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II.
THE Delves Green Common, comprising an area of some twenty acres is an outlying portion of the parish of Wednesbury, to the north-east of the Old Church, from which it is distant about two miles. Its very name the "Delves" - "delve" is a Saxon word, meaning to dig - points to the fact that the ancient commoners of Wednesbury possessed the right of Turbary (digging turf) on this land. This right is still claimed and has been exercised within the memory of several still living *(* There are not wanting records of the manner in which great landlords have absorbed into huge estates the common lands of the country, thereby extinguishing the rights of people in the soil.) Bearing upon this privilege it may be here mentioned that, by an exceptional custom of the Manor of Wednesbury ; the copy-holders have always claimed to get minerals ; to substantiate this claim, proceedings were taken in Chancery in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, the parties to the suit being William Comberford, Esquire, Lord of the Manor, and several of his tenants. An ancient square pit, known as a "Daneshaft," was some time back discovered on the Delves. Of the rights of Piscary (fishing) and Estovers (fuel) little can be said for obvious reasons. The right of pasture, however, is still enjoyed, but to a limited, and an exclusive extent. The term "exclusive" is used here advisedly, for of late years it has been sought on the part the farmers and cottagers immediately resident on the Green, to exclude all the other parishoners of Wednesbury from the exercise of their undoubted rights in this direction. Now it may be laid down as a common-sense axiom that every parishoner, whatsoever, has equal and inalienable rights in any common lands situated within the boundaries of his parish ; but it is not difficult to understand how the extreme and almost detached position of this piece of land has favoured an attempt at monopoly by the jealous and priveleged few who reside in its immedaite vicinity. This selfish claim, too, was considerably strengthened when the late Mr.Elwell arranged for the Grand Junction Railway to pass through, so as to cut off the Common more effectually ; this happened some forty years ago and, no doubt, the best of intentions animated this gentleman, who owned the intervening land, and who probably overlooked the inconvenience of thus severing the parish into two parts, in anticipating the great and prosperous development of trade which the introduction of railway communication was likely to foster. It is presumable that the existing road must have been legally closed by an order of Quarter Sessions ; but the fact still remains that at the present time there is no horse-road from the town to the Common without going by a circuitous route of some three miles through adjoining parishes ; while the very foot-way which does exist is obstructed by two dangerous level railway crossings.
That a cart-road from Wood Green to the Delves did exist some half century ago, is unquestionable. This road, it would seem, ran parallel with, and closely contiguous to, the brook, which at that time was not embanked as it now is, but had low shelving shores ; and the road was in fact part of the bed of the stream, which was then fordable along its entire course towards the Common. The brick bridge since built did not then exist.* (*Since this was written in 1882 the old parish bridge has been removed and the course of the stream quite diverted, by the Walsall Sewage Works.) At that time too, the stream ran from the Forge-gates over what is now a garden ; the course was afterwards altered to its present situation. It will be readily conceived that such a road, as has been described, was not by any means a good one ; and of course there was little or no traffic in that direction to call for its frequent use. Still, such as it was, it was there ; and if only the dry part of a watercourse, it made the common-land accessible to the parishoners. A good wide road from St. Paul's Church to the Common would not only be a priceless boon as a promenade ; but, recreation aside, it would be of incalcuable service to business men travelling to and from London. Since the opening of the L. & N.W. new route to London, by which all the fast trains stop at Bescot Junction, which is now almost within three hours of the metropolis, that station is unquestionably, so far as the North-Western system is concerned, Wednesbury Station. But alas, roadless as we now are, a cab or any other vehicle has to set down passengers a good half-mile from Bescot platform ; for this now important station is actually without an approach ; the reason of this we have already seen.
The last building erected upon the common was the Chapel of Ease, built in 1850, at a cost of £315, and providing accommodation for 100 of the estimated population of 160. The connection of this Chapel with the Old Church was severed in 1874, when it was attached to St. Paul's Parish. About 60 years ago an attempted enclosure is reported to have been successfully resisted. Last year (1881) the secretary of the Commons Preservation Society, replying to certain representations made by a Mr. Welsh with respect to the proposed enclosure of Little Wyrley and Brownhills Common, and the intention to take in part of Delves Green for railway purposes, writes : - "We have been in communication with the promoters of the railway bill, and in consequence they have agreed not to take any portion of Delves Green or Little Wyrley Common, and to restrict themselves to three acres of Pelsall Common. Under these circumstances we have withdrawn our opposition to the second reading of the bill. I hope your friends will strongly oppose the enclosure scheme." This Bill for the proposed Cannock and Birmingham Railway, was, however, defeated ; but so far as it affected Wednesbury interests, the town had an uncompromising champion in Mr. Joseph Smith, the Clerk to the Board of Health.
Of late years Englishmen have gradually awakened to the necessity of providing Public Parks, Gardens, Recreation Grounds, Drives and Promenades in the centre, or on the outskirts, of our large towns ; and at the present moment it is as an open space for the benefit of the half-stifled denizens of such a smokey town as ours that the Delves Green Common is now engaging attention. Dudley has its Castle grounds, Walsall has its Arboretum, and West Bromwich has its newly acquired Dartmouth Park ; but, as yet, Wednesbury has no lungs, no breathing-place. Most towns with any claim to antiquity have their Lammas-lands for the recreation of the people ; in such a capacity the Delves has served Wednesbury in years gone by ; at one time it was a well-observed custom for the children of the Parish Schools to march with flags flying up to the Delves Green on a summer's afternoon, there to disport themselves under the care of their teachers, and to taste the sweets of air and space. This is the most useful of all purposes to which the land in question might still be put. With a view to the health and enjoyment of the community, it is expedient that the bulk of the Commons of England should be preserved as open spaces ; for the nearer men live to each other, the shorter their lives are. To consummate this in our case, the Delves has only to be made accessible to the town by a good and direct road. Should there be any difficulty in carrying out such a scheme of reclamation we should stimulate ourselves with the remembrance that we are not dealing with our own rights as individuals, but with the rights of our posterity. This is a matter which should affect both the Local Board as a representative authority, and the parishoners themselves directly. Let that vague body, the Public, be reminded that when they do co-operate they are generally all-powerful ; for by compact well-directed action, representing the wishes of numbers interpreted by the knowledge of few, they can make themselves heard and respected in any just cause. With reference to our governing body, which will no doubt do its duty to the town, it may be mentioned that all Urban Sanitary Authorities, throughout the country, are now clothed with powers for the protection of common-lands ; and what is wanted of our Local Board is the prompt exercise of its undoubted jurisdiction over this land, with a view to its proper regulation as an open space, and the re-opening of the old road to it in order to bring it well within our reach.
The Common, after centuries of neglect, is naturally in a very wild and very desolate-looking condition. That it might be laid out tastefully, at a little expense, is undeniable. In the lane which approaches it from Tame Bridge, and on towards Fulbrook, there is as pretty a bit of hedgerow scenery as will be seen in any part of England. In a murky parish, as the town side of Wednesbury is, it is something to be proud of. [During the Plantagenet period there was a prominent Staffordshire family of the name of Delves : they had no connection with this parish - their seat was at Apedale, in the north of the county. For the purpose of collecting the hearth-tax in 1660, "The Delves" is separately named as a distinct district in the Wednesbury collection.]
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