 The first brick settlements formed around 900, but it was not until 1305 that the first official mention of Hilversum ("Hilfersheem" from "Hilvertshem" meaning "houses between the hills") is found.At that point it was a part of Naarden, the oldest town in the Gooi area.Farming, raising sheep and some wool manufacturing were the means of life for the Gooi in the Middle Ages.