The oldest part of Gornal?

Click to enlarge Gornal folk have pretty long memories, and can tell some pretty tall tales. But we have to draw the line if some wag tells us they know who used to live here! Within the boundaries of Coopers Bank Farm (itself a grade II listed building dating back to the late 17th Century) lies a Scheduled Ancient Monument - the footings and remains of a medieval settlement, perhaps six or seven hundred years old. In those days the Dudley area was comprised mainly of hunting parks, the biggest of which was Pensnett Chase. This was a forest acquired by Roger de Somery in 1230. The de Somerys were Lords of the Manor and owners of Dudley Castle prior to the Suttons and Wards. Situated between Kingswinford and Dudley, the Chase was almost exclusively used for private hunting; the peasants had certain common rights to gather wood and kill prey for food, but the Lords of the Manor ensured that any tenant holdings on the park were kept to a minimum. An exception was the Chief Ranger's lodge at Mousehall Farm, which was not demolished until the 1950's. The building restrictions on Pensnett Chase, as well as smaller parks such as Sedgley Park, Old Park (Wren's Nest) and New Park, meant that hamlets and villages grew up on their boundaries. Almost all signs of these communities were eliminated during the Industrial Revolution and later, which is why the Cooper's Bank site is of such importance. The remains are on a slope south of the farm, north of what was the old mineral railway. There are foundations for at least two buildings, together with enclosures. To the east is a 'pale' (bank and ditch arrangement) that would have been created around 1250 to keep deer from wandering outside the New Park. The demise of Pensnett Chase as a resource that could be used by the communities on its boundary for food and wood is a familiar one. The 'Pensnett Enclosure Act' of 1784 removed all common rights. The Earl of Dudley gained more than 2200 acres of valuable land in Gornal and elsewhere through this expedient.

Would you like to contribute an article about Gornal history and/or traditions? Do you have a comment on this piece? Please email us at admin@yampy.co.uk Information taken from English Heritage Reports and Papers 46 2001 by Richard Bond and Emily Cole, presented to Coopers Bank Farm. Please ask before using it.