Editing Ealing (section)

===Early history===
Archaeology evinces parts of Ealing have been lived in by neanderthal humans &ndash; the [[Lower Palaeolithic]] Age.<ref name=archone>'Archaeology: The Lower Palaeolithic Age', in ''A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 1'' ed. J S Cockburn, H P F King and K G T McDonnell (London, 1969), pp. 11-21. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/middx/vol1/pp11-21</ref> The typical stone tool type of neanderthals, the Mousterian, is not found in south-east England, but Levallois type may be consistent with the hand axes found.<ref name=archone/> These primitive hunters span a period of at least 300,000 years in Britain.<ref name=archone/> Of the [[Iron Age]], Milne lists six Carthaginian and pre-Roman bronze coins from Middlesex: Ashford and Ealing (Carthage coins); Edmonton (Seleucid (2), Rhegium, Bithynia coins). These are not so significant as for similar and more plentiful finds from [[Dorset]], and Milne suggests that some represent parts of imported bronze scrap.<ref>'Archaeology: The Iron Age', in ''A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 1'' ed. J S Cockburn, H P F King and K G T McDonnell (London, 1969), pp. 50-64. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/middx/vol1/pp50-64</ref>

[[File:South Face of the Church of Christ the Saviour, Ealing (01).jpg|thumb|left|The [[Christ the Saviour Church, Ealing|Church of Christ the Saviour]], built in 1852]]
The [[St Mary's Church, Ealing|Church of St. Mary's]], the parish church's priest for centuries fell to be appointed by the [[Bishop of London]], earliest known to be so in {{circa|1127}}, when he gave the great tithes to Canon Henry for keeping St. Paul's cathedral school.<ref name=dbolton>Diane K Bolton, Patricia E C Croot and M A Hicks, ''Ealing and Brentford: Churches, Ealing', in A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 7'' ed. T F T Baker and C R Elrington (London, 1982), pp. 150-153. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/middx/vol7/pp150-153</ref> The church required frequent repair in the 1650s and was so ruinous in about 1675 that services were held elsewhere for several years. Worshippers moved to a wooden tabernacle in 1726 and the steeple fell in 1729, destroying the church, before its rebuilding.<ref name=dbolton/>  In the 12th century Ealing was amid a [[Great Middlesex Forest|fields- and villages-punctuated forest]] covering most of the [[Middlesex|county from the southwest to the north]] of the [[City of London]].

The earliest surviving English census is that for Ealing in January 1599. This list was a tally of all 85 households in Ealing village giving the names of the inhabitants, together with their ages, relationships and occupations. It survives in manuscript form at [[The National Archives (United Kingdom)|The National Archives]] (''piece E 163/24/35''), and was transcribed and printed by K J Allison for Ealing Historical Society in 1961.

Settlements were scattered throughout the parish. Many of them were along what is now called [[St. Mary]]'s Road, near to the church in the centre of the parish. There were also houses at Little Ealing, Ealing Dean, Haven Green, Drayton Green and Castlebar Hill.

The parish of Ealing was far from wholly divided among manors, such as those of Ealing, [[Gunnersbury]] and [[Pitshanger Village|Pitshanger]]. These when used for crops were mostly wheat, but also [[barley]] and [[rye]], with considerable pasture for cows, draught animals, sheep and recorded poultry keeping.  There were five free tenements on Ealing manor in 1423: Absdons in the north, Baldswells at Drayton, Abyndons and Denys at Ealing village, and Sergeaunts at Old Brentford. It is likely that there had once been 32 [[copyhold]] tenements, including at least 19 virgates of 20 rateable acres and 9 half virgates. When created the copyhold land amounted to not more than {{convert|540|acre|km2}}, a total increased before 1423 by land at Castlebar Hill.<ref name=econhist>Diane K Bolton, Patricia E C Croot and M A Hicks, 'Ealing and Brentford: Economic history', in ''A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 7'', ed. T F T Baker and C R Elrington (London, 1982), pp. 131-144. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/middx/vol7/pp131-144</ref>

Ealing had an orchard in 1540 and others in 1577&ndash;8 and 1584.<ref name=econhist/> Numbers increased, as were orchards often taken out of open fields, by 1616 in Crowchmans field, in 1680&ndash;1 in Popes field, and in 1738 in Little North field.<ref name=econhist/> Some lay as far north as the centre of the parish. River Long field and adjoining closes at West Ealing contained 1,008 fruit trees in 1767, including 850 apple trees, 63 plum, and 63 cherry.<ref name=econhist/>

Ealing demesne in 1318 had a windmill, which was rebuilt in 1363&ndash;4. This was destroyed in or before 1409 and may have been repaired by 1431, when it was again broken.<ref name=econhist/>

[[Great Ealing School]] was founded in 1698 by the Church of St Mary's. This became the "finest private school in England" and had many famous pupils in the 19th century such as [[William S. Gilbert]], composer and impresario, and [[Cardinal Newman]] &ndash; since 2019 recognised as a saint. As the zone became built-up, the school declined and closed in April 1908.<ref name=ae>{{cite journal
 |last=Oates 
 |first=Jonathan 
 |title=The days when this grand school truly was 'great' 
 |journal=Around Ealing 
 |page=27 
 |publisher=Ealing Council 
 |location=UK 
 |date=May 2008 
|url=http://www.ealing.gov.uk/ealing3/export/sites/ealingweb/services/nonlgcl/around_ealing/previous_editions/_around_ealing_archive_docs/2008/around_ealing_may08.pdf 
 |access-date=4 June 2008 |url-status=dead 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080910135903/http://www.ealing.gov.uk/ealing3/export/sites/ealingweb/services/nonlgcl/around_ealing/previous_editions/_around_ealing_archive_docs/2008/around_ealing_may08.pdf 
 |archive-date=10 September 2008  
}}</ref>
The earliest maps of just the parish of Ealing survive from the 18th century; John Speed and others having made maps of [[Middlesex]], more than two centuries before.

At Ealing a fair was held on the green in 1822, when William Cobbett chronicled he was diverted by crowds of Cockneys headed there. The fair, of unknown origin, was held from 24 to 26 June until suppressed in 1880.<ref name=econhist/>

The manor included Old Brentford and its extensive Thames fisheries, and in 1423 tenants of Ealing manor rented three fisheries in the Thames.<ref name=econhist/> In 1257 the king ordered the Bishop whoever it may be from time to time (sede vacante) to provide 8,000-10,000 lampreys and other fish for owning the manor, impliedly per year, which shows the extent of the local catch.<ref name=econhist/>