The Making of Maidstone
‘The Making of Maidstone’ is a three-year project funded by The William and Edith Oldham Trust to develop a Victoria County History partnership publication which will explore the history of Maidstone from 1549 to 1660.
As such, the book will cover the incorporation of the town under Edward VI in 1549 to the restoration of the monarchy in 1660. This encompasses shifts in town governance, Wyatt’s Rebellion against the crown, the impact of the Reformation, the Battle of Maidstone in 1648, and the restoration of the monarchy in 1660.
Primarily, the book will be a collaborative venture with contributions from volunteers including community groups, students, artists, and academics. We will deliver training to help volunteers understand historic documents and apply digital research methods to them. The central goal is to build and support a community interested in the history of Maidstone and the publication of the book.
To find out more, visit the project website: https://themakingofmaidstone.org/
The project is led by Jack Newman. Contact him by email (opens in new window).
The Victoria County History of Kent
Three Red Book volumes were produced between 1908 and 1932, after which work ceased in the county until 1999 when work resumed in conjunction with the University of Greenwich.
Kent was part of the Heritage Lottery Fund, ‘England’s Past for Everyone’, which produced a paperback book on the lower Medway Valley entitled, The Medway Valley: A Kent Landscape Transformed, authored by Dr Andrew Hann and spawned a continuation project which has seen Dr Sandra Dunster complete work on the towns of the lower Medway. The Medway Towns: River, Docks and Urban Life was published in 2013.
Part of Volume II, detailing the county's medieval religious houses, is on British History Online. For full access to all volumes, check your local library catalogue or your local archive.
Parts of Kent have been included within London from the late 19th century, expanded further in 1965. Future work on these areas, included within the boroughs of Greater London, will be undertaken by our VCH London project.
