156 A TOPOGRAPHICAL 



iron, particularly locks, gun-locks, and nails. In 1811, the num- 

 ber of inhabitants was 7485; viz. 3773 males, and 3712 females. 

 A large .street in this parish, called Hill-Top, contains several 

 good houses : and near it is a villa belonging to Mr. Elwall,| and 

 a good inn on the Dudley road, called the Swan inn. 



Dr. Plott mentions an excellent sand for the manufacture of 

 glass, found near Westbromwich. The learned Doctor, whose pro- 

 pensity to the marvellous is remarkable, gives an account of 

 Walter Parsons, who was born at Westbromwich, and was a man of 

 gigantic stature and extraordinary strength. In his youth he was 

 bound apprentice to a smith, and was so tall that they were obliged 

 to dig a hole in the ground for him to stand in up to his knees when 

 he struck at the anvil. He afterwards was employed as porter to 

 James the First, and was courageous in proportion to his strength, 

 but so good-natured that he scorned to take any advantage of it. 

 On being offended by a man of ordinary stature as he walked 

 London streets, he only took him up and hung him by the waist- 

 band of his breeches upon a hook for the amusement of the pas- 

 sengers. He would sometimes, by way of merriment, take up 

 two of the tallest yeomen of the guard, and carry them about 

 the guard-chamber in spite of their resistance. Such is the tale 

 of Dr. Plott. 



The valley of the Tame, which bounds this parish to the north-east, 

 is rich, fertile, and pleasant, and the surrounding country pic- 

 turesque. The prospect is agreeably varied with the villas and 

 pleasure-grounds of George Birch, Esq. at Hamstead, and of Sir 

 Joseph Scott, Bart, at Great-Barr. 



The Church of Westbromwich is an ancient building, surmounted 

 by a tower. 



Sandwell park and mansion, the seat of the Earl of Dartmouth, 

 is in this parish, and situated to the south and south-east of the 

 Church. It takes its name from Sancta Fons, or the Holy Well. 

 The present mansion is built on the site of a priory of Benedic- 

 tine monks, dedicated to St. Mary Magdalen. Some vestiges of 

 the original foundation are still visible to the observant eye, in the 

 rear of the house, and among the offices, where a stone coffin was 

 dug up a few years ago. At the time of the dissolution of monas- 

 teries, in the reign of Henry the Eighth, it was given to Cardinal 

 Wolsey. The estate afterwards came into the possession of the 

 present family of Legge. 



The present mansion is of brick stuccoed white, and forms a 



