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CONTENTS:
CHAPTER I Maidstone During the Middle Ages
Roman Remains — Derivation of the Name — Maidstone in the Eleventh Century — Meetings on Penenden Heath — Ancient Courts of Assize The Hundred — The Manor — Newark Hospital — Convent of Franciscans — The Old Bridge
CHAPTER II The Three Kentish Rebellions
Wat Tyler and Jack Straw — Breaking into Maidstone Gaol — Death of Tyler — The Rising under Jack Cade — Wyatt's Rebellion — Allington Castle — Wyatt and his Adherents at Maidstone : the Queen's Troops sent against them — Victory of the Insurgents: their Advance upon London — Surrender of Wyatt: his Death
CHAPTER III St. Mary's Church - The College Of All Saints
The Archiepiscopal Palace — St. Mary's Church — Goulds Chantry — Rectors of Maidstone — License for Archbishop Courtenay's Foundation — Erection of the College — Death of the Archbishop: his Place of Burial — Endowments — Description of the College Buildings — Masters of the College — Wotton's Tomb — The College Dissolved — Pensions to Priests — Revenue of the College: its Domain Lands
CHAPTER IV The Church of All Saints
Archbishops at the Palace — Chantries — The Reformation — The Rectory vested in the Crown — Sale of the Church Plate and Vestments — The Parish Register — The Rood of Grace — Burning of Martyrs in the Fair Meadow and elsewhere — Grant of the Tithes to the See of Canterbury — The Perpetual Curates: Augmentation of their Stipends — Sequestration of the Living — Thomas Wilson, the Puritan Incumbent — The Tithes of Maidstone — The first Vicar
CHAPTER V All Saints' & other Churches
The Fabric of All Saints' Church — Its Architecture - The Organ Loft — Organs, Ancient and Modern — The Original Roof — The Church re-pewed — Destruction of the Spire — Bells and Bell Ringing — Monuments in the Church — Funeral Regulations — The Chapel of St. Faith — Ancient Chapels — Recently-erected Churches
CHAPTER VI Nonconformity in Maidstone
The Dutch Refugees — John Gifford, the Baptist - Prosecutions under the Conventicle Act — Ministers Ejected in 1862 The Early Baptiste at Tovil and Maidstone — Simon Pine — Joseph Wright as Medical Practitioner, Prisoner, Mayor, and Baptist Minister — The Old Presbyterian Congregation — George Swinnock, the Preacher and Author — The Week Street Congregation — Other Dissenting Chapels
CHAPTER VII The Fraternity of Corpus Christi
Gift of the Hall in Earl Street — The Fraternity sanctioned by the Crown — The Brotherhood Hall — Number of Brethren and Sisters at various times : their Annual Contributions — Rent-roll of the Fraternity — The Annual Amounts — Chantry in All Saints' Church — Feasts on Corpus Christi Day — List of Wardens — The Fraternity Dissolved — Hall and Lands Purchased by the Town
CHAPTER VIII The Grammar School
Founding of the School — The Original Endowment — The First Master-Benefaction by William Lamb — Qualifications of Scholars — The Master's Salary — School Orders — Payments by Scholare — Gunsley's and Davy's Bequests — Annual Visit of the Corporation — The Master convicted of Manslaughter — Eminent Scholars: Horne, Smart, and Pond — New School Premises — Lubbock and Randall Scholarships — The Charity Commissioners' Scheme
CHAPTER IX Municipal & Parliamentary History
The Portreve and his Brethren — Incorporation of the Town — The first Charter revoked — The second Charter — Representative Burgesses in Parliament — Curious By-Laws — Early Creation of Freemen — The third Charter — How Corporation Meetings were announced — Andrew Broughton: his share in the Death of Charles I — The fourth Charter — The Kentish Petition of 1701 — Five Justices Imprisoned by the House of Commons — Thomas Bliss — Disputes between the Corporation and the Inhabitants — The Corporation Dissolved — The fifth Charter-Corporation Feasts — The sixth Charter — New Town Hall — The Corporation Rent-roll in 1822 — Non-Resident Freemen — Parliamentary and Municipal Reform
CHAPTER X Ancient State of the Town
Leland's Visit — The Manor of Maidstone — Manors of East Lane and Wyke — Population in 1572 — Sanitary Condition of the Town — The Plague The Bear Ringle — The Queen's Players — Conduits in the High Street — Benefactions to the Poor — Fearful Ravages of the Plague — Letter-carrying in the Seventeenth Century — The King's Mead — Visit of Samuel Pepys — Population in 1695 — The Poor-Rate — Smallpox Population in 1782 — The Streets Paved and Lighted — Street Nomenclature — Old Inns and Taverns
