Annals of Ealing, from the twelfth century to the present time. Compiled from manorial and parochial documents ... With introductory preface by W. E. Oliver

Front matter

ANNALS OF EALING. CIRCUMSTANCE. Two children in two neighbour villages Playing mad pranks along the healthy leas ; Two strangers meeting at a festival ; Two lovers whispering by an orchard wall ; Two lives bound fast in one with golden ease; Two graves grass-green beside a gray church-tower, Wash'd with still rains and daisy-blossomed ; Two children in one hamlet born and bred ; So runs the round of life from hour to hour. Tennyson. St. Mary's (The Parish Chirch). Photogiaph by E.C. Porter ANNALS OF EALING FROM THE TWELFTH CENTURY TO THE PRESENT TIME. <ff0tttptlr& from JHanorial anb flarocljial Documents, BY EDITH JACKSON, WITH INTRODUCTORY

Preface

BY W. E. OLIVER, LL.D., Vicar of Ealing. DEDICATED, BY PERMISSION, TO MISS PERCEVAL. LONDON : PHILLIMORE & CO, 36, ESSEX STREET, STRAND. CHAS. J. CLARK, ESSEX STREET. MDCCCXCVIII. CONTENTS.

Chapter I

Ealing or Yllynges.— Probable Derivation of Name.— Lords of the Manor.— Domesday Book and the Churches.— Ealing supposed to have been included with Fulham. — Ealing Forest Land.— The Bishop's Rights.— Curious Claims by the Dean and Chapter of St. Paul's.— A Singular Grant to the County- Some Ancient Divisions. — Boundaries and Extent. — "Soyle and Fertilities— Supposed Saxon Settlement. — Traces of earlier Roman Occupation.— Notes on a Rare Gold Coin ... I chapter ii. Memorials of the Old Parish Church.— Earliest Historic Notice of Ealing.— Magister Scholarum.— Vicarage and Glebe. —Grant to Gerard de Aylesbury.— The Old Church.— Inventory of Church Property in 1552.— Some Churchwardens' Difficulties.— Parliamentary Survey of 1650.— Theological Troubles.— Illustrious Divines 14 chapter hi. Old Registers and Parish Books.— Origin and Commencement of Registers.— Early Entries.— Excommunicants — The Plague Years.— Curious Memoranda in the Rate Books. — The Condition of the Church— Extracts from the Vestry Minute Books 31 chapter iv.

Two Prominent Churchmen.— Thomas de Bradwardin, 1290-1- •349- — William Beveridge, 1638- 1708 47 chapter v. St. Mary's Rebuilt.— The Work of Rebuilding.— Act of Parliament obtained. — Original Trustees. — First and Last Payments. —Foundation Stone Laid. — Church Opened.— The New Edifice. — Addition to Churchyard. — Monuments and Mural Inscriptions in the Church and Graveyard. 56 chapter vi. Old Ealing and the Public Archives.— The Town and Village. — Ealing and the State Papers.— Frequent mention in the old County Records.— A Dark Deed of the Seventeenth Century.— The High-road. — The Ship-money Tax.— Vagabonds or Egyptians. — Old Ealing Tokens VI CONTENTS. chapter vii. Ancient Manors within the Parish of Ealing. — Antiquity of Manors. — History of Ealing Manor. — The Commons. — Manor of Coldhawe. — Some Biographical Notices. — The Manor of Pittshanger — Description of the Manor House. — Its Venerable Owner.— The Right Hon. Spencer Horatio Walpole 85 chapter viii.

