Includes excerpts from http://www.historic-kent.co.uk/

Maidstone is the [county town] and administrative centre of [Kent], a large county in the south-east of the [British Isles]. Situated in the centre of the county, Maidstone is the major industrial, economic and population centre of Kent.

Archeological evidence suggests that the Maidstone area was first settled in the [Mesolithic] era (which ended at around 4000 BC), and was first cultivated for agriculture during the [Neolithic] era. Prominant evidence for inhabitation during this period comes from the [Medway Megaliths] and the [Kit's Coty] standing stones to the north.

By the time of the [Roman] invasion of Britain in 43 AD, Maidstone was a small community, bolstered by the addition of a number of [villa]s and roads, including those which became the foundation for the modern [Week Street] and [Stone Street] in the centre of the town.

The Romans also used stone from local quarries (from the local villages of [Farleigh] and [Snodland]) to build the capital of Roman Britain: [Londinium] (now called [London]).

The town's name is thought to derive from "[Stone of Maidens]" in Old English.

The [Domesday Book] of 1086, records Maidstone as a centre for crafts and part of the manorial estate of the [Archbishop of Canterbury] (whose official residence at the time was not in [Canterbury] or the current residence of [Lambeth Palace] in London, but the [Archibishop's Palace] in Maidstone). This small manorial town was destined to grow into a market town and borough by the 16th century; the first [grammar school] was founded in 1549, and by the early 17th century, with expansion in the number of schools, literacy was markedly improving.

[Penenden Heath] was the traditional site for the sheriff's courts from all over Kent, and by 1620 most Assize hearings were held in Maidstone. This has resulted in Maidstone's status as a regional centre for administration and a major Court - the County Court is an important national court and has held a number of major public trials in recent times. [HMP Maidstone] is a well-known high-security prison that has held a number of notorious criminals.

During the [English Civil War], Maidstone was an important base of operations for the [Royalist] army, and one of the bloodiest battles of the war was fought for the strategically important [East Farleigh] Bridge, to the southeast (Incidentally, the "[Grand old Duke of York]" nursery rhyme depicts and actual event, that of a parade of troops by the Duke of York at [Loose] Hill to the south of Maidstone during the war).

It was the [Georgian] age which sparked off real prosperity; living standards rose, specialist industries, shops, inns and professions proliferated. It was still an important market town, and maintained by the weekly Thursday market, four annual fairs, Sunday fairs, and a monthly cattle market. By the time the town hall was built in 1765, Maidstone had replaced Canterbury as Kent's most important town, and with the opening of the first [General Dispensary] in 1824, a new gaol in 1819, the [County Sessions House] in the 1820s, and expansion of the barracks, Maidstone was firmly established as the County Town of Kent.

Geographically, Maidstone stands on the banks of the [River Medway], in the [Medway Valley], almost at the centre of the county of Kent. Maidstone is at the heart of the agricultural region of the "[Garden of England]" (as depicted in [The Darling Buds of May] and other works). Maidstone is connected to the British road network by the [M20] and the [A20], two major roads providing communications links between London and the south-east coast (and hence [Europe] as well). Incidentally, in [Ian Fleming]'s [James Bond] novel [Moonraker], [007] takes a journey along the A20 and Fleming describes the centre of Maidstone at the time.

Famous dead people who came from Maidstone

[William Wilberforce] - the man who campaigned for the [Emancipation] of [Slaves] throughout Europe and America, made his last speech in Maidstone in 1833. His family is buried in [East Farleigh] church, to the southeast of the town
[Benjamin Disraeli] - novelist and politician, MP for Maidstone and Prime Minister of Britain 1868 - 1870 and 1874-1880, championed social and economic reform and supported the arts.
[William Hazlitt] - essayist, poet and writer.
[Wat Tyler] - leader of a Peasant Rebellion in 1381. He led more than 100,000 people into London to protest against high taxes.

and last but not least...

[George Washington] - his family lived in Maidstone before they emigrated and their coat of arms can be seen in [All Saint's Church]. Guess what it's made up of? [Stars and Stripes].

Famous people who live, have lived or regularly visit Maidstone

With some help from http://www.knowhere.co.uk/3200_heroes.html:

[Dr Who] actor [Tom Baker] is regularly seen wandering around Maidstone town centre. I used to serve him [coffee] and [books] when I worked in [Waterstone's] on Earl Street.
[Vic Reeves] has a house in Charing and frequents the Odeon in town.
[Isla Fisher] has been seen in town and has a house in [Bearsted].
Annoying ginger git [Chris Evans] lived in Wateringbury.
DJs [Seb Fontaine] and [Boy George] are both regulars in Maidstone's clubs.
Maidstone's current MP is evil witch woman [Anne Widdecombe] who lives in [Sutton Valence].

and last but not least...

[Terry Nutkins]!

Maidstone (place)