Maidstone - History of Occupation
There is evidence of Neolithic occupation around Maidstone, which was the centre of the agricultural county of Kent. The Romans also left their mark (the road through the town and evidence of villas), and the Normans set up a shire moot. At Boxley, religious organisations founded an abbey, hospitals and a college for priests. In medieval times, executions took place in what has become today’s suburb of Penenden Heath. The modern town of Maidstone incorporates a number of previously outlying settlements, and has a population of 139,000.