Historic Brentford and Ealing. — Old Norden's Argument. — Antiquity of Brentford. — Brentford and the Old Saxon Chroniclers. — Two Kings of Brentford. — An Unique Celebration at the Red Lion Inn. — The Marian Persecution. — Six Martyrs Burnt at Brentford.— The Civil Wars.— Battle oi Brentford. — Petition of the Inhabitants. — Its Answer. — Earl of Brentford 106 chapter ix. Historical Notes on Brentford.— Early Importance of Brentford Weir. — Fisheries. — River. — Church of St. Lawrence. — Endowment of Vicarage. — The Manor. — Curious Extracts from Registers. — Brentford Witches. — St. George's. — Some Biographical Notes.— Brentford in Fiction.— The Market and Fair. — Old Games. — Coaching Days. — Ancient Bridge. — Present Bridge.— The Butts.— Historic Inns.— Grand Junction Waterworks.— County Elections.— A Memorable Royal Visit. 118

CHAPTER X.

Gunnersbury or Ancient Gonyldesburg.— Early History.— Valuation of Gonyldesburg at the time of Alice Perrer's Banishment.— Some Owners.— Norden's Description —Serjeant Maynard.— The Princess Amelia.— Horace Walpole's Account of an Evening Spent at Gunnersbury.— Later Purchasers.— Description of Mansion previous to Sale and Pulling Down.— Gunnersbury House.— Gardens. — Its Present Owner. — A Historic Painting. 1,5

CHAPTER XI.

Time-Honoured Parochial Institutions.— Master Frowyk's Gift.— An Old Agreement about Letting the Church House.— Its Memorial Stone.— Origin of the Workhouse.— Almshouses. — Parochial Perambulation ,.g chapter xii. A Careful Retrospect.— A Topographical Sketch, with Brief Notes. — Ealing 1831-2. j,, chapter XIII. A Famous Private School.— The Old Rectory.— Two Resident Rectors.— Memorials of Former Occupiers.— Description of School House and Grounds.— Professor Newman's Recollections.— An Ode.— Distinguished Alumni.— Biographical Notes. CONTENTS. VII chapter xiv. Two Pre-Eminent Ealing Schoolboys.— Cardinal Newman.— Professor Huxley 189 chapter xv. Some Old Ealing Homes.— Long Popularity of Ealing as a Place of Residence. — Mrs. Delaney and Ealing. — Elm Grove. — Its Owners. — Fordhook and its Memories. — Fielding 200

CHAPTER XVI.

Some Old Ealing Homes.— Ealing House. — Dr. John Owen. — Bulwer Lytton's Description. — Ealing Grove. — Lady Byron's School. — Joanna Baillie's Visit to the School. — The Vicarage. — Beveridge's Study. — Old Ealing Vicars. — The Old Grange and General Elliott. — Other Illustrious Inhabitants. — Ealing Park. 210

CHAPTER XVII.

A Royal Residence. — Ealing and Earl Dartmouth's Collection of State Papers. — A Guest's Impressions of Castle Hill Lodge. — Attempt to Sell Estate by Lottery.— Personal. — The Duke's Will. — A Touching Incident at Kensington. — Archibald Constable.— An Old Ealing Family 227

CHAPTER XVIII.

Ealing and its Churches. — St. Mary's Reconstructed.— Description. — Memorial Gifts. — Bishop Jackson. — Antiquity of the Church Plate. — Christ Church. — A Generous Donor. — Memorial Windows. — Vicars. — Rev. J. S. Hilliard. — St. Saviour's Mission Church. — Foundation Stone Laid of Permanent Church 239 chapter xix. The Churches of Ealing. — St. John's. — St. James's Mission Church. — St. Stephen's.— St. Matthew's. — St. Peter's 253 chapter xx. Ealing and its Chapels — The Congregational Church. — Its Early Origin. — First Building. — The Present Site. — Description. — Ministers. — Additions and Improvements. — Wesleyan. — Origin. — Present Building Erected. — Liberal Gifts. — A New Circuit. — St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church. — Temporary Building. — Change of Site. — Foundation Stone Laid by the Marquis of Lome. — Opening Services. — Later Improvements and Enlargement. — A Description. — Haven Green Chapel. — Date of Erection.— Plan of Building. — Cost. — Ministers. — Class Rooms 268

CHAPTER XXI.

