Descriptive Gazetteer Entry for SMETHWICK

SMETHWICK, a parochial division and three chapelries in Harborne parish, Stafford. The division is suburban to Birmingham; lies on the Birmingham canal, and on the Birmingham and Stour Valley and the Birmingham and Stourbridge railways, 3 miles W of the centre of Birmingham; is governed by a local board of health; carries on extensive manufactures, of the same kinds as those in Birmingham; enjoys great facilities of communication, with use of the canaland of four railway stations; and has post-offices,‡ of the name of S. and West S. under Birmingham, a r. station with telegraph, of the name of S., on the Stour Valley railway, a r. station, of the name of S.-Junction, at the junction of the Stourbridge railway, a ''summit-bridge," 265 feet long and 68 feet high, over the new canaland railway, a literary institution, with library and news-room, four churches, numerous dissenting chapels, a Roman Catholic chapel, and several public schools. Real property in 1860, £47,132. Pop. in 1851, 8,379; in 1861, 13,379. Houses, 2,588.-The three chapelries are S.-Trinity, S.-St. Matthew, and West S. or S.-St. Paul; and were constituted in 1842, 1856, and 1860. Pop., 1,058,3,935, and 2,817. Houses, 188,762, and 548. The livings are p. curacies in the diocese of Lichfield. Values, £300,* £191, and £146.* Patrons, Trustees, the Incumbent of S.-Trinity, and Five Trustees.


(John Marius Wilson, Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (1870-72))

Linked entities:
Feature Description: "a parochial division and three chapelries"   (ADL Feature Type: "countries, 4th order divisions")
Administrative units: Harborne CP/AP       Staffordshire AncC
Place: Smethwick

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