Dudley (Town of)

 town, district, town district

Dudley is a large town in the West Midlands (metropolitan county) of England, and the administrative centre of the wider Metropolitan Borough of Dudley. At the 2001 census (according to the Office of National Statistics), the Dudley Urban Sub-Area had a population of 194,919, making it the one of the largest settlements in England, the second largest town in the United Kingdom behind Reading, and the largest settlement in the UK without its own university.

Dudley is part of the West Midlands conurbation, and is located south of the city of Wolverhampton. It is the largest town in the Black Country region of England, and for many years the town (but not the castle, which was classed as part of Staffordshire) formed part of an exclave of the county of Worcestershire. Despite the more recent changes in county borders, the town still remains part of the Anglican Diocese of Worcester.An application for Dudley to receive city status was made in 2011, with the decision due in 2012.

Dudley has a history dating back to Anglo-Saxon times, its name deriving from the Old English 'Duddan Leah' (meaning Dudda's clearing) and one of its churches being named in honour of the Anglo-Saxon King and Saint, Edmund. Dudley Castle has stood on a hill overlooking the town since the time of the Norman Conquest, and is mentioned in the Domesday Book. The present castle building dates from the 13th century, and provided the centre around which the town grew. Dating from the 12th century are the ruins of St. James Priory, set within the Priory Park.

By the end of the 13th century Dudley had become a manorial borough and, from the 16th century until 1853, was governed by the Court Leet of the Lords of Dudley. After this time the Town Commissioners were superseded by the Board of Health, before the town was eventually incorporated into a municipal borough in 1865. It became a County Borough in 1888 under the Local Government Act, consisting of the wards of St. Thomas, the Castle, Netherton, St. Edmund, St. James, St. John and Woodside (see outline map above and attached polygon for approx. boundaries).In 1966, the county borough was expanded to include the urban district councils of Brierley Hill and Sedgley, along with parts of Coseley, Amblecote and Rowley Regis, while an area in the eastern section of Dudley was transferred into the new borough of Warley, which became part of Sandwell in 1974. In 1974 the County Borough of Dudley became part of the Dudley Metropolitan Borough, after a merger with the municipal boroughs of Stourbridge and Halesowen.

The old capital of the Black Country boasts several attractions, including Dudley Zoo absorbed into the castle ruins, the Black Country Museum with outdoor reconstructions of regional life and industry, and the Museum and Art Gallery housing fine paintings, furniture and ceramics in addition to a specialist fossil collection. Town centre nature reserve at Wren's Nest rock also worth visiting.

for further history :
www.dudley.gov.uk/leisure-and-culture/local-history--he...

for detailed on-line map of borough wards in Dudley as used in drawing attached polygon see :
online.dudley.gov.uk/about/tellmeaboutmy/gismo/gismo.as...