Ealing and its National Schools. — The Earliest Schools. — Christ Church Schools.— St. John's.— St. Stephen's.— The CONTENTS. VIII British. — The Wesleyan. — Princess Helena College. — Some Local Charitable Institutions. — The Cottage Hospital. — Training College for Teachers ot the Deaf.— The Girl's Home. — Chronological List of Ancient Bequests. 276 chapter xxii. Ealing and its Municipal Life. — The Upper Side and the Lower Side of the Parish. —The Old Highway Board.— A Reminiscence of 1856. — A Move. — Opposition. — Ealing Local Board. — The First Board. — Operations.— Final Abrogation of Old Highway Board. — Systematic Progress. — The Public Buildings. — The Lammas Park. — The Common and Green. — The Electric Light. — A Change of Name. — Development. 287 chapter xxiii. The Geology of Ealing 299 Appendix 341 Index LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

St. Mary's Parish Church Frontispiece Facsimile Extract from the Parish Register — " Excommunicants " 32 Bishop Beveridge 51 The Amondesham, or Aunsham, Brass 69 The Old Manor House 89 Gunnersbury House in the time of the Princess Amelia ... ... 144 Facsimile Agreement respecting Letting of Part of the Church House 149 Map of Ealing in 1777 154 The Old Bell Inn 156 Old Ealing Broadway 157 Great Ealing School (from an Old Picture) 168 Elm Grove (from an Old Engraving) 203 Ealing Park 214 Ealing Grove 214 Rochester House 224 Castle Hill Lodge (from an Old Engraving) 227 Christ Church 247 St. John's Church 253 St. Stephen's Church 258 St. Matthew's Church 264 St. Peter's Church 264 The Congregational Chapel 268 The Wesleyan Chapel 268 St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church 273 Haven Green Baptist Chapel 273 The Municipal Buildings 293 The Geology of Ealing — Diagrammatic Section showing the Stratigraphical Position of the Ealing Formations 302 Section across the London Basin through Ealing 306 Vertical Section under Ealing Parish Church 307 b

PREFACE.

. There is, perhaps, no more interesting study than to trace the slow development of the municipal life of this country. The emergence from barbarism into the order of civilization, and the welding together of the various nationalities which now people these islands into one harmonious whole. The work of modern historians has laid great emphasis upon this important aspect of the nation's growth. Men like John Richard Green and Edward A. Freeman, instead of bringing before us the story of battle and slaughter, the restless ambition of our Kings, the story of Court pomps and Court jealousies, prefer to acquaint us with the inner life of the people, how men lived, how they built their houses, the trade they were engaged in, how the language grew and became the wonderful instrument it now is for the orator, philospher and poet.

The story, too, is now un folded for us, how our villages first came into being, and their development into towns and renowned cities. The curious customs which grew and strengthened ; the constant warfare between the imperious nobles on the one hand, and the restless burghers on the other ; the remarkable rise and development of trade ; and how, century by century the riches of the country increased. The history of England is a broad expanse, and every educated person should be well acquainted with it. Our

PREFACE.

. patriotism rises as we peruse the wonderful story, and our interest deepens as we watch how century after century the land advanced in its ordered greatness. But, perhaps, as deep an interest centres in the villages and towns, which we know so well, and it is good reading for us to know all about their progress and development. This book, " The Annals of Ealing," is such a record, and I have much pleasure in writing a few words of introduction. It has been a bit of loving work on the part of the Author, and has occupied many months of earnest labour and investigation. A diligent search has been made into the old records of Ealing, and the interesting pages will demonstrate to the reader how much our " island story " comes into view, the great men who have lived in Ealing, and played their part on the world's great stage.

