Ashwood is a small area of

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation ''Staffs''.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It borders Cheshire to the north-west, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, ...

, England. It is situated in the

South Staffordshire South Staffordshire is a local government district in Staffordshire, England. Its council is based in Codsall. Other notable settlements include Brewood, Cheslyn Hay, Coven, Essington, Featherstone, Four Ashes, Great Wyrley, Huntington, ...

district, approximately two miles west of the

West Midlands conurbation The West Midlands conurbation is the large conurbation in the West Midlands region of England. The area consists of two cities and numerous towns: to the east, the city of Birmingham, along with adjacent towns of Solihull and Sutton Coldfield; a ...

and the

Metropolitan Borough of Dudley The Metropolitan Borough of Dudley is a metropolitan borough of West Midlands, England. It was created in 1974 following the Local Government Act 1972, through a merger of the existing Dudley County Borough with the municipal boroughs of Stou ...

. Population details for the 2011 census can be found under

Kinver Kinver is a large village in the District of South Staffordshire in Staffordshire, England. It is in the far south-west of the county, at the end of the narrow finger of land surrounded by the counties of Shropshire, Worcestershire and the ...

. There are a small number of predominantly older scattered houses in it, as well as a

marina A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : "related to the sea") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats. A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo ...

off the

Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal The Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal is a navigable narrow canal in Staffordshire and Worcestershire in the The Midlands, England, Midlands of England. It is long, linking the River Severn at Stourport in Worcestershire with the Trent a ...

. There is no nucleated village. More built-up nearby areas include

Kingswinford Kingswinford is a town of the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley in the English West Midlands (county), West Midlands, situated west-southwest of central Dudley. In 2011 the area had a population of 25,191, down from 25,808 at the 2001 Census. T ...

Stourbridge Stourbridge () is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Situated on the River Stour, Worcestershire, River Stour, the town lies around west of Birmingham, at the southwester ...

and

Wolverhampton Wolverhampton ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands of England. Located around 12 miles (20 km) north of Birmingham, it forms the northwestern part of the West Midlands conurbation, with the towns of ...

. The nearest public amenities are approximately one mile away in

Wall Heath Wall Heath is a suburban village in the Dudley Metropolitan Borough in the West Midlands of England. It is located on the A449 road, approximately 1.5 miles northwest of Kingswinford (of which it is considered a suburb), 5 miles west of Dudle ...

village.

History

Ashwood was formerly an area of medieval woodland and later heathland, bounded by the

Smestow Brook The Smestow Brook, sometimes called the River Smestow, is a small river that plays an important part in the drainage of Wolverhampton, South Staffordshire, and parts of Dudley in the United Kingdom, and has contributed to the industrial develop ...

, the River Stour, and cultivated lands in Kingswinford. It was one of the medieval hays (enclosures) of

Kinver Forest Kinver Forest was a Royal Forest, mainly in Staffordshire. Extent References to "forest" in Domesday Book suggest that the forest was of similar extent in 1086 and in the 14th century. Its precise extent in the intervening period can only be ded ...

. It was managed by a bailiff, who had a small farm at

Prestwood Prestwood is a village in Buckinghamshire, England. It is located in the Chiltern Hills, about half a mile west of its post town, Great Missenden. History Early history and creation of parish The village name is Anglo-Saxon in origin, and me ...

by the service of keeping the hay. The hay stretched north to

and east into what is now part of the built up area of Kingswinford and Wordsley.

Domesday Book Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

records it as the manor of Haswic, which was waste on account of the forest. Previously there had been a village in a manor belonging to the priests of

. This may in turn have succeeded a

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

settlement, occupying the site of

Greensforge Greensforge is a scattered hamlet on the boundary of Kinver and Swindon parishes, in South Staffordshire, England. It is noted for its Roman associations and its industrial heritage. Etymology The hamlet takes its name from a finery forge esta ...

Roman fort ''Castra'' () is a Latin term used during the Roman Republic and Roman Empire for a military 'camp', and ''castrum'' () for a 'fort'. Either could refer to a building or plot of land, used as a fortified military base.. Included is a discuss ...

. The heath was inclosed mainly as three open fields in the 1680s, on the basis of long leases granted to the commoners, and again by Act of Parliament (Parliamentary inclosure) when the leases expired in the 1780s. The whole of Ashwood was then part of Kingswinford parish, but the rural part of it was transferred to Kinver parish in the 1930s, when the rest of Kingswinford was transferred to Brierley Hill Urban District. The marina occupies the site of Flatheridge pool. It was made as a canal basin, where coal brought down a

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

from

Pensnett Pensnett is a village of the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, West Midlands County, England, south-west of Dudley. Pensnett has been a part of Dudley since 1966, when the Brierley Hill Urban District, of which it was a part, was absorbed into ...

could be loaded into canal barges.

References

External links

{{authority control Villages in Staffordshire