St Paul's era 939–1546 The first record of West Drayton is from 939 when
Æthelstan, King of the English, gave the Manor of West Drayton to the Dean and Chapter of Cathedral church of
St Pauls, recorded in the
Cartularium Saxonicum. In the 1086
Domesday Book, West Drayton was assessed at ten hides with land suitable for six ploughs. The Parish had 17 landowners which indicated a population of less than 100. In 1461 a separate smaller manor, Drayton and Colham Garden Manor was first recorded, lying between Swan road and Colham Mill road. Both manors shared St Martin's Parish Church. Until 1525 West Drayton Manor was managed on behalf of the Dean and Chapter of St Paul's by an appointment known as a
Firmarius who was responsible for the day-to-day running of the estate. Henry died in January 1547. Paget was made a peer of the realm as Lord Paget of Beaudesert by
Edward VI in 1549. The failed conspiracy's plan was for an invasion of England by French forces under the command of
Henry, Duke of Guise, financed by
Philip II of Spain. English Catholics would then rise up and depose Elizabeth, placing Catholic
Mary, Queen of Scots on the English throne. After his flight to France Elizabeth issued a
proclamation commanding Thomas Paget to return to England. In June 1584 a formal demand for the surrender of Paget was made to
Henry III, King of France through the English ambassador, which was not carried out. In 1584 or 1585 Philip II made the decision for Spain to invade England and depose Queen Elizabeth. The ground invasion would be led by
Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma with the majority of troops coming from the
Spanish Netherlands. Parma commanded the
Army of Flanders which was engaged in fighting England's Protestant Dutch allies. Paget travelled to Spain and was given a pension of 180 crowns per month by Philip II. The endeavour of July–August 1588 to stop England's rise as a maritime power and to force the English and Welsh back to Roman Catholicism failed when the
Spanish Armada required to support Parma's passage from the Spanish Netherlands to England was scattered after engagements with the English Navy off the coast of
Calais and
Gravelines. Thomas Paget would die in Brussels in 1590. It is believed William Paget received possession of West Drayton Manor in 1610. Paget had his estates
sequestered by Parliament and was fined £500 for supporting the King. He was joint chairman at the congress of Karlowitz which resulted in the
Treaty of Karlowitz of 26 January 1699 which brought peace between the
Holy League and the
Ottoman Empire after the 15 year
Great Turkish War. In 1714 William's son, Henry Paget the 7th Lord Paget,(1663–1743), was created
1st Earl of Uxbridge by
George I. Paget was a member of the
Privy Council and the town of
Uxbridge, Massachusetts is named in his honour. He died at West Drayton on 30 August 1743 and was buried at Hillingdon Church. Henry Paget was succeeded by his grandson,
Henry Paget, 2nd Earl of Uxbridge (1719–1769). In 1755 Dawley House was acquired and the West Drayton Manor house was demolished around this time. Henry Paget died childless on 16 November 1769 and was buried in the vault of St Martin's Church. The title of 9th Baron Paget was given to
Henry Bayly, whose name was changed to Henry Paget by Royal License in 1770. He was created 1st Earl of Uxbridge (Second creation) in May 1784. On 21 October 1786 Henry Bayly-Paget sold the Manor of West Drayton to Fysh Burgh (Born Fysh Coppinger) of Lincoln's Inn, for £12,000 ending the Paget family's relationship with West Drayton. As the West Drayton manor house had been demolished around 1755 he took the seventeenth century mansion, Drayton Hall as his family home. Hubert entertained Napoleon III at Drayton Hall in 1872. He was buried in the De Burgh family vault in St Martin's Church on 10 October 1872. The Uxbridge Yeomanry Cavalry which he had commanded, escorted his coffin from Drayton Hall to the church where the 24th Uxbridge Rifles fired a salute. She was buried in the vault of St Martin's church on 8 February 1939 ending the 152 year De Burgh family connection with West Drayton.
St Martin's Church West Drayton's parish church, dedicated to
Martin of Tours, was first mentioned in the 12th century. However, no trace of the original church remains. The present church was first built in the 13th century, of which the base of the tower, the piscina and the north chancel wall are incorporated in the present building, which dates from the 15th century. The church was heavily restored and reordered in 1974, when the altar was resited at the west end. The baptismal font is a splendid example of mid-15th century work, and the parish chest is early 17th century. There are monumental brasses to Richard Roose (1406), Margaret Burnell (1529), her son John Burnell (1551) and Dr James Good (1581, a physician to
Mary, Queen of Scots). There is a small memorial tablet to
George Carey, 2nd Baron Hunsdon (1547–1603) who was Lord of West Drayton Manor between 1592 and 1603. Carey's father was Queen Elizabeth I's cousin. The memorial states how 'bountiful' he was to the poor of the Parish. In his will Hunsdon left the sum of 'one hundred marks for the benefit of the poor of West Drayton for ever.' This is one of the oldest West Drayton Parish charities and its small income is still distributed each New Year's Day. Today this is the site of Daisy Villas. The nearest official place of Catholic worship was St. Mary's chapel at North Hyde, requiring a walk of over four miles each way to attend Mass on a Sunday. By 1862 the Reverend Andrew Mooney, priest at the St. Mary's North Hyde Orphanage was using a cottage in Money Lane called the 'White House' as a school and was conducting services there. On 30 May 1867 West Drayton became a Catholic Mission with the Rev. Elkins becoming the resident priest. In July 1867 Rev. Elkins petitioned the
Archbishop of Westminster to support the building of a church and school. The building of a church and school was given the
special approbation of the Archbishop. By September 1867 Rev. Elkins health had failed and the West Drayton Mission was undertaken by Reverend Michael Wren. Through the autumn, winter and spring of 1867-8 Rev. Wren requested financial donations for the new church and school stating that West Drayton was the most destitute mission in England with upwards of 300 persons being compelled to remain in the open air during Catholic mass. On 19 December 1867 a house and land for the church and school was purchased at public auction for £855. On 29 September 1869 he opened the church, preaching its first sermon. Despite Rev. Wren's efforts in seeking donations, a loan was required to fund the building of the church and school. Both the opening and consecration of the church occurred on 29 September,
Michaelmas, the feast of St. Michael, Rev. Michael Wren's patron saint. It was fitted to accommodate 500 persons and was constructed by builders James and William Fassnidge of Uxbridge. The schoolroom was 40ft long and 20ft broad and accommodated 250 children and was in use until 1939. ==Local economy==