The book is not only a dip into the past, but it is also the account of the gradual growth of Ealing from the small rural village of fifty years ago to the prosperous and fashionable suburb which we now recognize as Ealing. The transfor mation has been great. I feel sure that the effort to make known something of the long history of our village-town, will be acceptable to all the residents of Ealing, and that they will accord this book a favourable reception. W. E. Oliver. Vicarage, Ealing, March, 1898. NOTE The rapid changes of recent years, in such a growing neighbourhood as Ealing has become, seemed to render it necessary to place on record, before it was too late, such as pects of its bygone years, as are fast becoming obliterated and forgotten in the march of progress. The earlier history of all old neighbourhoods can be discovered by patient research in well defined and more or less accessible sources, but for later developments, much depen dence has to be placed upon oral tradition and the reminis cences of those who have lived their lives and grown old in the place, and in this respect, it has been a deep source of gratitude to me, to find on all sides the most ready help and lively interest.

In fact, the matter supplied by so many friends, developed to such an extent, that much condensa tion became necessary, in order to keep the book within the desired limits. In the inception of the work, and in counsel as to the lines on which it should be proceeded with, I received the valuable aid of Dr. Oliver and Mr. J. Allen Brown, to the latter of whom literary Ealing and the reading public owe so much. The "Annals" were begun at the suggestion of Dr. Oliver, who has, throughout the compilation, permitted me to have ready accessto the various old parish books and documents under his care, and, by introductions to re- NOTE, liable sources, has enabled me to obtain a large amount of trustworthy information ; a strong sense of my obligation to Dr. Oliver compels me to especially thank him ; and to Mr. J. Allen Brown I am indebted for some carefully selected extracts from the old county records, the fruit of much laborious search, and I gratefully acknowledge his help.

With very real pleasure, I take this opportunity of thank ing the local clergy of all denominations for their courtesy in supplying notes on their respective places of worship ; their generous compliance with my request, will, I am sure, be widely welcomed. Very gratefully I acknowledge Miss Baron's account of St. Stephen's Church, and Dr. Tup holme's sketch of John Henry Newman, and I tender my individual thanks to those who have contributed notes on special subjects, and although acknowledged in the body of the work, I must here place their names on record : Mr. Brookes, Dr. Thain Davidson, the Rev. H. C. Douglass, Mr. James Hayles, the Rev. G. Henslow, the Rev. W. G. Horder, Miss Jackson, Mr. Lewis, the Rev. W. Petty, Dr. Skeat, and the Rev. J. Summerhayes. I desire also to express my sincere thanks to Mr. C. Jones, not only for his important chapter on Ealing Muni cipal Life, but also for his kindness in allowing photographs to be taken of some old views in his possession, and my hearty thanks are due to Mr. A. Richardson, for his repro duction of these pictures.

Professor Lobley will be thanked by all readers for his masterly and succinct account of the Geology of the neigh- NOTE XV bourhood, which is comprised in the last chapter, and for that useful appendage, a bibliography. I feel that I cannot render adequate thanks for the generosity which has en riched my book with this most interesting article. I would also gratefully record my appreciation of the valuable suggestions and courteous aid that I have received throughout the work from the Rev. W. de Burgh ; and there are yet others whose assistance I gladly acknowledge. Mrs. Prendergast Walsh, Miss Turrell, Major McCrea, Mr. Tidy, and Mr. H. Atlee, have taken infinite pains to supply accurate information, and their long and intimate association with the neighbourhood, renders the value of their help very real.

It is a pleasure to note down my indebtedness to Dr. Northcott, of Rochester House, though no words that I can think of will express the largeness of the debt. With characteristic courtesy, at my bold request, Dr. Northcott set himself the wearisome task of reading through the MS. before it went to press. By his careful revision and correc tions, the book has gained much, its writer more. It must be remembered, however, that the responsibility of each statement rests upon me. In conclusion, I can only offer my best thanks to Mr. E. W. Northcott for coming to my assistance in the arrange ment of that tedious and difficult, but very important part of such a book — the index. The very great care that Mr. Northcott has taken over this uninteresting task deserves my fullest gratitude. The delightful picture of Rochester House, the drawings of diagrams illustrating Professor NOTE Lobley's geological article, and the finely drawn map, are Mr. Northcott's work ; some of the photographs are also his, and in addition, I have had the advantage of his careful help in the correction of the proofs.

