a town of Kent in England, situated on the banks of the Thames. It is 25 miles from London; and has a blockhouse well mounted with cannon, to command the ships and river, directly opposite to Tilbury fort in Essex. The town was plundered and burnt by the French and Spaniards in the reign of Richard II., to compensate which, the king, at the request of the abbot of St Mary-le-Grace of Tower-hill, to whom he had granted a manor there called Parrock, vested it and Milton with the sole privilege of carrying passengers by water from hence to London at 4s. the whole fare, or 2d. a-head; which was confirmed by Henry VIII.; but now the fare is 9d. a-head in the tilt-boat, and 1s. in the wherry. The former must not take in above 40 passengers, the latter no more than 8. Coaches ply here at the landing of people from London, &c. to carry them to Rochester, at 1s. 6d. each. This town and Milton were incorporated by Queen Elizabeth by the name of the portreeve (now the mayor), jurats, and inhabitants of Gravesend and Milton: And as Gravesend is the place where most passengers through Kent from foreign parts take boat for London, that queen, in order to show the grandeur of the metropolis of her kingdom, ordered the lord mayor, aldermen, and city companies, to receive all ambassadors and eminent strangers here in their formalities, and to attend them to London in barges if by water; or if they chose to come by land, they were to meet them on horseback on Blackheath in their livery gowns. The towns for several miles round are supplied from hence with garden stuffs; of which great quantities are also sent to London, where theparagus of Gravesend is preferred to that of Battersea. All outward-bound ships are obliged to anchor in this road till they have been visited by the customhouse officers; and for this purpose a sentinel at the blockhouse fires a musket; but the homeward-bound all pass by without notice, unless it be to put waters on board, if they are not supplied before. As the outward-bound generally take in provisions here, the place is full of seamen, who are all in a hurry. The whole town being burnt down in 1727, 5000. GRAVINA was granted by the parliament in 1731 for rebuilding its church, as one of the 50 new ones. In 1624, one Mr Pinnock gave 21 dwelling-houses here, besides one for a matter weaver, to employ the poor; and here is a charity-school for 24 boys, who are both taught and clothed. The town-house was erected in 1764; and in 1772 an act of parliament empowered the inhabitants to pave and light their streets.