DUDLEY, a parliamentary and municipal borough of England, in a detached portion of the county of Worcestershire surrounded by the county of Stafford. It lies in the centre of the “Black Country,” about eight miles W.N.W. of Birmingham, at a junction on the Great Western railway. The town is generally well-built, its streets are well-paved, and there is a fair supply of water. The principal buildings are the parish church of St Thomas, rebuilt in 1819 at a cost of .£23,000, and restored in 1862; several other churches, of which the most recent is St Luke’s, erected in 1876; the town-hall, the county court, the Guest hospital (formerly the blind asylum), endowed (1868) by Joseph Guest,.with a legacy of £20,000 (1861), the school of art, the new dispensary (1868), and the mechanics’ institute (1861). Among the educational establishments are a free grammar-school, a subscription library, and a geological society with a small scientific museum. On a hill to the north are the extensive remains of an ancient castle, surrounded by beautiful grounds; and in the market-place stands a fountain, erected by the earl of Dudley at a cost of £3000, on the occasion of his marriage. The presence of coal, iron-ore, and limestone gives its peculiar character to the industries of the place. According to the census of 1871, 5442 men were engaged in the iron manufacture, 1040 as makers of engines or machines, and 3501 in the coal-mines; while the nail manufacture alone gave employment to 1267 males and 3019 females. Among the various articles produced are fire-irons, stoves, shovels, edge tools, chains, anchors, and especially anvils and vices. The glass-works, brass foundries, and brickworks are also of importance; and tanning, brewing, and malting are extensively carried on. The ...