Place Name
First written as Eldeholt in 1380 from the Old English words elde meaning old (which survives today in the word elder) and holt being the word for wood or thicket, the name persisted into the early 15thCentury written as Oldeholte. The reference to an oak came in 1650 as Old Oake Lande and in the same year as Common called Old Oake. However, the nearby settlement of Acton (literally Anglo-Saxon for oak town) suggests the northern part of the parish and much of Old Oak Common was heavily wooded during the Middle Ages. By 1590 it was said to contain 200 acres of oak and hawthorn scrub. By the 17thCentury much of the woodland had been cleared and the last great oaks on the commons were felled in the early 19thCentury. The area was used extensively for farming and by the 18thCentury an intense agricultural regime had been established. It became a centre for pig farming and was also a popular duelling ground and prize fight venue.
