery in the 19th century of the fossilised remains of such a dinosaur locally. These remains are now displayed in the Natural History Museum in London.

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County town: A county town is the 'capital' of a county in the United Kingdom or Ireland. County towns are usually the location of administrative or judicial functions, or established over time as the de facto main town of a county....

Kent: :This article is about the English county of Kent. See also Kent (disambiguation)....

England: :For an explanation of often confusing terms like England, (Great) Britain and United Kingdom see British Isles (terminology)....

Maidstone related Images and Photos (experimental)

Allington Castle Near Maidstone Kent Moonlight