Sedgley parish is a large and populous district, in the centre of the great mining district of Staffordshire, lying betwixt Wolverhampton, Bilston and Dudley, and extending to within two miles of each town. It contains 5170 acres of land, and has now about 27,000 inhabitants. It is in two divisions, called Upper and Lower Side, sub-divided into nine constablewicks or hamlets, viz - Sedgley, Gospel End, Cotwall End, and Upper & Lower Gornal, in the Upper Side, and Ettingshall, Brierley, Coseley, and Wood Setton, in the Lower Side.
Lord Ward is lord of the manor, but the Rev J.L. Petit has a large estate, and there are a considerable number of smaller freeholders and copyholders in this parish, which abounds with excellent coal, ironstone, limestone, freestone, and clay for bricks. The coal and iron works are mostly at Coseley and Ettingshall, near those of Bilston, and give employment to a vast number of workmen. Several hundred hands are also employed at their own homes in making nails and fire irons. The main coal here is 10 yards thick, and is well suited to the use of the furnaces, the forges, and the smithies.
Sedgley village is very extensive, and occupies an elevated situation on the high road, three miles S of Wolverhampton, and three miles NNW of Dudley. Between Sedgley and Wolverhampton is Sedgley Park, an ancient seat of the Dudleys, which has long been used as a Roman Catholic Academy. Ellows Hall, on the west side of the parish, belongs to JL Bickley, Esq, but is now unoccupied.
Brierley is a district of scattered houses, two miles NE of Sedgley. [Now called Bradley (pronounced Brade lee) Ian]
Broad Lane and Lady Moor are adjoining hamlets, two miles NNE of Sedgley, and within half a mile SW of Bilston.
Can Lane is a long street of houses, three quarters of a mile ENE of Sedgley.
Coseley is a populous but straggling village and district, two miles E of Sedgley.
Cotwall End is a district three quarters of a mile SW of Sedgley, occupied chiefly by nailors, and a few farmers.
Deepfield has a number of scattered houses in the coal and iron district, one mile SW of Bilston. Here is a tunnel of the Birmingham Canal, 1090 feet long, 25 feet broad, and 17 feet high from the surface of the water.
Ettingshall is a large mining village, about a mile SW of Bilston, with surrounding suburbs in Ettingshall Lane, Catchem's Corner, etc, extending into Bilston and Wolverhampton townships. The Rev J.L. Petit has a large estate here, which was anciently a park, but has long been disfigured by extensive coal and iron works, and quarries of limestone. A large number of houses, which were thrown down or rendered untenable in consequence of the mining excavations under them, were rebuilt a few years ago on the adjoining pit banks, and now compose Ettingshall New Village.
Goldthorn Hill is partly in Wolverhampton and Penn parishes, where new water works are constructing.
Lower Gornal is a village and ecclesiastical district (of Sedgley parish), of about 6000 souls, about two miles W by N of Dudley. The inhabitants are chiefly miners and nail makers. The district is one and a half miles long, and one and a quarter miles broad, and includes a large colliery, belonging to Lord Ward, and Ellows Hall, now unoccupied.
Upper Gornal is a rapidly improving village, about one and a half miles NW of Dudley, and near the lofty limestone hill which is crowned by the ruins of Dudley Castle. It gives name to an ecclesiastical district, comprising several adjacent hamlets, coal and iron works, freestone quarries, and brick yards.
Gospel End is a district half a mile W of Sedgley.
Gospel Oak is a scattered hamlet, partly in Tipton parish, two miles W of Wednesbury. Part of it is now called Wednesbury Oak, from the seat and extensive coal and iron works of Messrs P Williams and Sons.
Mason's Bank is a village in the Coseley division, two miles NW of Dudley.
Prince's End is a large village, partly in Tipton parish, two and a quarter miles N by E of Dudley. Here are extensive coal and iron works.
Ruiton is a village and district adjoining Upper Gornal, occupying a fine lofty eminence, which had formerly a beacon, in which the Malvern Hills (38 miles away), the Wrekin, and many of the mountains of Wales may be seen on a clear day.
Sodom is a hamlet adjoining Can Lane, one mile ENE of Sedgley.
Wood Setton, half a mile SE of Sedgley, is a scattered hamlet, occupied by farmers, fire-iron makers, etc.
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