The name HalesOwen -
where does it come from?
Some would have it that the name is derived from the character
of the early inhabitants - "Hell's Own". But this is not what the
historians tell us.
Domesday Book (1086) refers to the Manor as "Halas". The entry
states, "In Clent Hundred, Earl Roger holds of the King one Manor
called Halas; it contains ten hides. There is a demesne, four
carucates and thirty six villans and eighteen bordars, four radmen
and a Church with two priests; among them are forty one ploughs
and a half; there are eight bondmen and two bondwomen. Of this
land Roger the Huntsman holds of the Earl one hide and a half; he
has there one carucate, six villans, and four borders with five
ploughs; it is yearly worth 25s."
It was a valuable holding. Opinion varies in respect of the
name Halas. Some claim it means "in an hollow", others believe it
came from an Anglo Saxon word meaning "in the meadows". There is
less controversy regarding the suffix "Owen" which was added in
the twelfth century when the Manor was held by David ap Owen,
Prince of Wales. Legend has it that the suffix was added to avoid
confusion with Hales in Gloucestershire.
Therefore the progression appears to have been "Halas, Hales,
Hales Owen". The line of that progression forms the title of an
excellent history of HalesOwen written by F & K M Somers. The
"F" is for Frank Somers an industrialist and philanthropist from
that great family who gave so much to the Town and its people.
We in the Township Council chose a compromise form of the
Town's name by joining the two parts. But other groups in
HalesOwen, notably "Hales Owen History Society", "Hales Owen
Heritage" and the "Hales Owen Abbey Trust" prefer the more
traditional form.
HalesOwen Abbey - 300 years of
power
Those who look at HalesOwen today would find it difficult to
believe that an Abbey ruled the Town for over 300 years. All that
remains of that once powerful monastic influence lies crumbling
amongst the farm buildings of Manor Farm. Today the farm buildings
themselves are falling into disrepair - such are the ravages of
time. As Phil Drabble said in his book "Black Country", published
in 1952, "Humdrum farm buildings have lancet windows".
The Nailers
How easy it is to say last century when in reality we mainly
consider the nailers of the nineteenth century.
Nail making in HalesOwen is a story of exploitation and hard
work that is now difficult to perceive. Many cottages and houses
had nail shops in the back yard. It was common for the whole
family to be employed in nail making. The work was hard and the
pay was modest but it has to be said that without nail making many
families would have been in even greater difficulties.
The villains were the "foggers" who provided the nailers with
the iron rod and then marketed the finished products. With control
of materials and sales they had the families at their beck and
call. Frequently they swindled the nailers by providing them in
short measure and by weighing the nails on "doctored" scales. As
often as not payment was in kind and the goods were from the
foggers at inflated prices.
Work often involved eighteen-hour days. The nail trade declined
towards the end of the nineteenth century due to mechanisation and
cheap Belgian imports. However, nail making, although in decline,
continued in HalesOwen up until recent times. The closure of
Charles Holmes factory in Grammar School Lane in the 1990's
finally drove home the last nail in the coffin of the HalesOwen
nail trade.
The Canal Builders
The Dudley Number 2 Canal came to HalesOwen in 1797 via the 557
yard Gorsty Hill Tunnel. The development of the canal had met with
stiff opposition from the competition who resented this "by-pass"
that would be a another link between the Birmingham Canals and the
Birmingham and Worcester Canal. It would "rob" them of toll
income.
Nevertheless, the Dudley Number 2 canal was eventually
completed in 1798, supported by Parliament. In so doing it
"ruined" Shenstone's "Leasowes" and resulted in the fourth longest
canal tunnel in Britain at 3,795 yards. The Lapal Tunnel, as it is
known, was narrow and low and the narrow boats had to be legged
through it. Canal builders are ever inventive and a system was
devised to create a head of water to aid propulsion of the boats
through the Tunnel.
Local legend has it that the boat horses were so used to having
to make the journey overland to the other end of the Tunnel, that
they did this unescorted and made their way through a series of
gates at field boundaries known as "clap-gates". The latter
indicated how the worked. Legend goes on that this route
eventually became known as Clapgate Lane. That is the name by
which this busy road is known today, although it is no longer
gated and rattling to the sound of horses hooves.
By today's standard the damage to the Leasowes went by
relatively peacefully. This was in spite of the garden's
international fame. Ironically the massive and unique canal
embankment, which once was considered to have spoilt the Leasowes,
has in modern times been its salvation. It provides visual and
development protection. Remember that there were times in the past
when the Leasowes was not so highly regarded. In the first
instance we have to thank HalesOwen Borough Council for having the
foresight to buy the park in the 1930's. Again they did the right
thing in the 1950's by buying a section of the Lapal Canal.
There are those who oppose the restoration of the Lapal Canal -
we are not amongst them. It may be an ambitious dream to reconnect
the canal to the network but in the meantime let us enjoy the
lengths that can be made to hold water again. At the very least
they will be good for wildlife and angling. Who knows - in the not
too distant future we may be able to "leg it" for a few hundred
yards into the Lapal Tunnel. Visit the Lapal
Canal Trust's Web Site.
Before Cars
It is not so long ago that our roads were free of the cars. We
all enjoy the freedom that the car gives us but let us not forget
a time when the environment was so much better without them or at
least without so many of them.