The generous assist ance offered on all hands, the courtesy of Mr. Bonner (Librarian of Ealing Free Public Library) and of the officials at the Guildhall Library and the British Museum, and equally the invaluable suggestions, criticisms and advice of Mr. C. Clark, my publisher, have enabled me to place these Annals of Ealing before my readers, in what I hope may be considered a suitable form. Edith Jackson. Ealing, fuly,

CHAPTER I.

<£aCin$ ox yttyn$tB. Probable Derivation of Name. — Lords of the Manor. — Domesday Book and the Churches. — Ealing supposed to have been included with Fulham.— Ealing Forest Land. — The Bishop's Rights. — Curious claims by the Dean and Chapter of St. Paul's. — A singular Grant to the County. — Some Ancient Divisions. — Boundaries and Extent. — " Soyle and Fertilities — Supposed Saxon Settlement. — Traces of earlier Roman Occupation. — Notes on a rare Gold Coin. HE manner of spelling the name of Ealing varies much in the old records. We find Yelling, Yelynge, Yeling, Yelinge, Yelynne, Yellynge, Yillinges, Yllynges, Yill ing, Ylling, Yllyng, Gelling, Yling, Ylings, Gilling, Ylinge, Gillyng, Yelding, Xlings, Xling, Zealing — where Z is a mere substitution for the Middle-English character for Y, which was ludicrously misunderstood — Elinge, Eling, Elings.

Newcourt, who wrote in 1708, calls it " Great Yealing, to distinguish it from Little Yealing, a hamlet thereto belonging". In the old parish books of the seventeenth century, it is occasionally written Elyng, but more often Yeeling or Yealing. Finally there is the modern Ealing. The origin and sense of the name is uncertain, though conjectures have been many. It has been absurdly supposed that as in the case of Eaton, Eton, lit. "stream-town", the Anglo-Saxon prefix ea, "a stream", may have referred to the stream running through B it ; and that this could be combined with the word ling, of Scandinavian origin, thus producing a hybrid word signifying " stream-heather", also containing a local refer ence. Quite recently a historic house, anciently known as Hicks-on-the-Heath, has been demolished, and this was adduced as helping the suggestion.

Again, as Ealing abounds with little ground-springs, the name has often been associated with the existence of these, and actually rendered as signifying a " place of little waters", whereas the translation of the imaginary form ea-ling would be " babe-stream " or " stream not fully grown up". No known force can make it a plural. Probably the earliest form of spelling in existence, though this is not the earliest record of the parish, is that which occurs in the following copy of a grant (12th century) which is preserved in St. Paul's Cathedral Library. — Grant by [Gjilbert Bishop of London, to Richard de Lichefeld, his servant, of a virgate of land at Yllynge, lately belonging to Alfwin de Yllynges, in consideration of a yearly pay ment of 5^., and a fine of three besants. Witnesses : Robert Archdeacon1 of Essex, Robert Folet, Gilbert Banastre, Master Walter de Witteneia, canons of St. Paul's, and seventeen others named, a.d. ii 63-11 88. 1 "As to the Title of Archdeacon, it is of no less antiquity than the primitive times of Christianity; the Use then being : that the Deacons did elect out of themselves one whom they knew the most eminent for his Industry, and gave him that Title.

Howbeit of late years, he that was more grave and prudent than the rest has commonly been advanced to that place. As to his office, he is bound yearly to visit all his archdeaconry throughout, then to enquire of all crimes and misgovern ment ofthe people, as well the Clergy as the Laity, by the Churchwardens and others, and to reform whatsoever they find otherwise than well, either committed heinously against the laws of God or the ordinance of the Prince, for a quiet commonweal dissonant to God's Laws, to man's laws, and politick order of the world, to reform the same, either by Godly persuasion or good advice, or by Pains and Penalties according to the Humility and humble subjection of the offender, and Repentance of his offence." — Newcourt's Repertorium. The undoubtedly older forms of spelling, Yelling, Yelynge, Yeling, Yealing, etc., disprove either of the above poetical derivations.

