QUEENBOROUGH, a borough and parish (formerly a market-town),
having exclusive jurisdiction,
though locally in the
liberty of Isle-of-Sheppy,
lathe of SCRAY, county
of KENT, 15 miles (N. E.)
from Maidstone, and 45
(E. by S.) from London,
containing 881 inhabitants.
This place, then called
Cyning- burgh, was a residence
of the Anglo-Saxon kings; their castle was near
the entrance of the Swale, and afterwards received
the name of the castle of Sheppy: in the reign of Edward
III., it was entirely rebuilt, on a magnificent scale,
from a plan by William of Wykeham, afterwards Bishop
of Winchester. That king, on visiting it for a few days,
made the place a free borough, and, in honour of his
Queen Philippa, conferred its present name; in 1366,
he incorporated it by charter, and three years afterwards
gave it the staple of wool. The castle was repaired
by Henry VIII., in 1536, at which time he erected
several others for the defence of the coasts; but, on
a survey made by order of parliament, in 1650, being
found unserviceable as a fortress in modern warfare, it
was soon afterwards demolished. The town is situated
near the West Swale, which is here navigable, and
consists principally of one wide street; the houses in general
are modern;. and the inhabitants are supplied with
water from the Castle well. The chief source of employment
is fishing and oyster-dredging, and the lobster trade,
large supplies being brought from Norway and Sweden
and sent to the London market: there is also a copperas
manufactory. Two weekly markets and two annual
fairs were granted by Edward III., but at present only
one fair is held, on the 5th of August. The first charter
of incorporation was granted by the same monarch,
and that now in force by Charles I., under which the
corporation consists of a mayor, four jurats, and twp
bailiffs, with a recorder, chamberlain, town clerk, and
other officers. The mayor and senior jurat are justices
of the peace, and have exclusive jurisdiction within
the borough; a court of session, half-yearly, is held before
the recorder and magistrates. The mayor and the
steward, who are elected by the select body of mayor,
jurats, and bailiffs, are empowered under their charter
to hold a court of record "on Monday, from three
weeks to three weeks," for pleas to an unlimited amount,
but it has fallen into disuse. The guildhall is a neat
edifice near the centre of the town. The freedom is obtained
by the eldest son of a freeman, being a native of
the borough, and by servitude under freemen residing
within it. This borough first sent representatives to
parliament in the 13th of Elizabeth, since which it has
continued to return two: the right of election is vested
in the mayor, jurats, bailiffs, and burgesses; the number
of voters is about four hundred: the mayor is the
returning officer.
The living is a perpetual curacy, in the archdeaconry
and diocese of Canterbury, endowed with £ 600 private
benefaction, £200 royal bounty, and £1600 parliamentary
grant, and in the patronage of the Mayor and Corporation.
The church, dedicated to the Holy Trinity, has an
ancient tower at the west end. There is a place of worship
for Independents. A school for the education of
one hundred children of freemen is principally supported
by the voluntary contributions of the corporation
and the representatives of the borough: the
schoolmaster receives £2 per annum, out of the dividends
of £ 1000 three per cent, consols., bequeathed to
the corporation for this and other purposes, in 1813,
by Mr. Richard Webb. The only remains of the old
castle are the moat and a very deep well, which latter
was cleared out by order of the commissioners of the
Navy, on account of the want of water at Sheerness.
Here was anciently an hospital, dedicated to St. John.