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Walsall is located in west-central England on a ridge the industrial districts of Wolverhampton and Birmingham. The name of the town comes from “Walh halh,” which means “valley of the Welsh,” which refers to the Celtics who first inhabited the area. They were already living there when Anglo-Saxons invaded the area.

During the 13th century, Walsall had a weekly market and an annual fair. In 1339, it had a second annual fair. As the years passed, the village became a town, The town produced saddles, buckles and chains. There is a limestone quarry nearby which has employed numerous residents over the centuries.

The Manor of Walsall was owned by the Crown and was traditionally given to royal proteges as a reward. In 1525, it was given to Henry, Duke of Richmond, who was the illegitimate son of King Henry VIII. In 1541, courtier Sir John Dudley was given the manor. In 1553, he was convicted of treason, just as his father had been years prior, and Queen Mary, commonly known as Bloody Mary, seized the manor.

The railway arrived in 1847, and the towns first newspaper was published.

The town erected a cenotaph downtown on the place where a bomb was dropped by a German zeppelin on January 31, 1916. Three people, including the town’s mayoress were killed. During World War I, more than 2,000 men from Walsall were killed in battle. Those men are commemorated by the cenotaph.

After World War I ended, urban renewal began in the form of slum clearance, Thousands of buildings from the 19th century were razed. They were replaced over the next few decades with new buildings.

 

 

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