" That ling is here Scandinavian, is out of the question", writes Professor Skeat, a high authority on etymological subjects, and to whose kindly courtesy we are indebted for what he terms a possible guess as to the origin of the name Ealing. Dr. Skeat 1 supposes the word to be Anglo-Saxon throughout, and, from the old spellings, originally to have begun with a G. " There was", he says, " an initial sound of Y in many Anglo- Saxon words, but it is seldom original ; it usually means that an old hard g, when it happened to precede an e or an i, passed into the sound of ja The suffix ing is usually the mark of a tribal settlement. The loss of y and the lengthening of e into ea make no difficulty ; there are plenty of such examples. This Yelling is possibly the mark of a tribal settlement of Yellings.

The chief's name would be Yella, written Gella in Anglo-Saxon. It is not only not absurd, but highly probable, that Yella meant one who yells or shouts — a mere nickname. A large number of names turn out to be nicknames of the most trivial char acter. There is a name Gellir in the Icelandic Land namabok (Book of Landnames), and that name is known to mean ' Yeller', neither more nor less. The verb to yell is of great antiquity, as it was once a 'strong' verb, with the past tense he yall or he yoll, of which there are many examples as late as A.D. 1400. It is a possible guess that Ealing = Yelling, and that Yelling denoted a settlement of 1 In a book lately issued, Dr. Skeat says : — " One of the queerest crazes in English etymology is the love of paradox which is often carried to such an extent that it is considered mean, if not despicable, to accept an etymology that is obvious.

It is of no use to prove to some people by the clearest evidence that beef-eater is derived from beef and eater, or fox-glove from fox and glove, or offal from off and fall. • . . All this is to them but food for babes, and they crave for strong meat." a tribe of Gellings, named from a chief Gella, whatever that name may have meant."1 Ealing is not mentioned in Domesday; but the omission does not stand as evidence that it had no parochial existence at that time. Old writers have always concluded that Ealing was returned with the manor of Fulham. The Bishops of London, to whom the manor of Fulham has constantly belonged from the year 69 12 — except during the great Rebellion, when it was sold in 1647 to Colonel Edmund Harvey for the sum of £6,717 &s. iod., but given back to the see at the Restoration — have also been lords of the manor of Ealing from earliest times, or as the quaint law term phrases it, "so that the mind of man runneth not to the contrary."

Sir Henry Ellis3 says: "The precept which directed the formation of the Domesday survey, laid no injunction on the jurors to make a return of the churches." Nor were the lands held by the Church, in all cases so minutely described, as the indignant Saxon chronicler sets forth in the following remarkable passage': — "A.D. MLXXXV. In this year men declared and forsooth said that Cnut, King of Denmark, son of King Svein, was bound hitherward, and would win this land with the aid of Robert, Count of Flanders, because Cnut had Robert's daughter to wife. When William, King of England, who was then residing in Normandy . . . was apprised of this, he went into England with so large an army of horse men and foot from France and Brittany, as never before had sought this land, so that men wondered how this land could feed all that army.

But the king caused the army 1 There actually is a place called Yelling in Huntingdonshire. There is no special reason why it may not be the same name. Indeed, it is likely that it is so. 2 Newcourt says Fullonham was granted to Erkenwald, Bishop of London, Anno 675-697, by Tyrhtilus, Bishop of Hereford. Erkenwald was the son of Offa, King of the East Saxons. 3 General Introduction to Domesday. 4 Ibid. to be distributed through all the land among his vassals, and they fed the army, each according to the measure of his land. And men had great affliction this year. . . . But when the king was informed insooth that his foes were hindered and could not furthe.r their expedition, he let some of the army go to their own land, and some he held in this land over the winter. Then at mid-winter the king was at Gloucester with his 'witan', and there held his court five days ; and afterwards the archbishop and clergy had a synod three days.

