Allington, a parish in Kent, on the river Medway, 2 miles from Aylesford station on the S.E.R., and 1 1/2 mile from Maidstone, which is the post town. Acreage, 608; population, 157. The manor was granted to William de Warrene at the Conquest; passed to the family of Allington, to Sir Stephen de Penchester, to the Cobhams, the Brents, and the Wyatts; was the birthplace of Sir Thomas Wyatt the poet, and of his son, Sir Thomas, who headed the insurrection against Queen Mary; was given, at the confiscation of manors, to Sir John Astley; and passed in 1720 to the Earl of Romney. A castle was built on it by Warrene, rebuilt by Penchester, extended by the Wyatts, and abandoned to ruin by Astley. A considerable part of the structure still stands, and presents interesting features. The exterior is a long parallelogram, with projecting circular towers, and the interior is divided by a range of low buildings, with archway, into two distinct courts. A wide moat, fed from the Medway, nearly encircles the pile, and a farmhouse, of picturesque character, built out of fallen parts of the castle, stands adjacent. Gentle hills, mostly covered with wood, rise in the vicinity, and irregular mounds, which probably were ornamental features in the once-noble park, lie between the castle and the river. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Canterbury; value, £154. Patron, the Earl of Romney. The church is Decorated English, in very good condition.
