The first mention of Walsall is in a will dated 1002; overall there are around fifty forms of the name including Walesho, meaning “abode of the woods”, and Wealhs halh, which may refer to an ancient chieftain. Due to this early discovery it is surprising to find no traceable reference to Walsall, in whatever guise, in the Domesday survey of 1086.
Industry in Walsall
Walsall cannot claim to be as historically important in the same way as Birmingham (the second city) but nonetheless it is a town that grew and prospered with the advent of the Industrial Revolution.
The census from 1801 records the population as 10,399. Today that figure stands at 266,100. Until the 1800s Walsall mined coal, ironstone and lime on a small scale, but with the burgeoning canal system and the railway this flourished, sadly at the expense of local countryside. The origins of the ancient word “Walesho” (abode of the woods) vanished beneath miles of waterways, railway track and, thirty years ago with the opening of the M6, tarmac.
Famous People
There are a number of famous names linked with Walsall’s past, some leaving a deeper impression than others. Billy Miekle (1858–1943), a credit draper by trade and a prolific chronicler of the town’s history, cites The Old Still in Digbeth (demolished in the 1960s) as the inn where Dr Samuel Johnson waited for coaches to Lichfield.
Queen Elizabeth I and Henrietta Maria, wife of Charles I, are each reputed to have visited Walsall. John Wesley, the eighteenth-century Methodist preacher, was nearly lynched close to the Old Court House in Lichfield Street by an angry mob who took exception to the tone of one of his sermons.
Outside the nearby library stands a monument to J. H. Carless VC, born in Walsall on 11th November 1896 and killed in action on 17th November 1917. Despite being mortally wounded, he continued serving his gun and assisting casualties. The inscription states that he “set an inspiring and memorable example”.
Jerome K. Jerome
Jerome K. Jerome was the Walsall-born author of over forty books, including Three Men in a Boat, later adapted into a film starring Lawrence Harvey and Ian Carmichael. He was born on 2nd May 1859 at Belsize House, Bradford Street, now the site of the museum celebrating his life.
Although his family left Walsall within a year of his birth, Jerome retained strong connections with the town. He was granted the Freedom of the Borough on 17th February 1927, the year of his death.
Sister Dora
(Dorothy Wyndlow Pattison, 1832–1878) Although born in Yorkshire, Sister Dora was adopted by the people of Walsall following her tireless compassion during a series of disasters.
At the Pelsall Colliery disaster she cared for the families of trapped miners. During the smallpox outbreak of 1875 she single-handedly tended the sick and dying. Later that year she oversaw care for victims of a furnace explosion at Jones & Son iron foundry.
Sister Dora died on Christmas Eve 1878. St Matthew’s Church dedicated a stained-glass window to her memory, and in 1886 a statue was unveiled on The Bridge, making her the first non-royal woman in Britain to receive such an honour.
Town Wharf
This modern development near Park Street incorporates The New Art Gallery, retail facilities and the Wharf 10 café-bar overlooking the canal.
Although many historic buildings were lost in the pursuit of progress, Walsall is now seeing a re-emergence as a town of enterprise, pride and renewal, embracing both its heritage and future.
Walsall is well placed as a West Midlands base, with Junction 10 of the M6 and the Black Country Route providing strong transport links. Major employers include Rentokil, Blakemore Food Service and Poundland’s European headquarters.
Walsall is home to Walsall F.C., known as the Saddlers, and was the birthplace of Noddy Holder of Slade. An extensive regeneration programme continues to modernise the town’s infrastructure.
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