where does the name black country come from
Black Country The 14-mile (23Â km) road between Wolverhampton and Birmingham was described as "one continuous town" in 1785.[4] The first trace of "The Black Country" as an expression dates from the 1840s.[5] The name is believed to come from the soot from the heavy industries that covered the area, although the 30-foot-thick (10 metre) coal seam close to the surface is another possible origin.