CHAPTER XI Maidstone During the Civil War
Storming Of The Town — The Kent Assizes in 1642 — Petition to the Parliament — A Committee of Members sent down to Maidstone — Petition to the King, and Suggestions to the House of Commons — The King's answer — Agitation in 1643 — Cause of the Kentish Rising in 1648 — Lord Fairfax commissioned to suppress the Rising — Main body of the Royalists at Rochester — March of Fairfax to the Medway — Maidstone stormed — Fairfax leading his troops to the Attack — No Relief from Rochester — Surrender of the Defenders Pacification of Kent — Maidstone Men at the Trial and Execution of the King — Old Soldiers — The Fairfax family
CHAPTER XII Courts and Punishment
Early Courts and Prisons — The Court House — Preparations for the Assizes — Old Legal Punishments — The Upper and Lower Court Houses — The County Prison and the Brambles — Cases at the Quarter Sessions during the Commonwealth — Trial of Witches — Tragedy at Lees Court — Cases at the Assizes in Charles II.'s reign — County Prison and Bridewell in King Street — First person executed for Sheep-stealing — Demolition of the Lower Court House — Riot at the County Prison — Visit of John Howard — State Trial at the Town Hall — Number of Prisoners tried at the Assizes — List of Executions on Penenden Heath — Public and Private Executions
CHAPTER XIII Trade of the Town
Kentish Ragstone — The Walloon Settlers in Maidstone — Manufacture of Cloth and Linen Thread — Early Cultivation of Hops — The Medway Traffic — Municipal Survey of the River — Issue of Tokens — Wages in 1698 — General Trade of the Town — Hop growing and Hop-picking — Fruit Cultivation — Brewing and Distilling — Paper-making — Fairs and Markets — Market Buildings
CHAPTER XIV Old Houses and Old Families
The Mote — Vinters — Park House — Buckland — Shales Court — Kingsley House — Digons — Jordans Hall — Old Houses in the High Town — Hunter's House — The Old Theatres — The Palace — The Astley Family — Sir John Astley's Will — Astley House — Thomas Bliss — Broughton's House — Earls Place — Chillington — The Maplesdens — Nicholas Barham's Will — The Charles Family — Julius Brenchley — The Museum and Public Library
CHAPTER XV Some Incidents of Bygone Times
A Monster — Wonderful Crop of Wheat — Visit of Henry VI — Terrific Storm — Smuggling — Capture of Sturgeons — Military Encampments on Coxheath — The Troops Reviewed by the King — General D'Hilliers at the Bell Hotel — Review of Kentish Volunteers in the Mote Park — Equipment of Maidstone Volunteers in George the Third's Reign — Precautions against Invasion — The last great County Meeting on Penenden Heath
CHAPTER XVI Endowed Charities and Charitable Institutions
William Hewitt — Sir Henry Cutt — Robert Gunsley — Alexander Fisher — Robert Rowland — Sir John Banks — Thomas Bliss — The Workhouse — Maidstone Union — Mrs. Duke — Edward Hunter — William Gill — John Brenchlay — Sir Charles Booth — Mrs. Wright — Mrs. Carter — Thomas Robert Cutbush — Thomas Edmett — The West Kent General Hospital — The Ophthalmic Hospital
CHAPTER XVII Maidstone Worthies
Edward Lee — John Hall — John Jenkins — Sir Jacob Astley — William Shipley — William Woollett — William and James Jefferys — William Alexander — William Hazlitt
CHAPTER XVIII Recent Progress
Old and New Roads — Houses on the Bridge — Population in 1821 — Introduction of Gas — The Coaching Days — Railways — Alexander Randall — Water Supply — The New Bridge — Drainage of the Town — Population in Decennial Periods — Conclusion
APPENDIX 1 Members of Parliament 379
APPENDIX 2 List of Mayors 380
APPENDIX 3 Town Clerks 382
APPENDIX 4 Registers (totals) 383
APPENDIX 5 Maidstone Tokens 383
ILLUSTRATIONS (mainly line-drawings)
Maidstone in 1722 (from old engraving)
Sir Thomas Wyatt the Elder
East Side of St. Faith's Green
St. Peter's Chapel/Newark House
The Brotherhood Hall
Kingsley House
The Court Houses & Market Place, 1623
The County Prisons, King Street
Hunter's House
The Market Cross and Conduit
Pruned Filbert Tree
The Market Place, 1820
The Old Mote House
The Old Mitre and Fire Office
House in Bank Street
House in High Street
Lower End of High Street
Houses in High Street
Houses in Week Street
Earls Place, Earl Street/Havock Lane
Houses East End of Bridge, E. View
Houses East End of Bridge, W. View
The Old Bridge, 1797
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