he founded. The town has increased in population from about 5,000 in 1811 to 20,000 at the present time. The industries of the place are large and varied. The manufacture of axles, girders, wheels, iron and brass tubes for locomotive and marine boilers constitutes a great business. The works of Messrs. Lloyd, Foster, and Co., alone employ about 3,000 workpeople and pay fortnightly about £5,000 in wages. Moral and mental education has kept pace with this material progress pretty evenly, a large force of schools being kept in constant and increasing activity, and other means employed for the general enlightenment of the community.
Wednesfield is another locality bearing the name of Woden. Its ancient history attaches itself to one event principally—a bloody and decisive battle between one of the Saxon Edwards and the Danes, in which the latter were totally defeated, with the loss of two of their small kings and several of their nobles. A good portion of the land of the parish or manor was included in the gift of good Wulfruna to Wolverhampton Monastery; and the early inhabitants had some trouble with squatters and claimants; one of whom, by name Goodrich, "held possession of half an acre of alders valued at 8d. per annum." The population has quadrupled in the last forty years, and progressed
