Mereworth
Encyclopedia
Mereworth is a village near the town of Maidstone
in Kent
, England
. The Wateringbury Stream
flows through the village and powered a watermill
, the site of which now lies within the grounds of Mereworth Castle
.
- inherited the manor. He had the Palladian mansion built. Designed by Colen Campbell
, Mereworth Castle then overlooked the village, so Fane had the village moved so that it couldn't be seen from the estate, about 1/2 mile to the north west of its original location. He also demolished the church, providing the villagers with a new Palladian style replacement, now devoted to St Lawrence. Mereworth church is a grade I listed building.
Maidstone
Maidstone is the county town of Kent, England, south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town linking Maidstone to Rochester and the Thames Estuary. Historically, the river was a source and route for much of the town's trade. Maidstone was the centre of the agricultural...
in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The Wateringbury Stream
Wateringbury Stream
The Wateringbury stream rises at Swanton, West Peckham parish, flows south east towards Mereworth and then flows in a generally easterly direction to join the River Medway at Wateringbury. It is some four miles long and powered a number of watermills....
flows through the village and powered a watermill
Watermill
A watermill is a structure that uses a water wheel or turbine to drive a mechanical process such as flour, lumber or textile production, or metal shaping .- History :...
, the site of which now lies within the grounds of Mereworth Castle
Mereworth Castle
Mereworth Castle is a grade I listed Palladian country house in Mereworth, Kent, England.Originally the site of a fortified manor licensed in 1332, the present building is not actually a castle, but was built in the 1720s as an almost exact copy of Palladio's Villa Rotunda. It was designed in 1723...
.
History
In the early 18th century the Honorable John Fane - later 7th Earl of WestmorelandJohn Fane, 7th Earl of Westmorland
John Fane, 7th Earl of Westmorland was an English nobleman, styled The Honourable John Fane from 1691 to 1736....
- inherited the manor. He had the Palladian mansion built. Designed by Colen Campbell
Colen Campbell
Colen Campbell was a pioneering Scottish architect who spent most of his career in England, and is credited as a founder of the Georgian style...
, Mereworth Castle then overlooked the village, so Fane had the village moved so that it couldn't be seen from the estate, about 1/2 mile to the north west of its original location. He also demolished the church, providing the villagers with a new Palladian style replacement, now devoted to St Lawrence. Mereworth church is a grade I listed building.
Notable people
- Dominick BrowneDominick Browne, 4th Baron Oranmore and BrowneDominick Geoffrey Edward Browne, 4th Baron Oranmore and Browne, 2nd Baron Mereworth was the longest sitting British peer and legislator....
(1901-2002), 2nd Baron Mereworth, lived at Mereworth CastleMereworth CastleMereworth Castle is a grade I listed Palladian country house in Mereworth, Kent, England.Originally the site of a fortified manor licensed in 1332, the present building is not actually a castle, but was built in the 1720s as an almost exact copy of Palladio's Villa Rotunda. It was designed in 1723...
until 1930. - Geoffrey Browne, 3rd Baron Oranmore and BrowneGeoffrey Browne, 3rd Baron Oranmore and BrowneGeoffrey Henry Browne, 3rd Baron Oranmore and Browne, 1st Baron Mereworth KP PC , born Geoffrey Henry Browne-Guthrie, was an Irish politician....
(1861-1927), 2nd Baron Mereworth, lived at Mereworth Castle. - Francis FaneFrancis Fane, 1st Earl of WestmorlandFrancis Fane, 1st Earl of Westmorland, KB head of the Fane family, of Mereworth in Kent, and then of Apethorpe in Northamptonshire, was first a Member of Parliament and then an English peer...
(1580-1629), peerPeerageThe Peerage is a legal system of largely hereditary titles in the United Kingdom, which constitute the ranks of British nobility and is part of the British honours system...
, lived at Mereworth Castle. - John FaneJohn Fane, 7th Earl of WestmorlandJohn Fane, 7th Earl of Westmorland was an English nobleman, styled The Honourable John Fane from 1691 to 1736....
(1685-1762), nobleman, built the present Mereworth Castle. - Richard HosmerRichard HosmerRichard Hosmer was an English cricketer who played for Kent. He was one of the leading amateur batsmen of his time....
(1757-1820), cricketCricketCricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er, was born in Mereworth. - Charles LucasCharles Davis LucasCharles Davis Lucas VC was an Irish born officer of the Royal Navy and the first recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces...
VCVictoria CrossThe Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
(1834-1914), Rear-Admiral, is buried in the churchyard of Mereworth Church.