Archbishop's Palace
The 'Manor of Maidstone' given to the Archbishops of Canterbury by the Rector William de Cornhill in 1205 and is now known as the Archbishop's Palace. It was used as a resting place, to stop off overnight, when the archbishop was travelling between London and Canterbury. Round the back is a small 'dungeon' where John Ball ‘the mad priest of Kent’ is alleged to have been imprisoned. He was sprung from goal in 1381 during the Peasants’ Revolt by Wat Tyler and his followers, joining them on their ill-fated march to London.
By 1486 the Palace had fallen into disrepair, but Archbishop Morton 'greatly augmented and beautifed it' [Goodsall 1978: 130]. It was passed to the Crown under Henry VIII, and under Elizabeth I it was owned by the Astley family. Lord Romney bought the palace from the Astleys in 1719.
It was bought by the town for the people of Maidstone on Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee (1887).