Dudley was first recorded about the time of the Domesday Book (1083-1086), although an important manor existed there before the Norman Conquest. The first mention of the town spells it Dudelei, followed in the 13th century by Duddelie and Duddleye. The Anglo Saxon surname of Dudds was quite a common one and whilst we may never know who this particular Dudda was, he must have lived nearby and Dudley would appear to have been his lea-land, pasture or open land.

For the purposes of this book, we have "blurred the edges" of the map a little to include photographic gems just outside the tight confines of the earlier Dudley, and maybe Halesowen and Stourbridge will yet feature in our future books of "Memories".