Mereworth

Mereworth^[1] 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.

History

In the early 18th century the Honorable John Fane - later 7th Earl of Westmoreland - 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.^[2]

Notable people

• Dominick Browne (1901-2002), 2nd Baron Mereworth, lived at Mereworth Castle until 1930.
• Geoffrey Browne, 3rd Baron Oranmore and Browne (1861-1927), 2nd Baron Mereworth, lived at Mereworth Castle.
• Francis Fane (1580-1629), peer, lived at Mereworth Castle.
• John Fane (1685-1762), nobleman, built the present Mereworth Castle.
• Richard Hosmer (1757-1820), cricketer, was born in Mereworth.
• Charles Lucas VC (1834-1914), Rear-Admiral, is buried in the churchyard of Mereworth Church.

See also

• Mereworth Sound, British Columbia, Canada

References

External links

Media related to [//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Mereworth Mereworth] at Wikimedia Commons