Maidstonetown and borough (district), administrative and
historic county of Kent, southeastern England, astride the River
Medway, 38 miles (61 km) southeast of London. The largely rural
borough surrounding the town covers a large area of central
Kent.  The name Maidstone is derived from the Saxon
Maeidesstana, given as Meddestane in Domesday Book, and is taken
to mean “the maidens’ stone.” At the time of the Domesday
survey, the settlement, noted for its salt production, eel
fishing, and flour milling, belonged to the archbishop of
Canterbury. A residence of the Norman archbishops of Canterbury
until the Reformation, the community grew as a market town and
had a succession of charters, the last granted in 1747.  The
town of Maidstone is still a major agricultural market centre,
situated in the heart of orchard country and the largest hops-
growing area in England; among its industries, brewing and
malting and the manufacture of agricultural implements are
prominent, but the chief modern manufacture is paper. F