Then was Maurice chosen Bishop of London, and William to Norfolk, and Robert to Chester. They were all the king's clerks. After this the king had a great council and very deep speech with his ' witan ' about this land, how it was peopled, or by what men : then sent his men over all England into every shire, and caused to be ascertained how many hundred hides were in the shire, or what land the king himself had, and cattle within the land, or what dues he ought to have in twelve months from the shire. Also, he caused to be written how much land his arch bishops had, and his suffragan bishops, and his abbots and his earls; and — though I may narrate somewhat prolixly — what or how much each man had, who was a holder of land in England, in land or in cattle, and how much money it might be worth, so, very narrowly, he caused it to be traced out that there was not one single hide, nor one yard of land, nor even, it is a shame to tell, though it seemed to him no shame to do, an ox, nor a cow, nor a swine was left that was not set down in his writ.

And all the writings were brought to him afterwards." In spite of this alleged minuteness of the survey, un exceptional evidence exists of churches not mentioned, and Sir Henry Ellis points out the wide divergence between Sir Henry Spelman's figures, which give 4,511 parish churches in the kingdom at this time, whereas those returned in the survey amount to but little over 1,700. He observes: "It is remarkable that while 222 churches were returned from Lincolnshire, 243 from Norfolk, and 360 from Suffolk, 1 only can be found in the return for Cambridgeshire, and none in Lancashire ... or even Middlesex, the seat of the metropolis." If, as is generally believed, Ealing is returned with Fulham in the Domesday survey, it will interest some to read the part which relates to that manor. " In Fuleham the Bishop of London holds 40 hides.1 The land is 40 carucates.

To the demesne pertain 1 3 hides, and there are 4 ploughs. Between the free-born and the villani there are 26 ploughs, and there might be 10 more. There are 5 villani, each of whom [has] one hide; and 13 villani, each of whom [has] one virgate; and 34 villani, each of whom [has] half a virgate; and 22 cotarii, with half a hide; and 8 cotarii, with their own gardens. Between the free born and certain burgesses of London [there are] 23 hides of the land of the villani. Under these live 3 1 villani and bordarii. Meadow for 40 ploughs. Pasture for the cattle of the ville. From half the weir, 10s. Wood for 1,000 pigs, and 17 pence. With all its profits it is worth £40, and as much when he received it. In the time of King Edward £50." 1 According to Sir Henry Ellis, "a hide contained no certain number of acres, but varied in different places.

It has been described to be as much as was sufficient to the cultivation of one ' plough', whence our term 'ploughland'. The carucate, which is also to be interpreted the ploughland, was as much arable as could be managed with one plough, and the beasts belonging thereto, in a year, having meadow, pastures, and houses for the households and cattle belonging to it. The hide would seem to be the measure of the land in the Confessor's time, the carucate that to which it was reduced by the Conqueror. The new standard generally supposes the hide to be equal to 120 acres. Four virgates formed the hide of the survey. The sochemanni or socmen were those inferior landowners who had land in the soe, or franchise of some great baron. Their services were fixed and determinate, and though their tenure was absolutely copyhold, they had an interest equal to a freehold.

They could not be compelled to relinquish their holding at their lord's will nor against their own." " Villenage was a species of tenure neither strictly Feodal, Saxon nor Norman, but compounded of them all." — General Introductio7i to Domesday. Money is generally estimated at thirty times its present value. The penny was the only coin known in England till long after the Conquest. The shilling of the Domesday survey, like the pound, the mark, and the ora, was only money of account. The Saxon shilling consisted of five pence; that of Domesday is always twelve pence (Sir H. Ellis). The Fisheries formed an important source of rent of the Domesday returns, and a grant in the year 13 13 shows that care was taken of Brentford weir in early times. King Cnut, in a Parliament holden at Winchester in 1016, drew up a code of forest laws, therein setting out the bounds of his forests, and limiting the power of the forest officers. 'The Saxon and Danish monarchs were content to hunt the sixty-eight old forests which formed the royal wood demesne.