Pelsall

Celtic Britain was divided up into tribal kingdoms.The area where Pelsall is today was under the dominion of the Cornovii ( pronounced cor-no-vee-eye ) the name is thought to mean "people of the horn" or "people of the horned one" which may be a reference to the fact that they worshipped the Celtic Horned God Cernunnos (pronounced Ker-noo-nohs).

The Wrekin
Cornovii territory extended throughout Staffordshire, Shropshire & into Cheshire, the capital being a massive hillfort on top of the Wrekin.
The Cornovii capital at the Wrekin was destroyed by the Roman Fourteenth Legion, named Germanicus, it contained mainly German mercenaries.

Wroxeter
Just a few miles away from The Wrekin, the Romans built a large town at present day Wroxeter, which extended down to the River Severn. The town was called Viroconium Cornoviorum meaning "The Town of Viroco of the Cornovii" (Viroco had been the Chieftain of the Cornovii) it was the fourth largest Roman Town in Britain.

Today the ruins of the great Roman Baths can still be seen at Wroxeter and the site is well worth a visit.
The famous Castle Ring at Cannock Wood was also a Cornovii hillfort.The fourteenth Legion was later to be housed at Wall near Lichfield.

The Recorded History of Pelsall
The earliest written evidence dates the village of Pelsall back to Anglo Saxon times, (to at least 994 A.D) being part of the great Anglican Kingdom of Mercia. The capital of the kingdom of Mercia was at Tamworth and it produced many kings, perhaps the most famous being King Offa ( 757 - 796 ). There's a burial mound at Weeford between Tamworth & Lichfield which is claimed by many to be the resting place of King Offa, however other sources say that he was buried at Bedford.
Pelsall was Originally called Peolshalh which is old english and can be translated as any of the following 'riverside meadowland, 'hidden/secret nook of land', 'remote place' or 'valley', 'slightly raised ground isolated by marsh ground'. The word 'halh' appears to have an alternative meaning as it can also be translated as 'Hall' so Peolshalh could be translated Peol's Hall, although any of the previous variations could apply to the site of the original settlement. Two of the ancient boundaries of Peolshalh where the two streams The Clock and Fordbrook, both can still be seen today.
Whether Peol was the name of a tribal leader or whether the word had some other meaning is unknown. When the settlement first began, again is unsure.

Location of the Earliest Settlement
The settlement appears to have been in the vincinity of where Pelsall Hall is today, at the top of Mouse Hill, across towards the Clockmill Estate and back to Paradise Lane with the very earliest settlement probably being on the high point of the wooded copse opposite (where the coal mine used to be), which would have been clear of trees at that time. This would have provided a high vantage point from which to view the valley below and any approaching danger or threat. It would also have provided an ideal defensive position.
Even as late as the 1841 census the land surrounding Pelsall Hall is refered to as 'The Town' or actual village, later being called 'Old Town' after the development of the present village location, hence the origin of Old Town Lane, (the lane leading to the Old Town or original village).

An Earlier British Settlement?
It is of interest that the nearby town of Walsall derives its name from the Saxon words wealas ( meaning strangers) and halh (meaning nook of land or small valley). Wealas was the Saxon term for the native peoples they displaced (the Romano / Celtic Britons), the word Wealas is where the name Wales originates from (Walsall was still named Waleshale in Norman times) and this indicates that the area was occupied mainly by native Britons prior to Anglo-Saxon times. The name Walsall therefore can be translated as the Nook of Land of the Foreigners or Strangers (the Britons being foreign or strange to the conquering Angles & Saxons).This information shows that the general area around Pelsall was well occupied before and during The Roman period and therefore indicates the distinct possibility that a british settlement existed at Pelsall prior to the Anglo Saxon one.

Lady Wulfrun
The Wulfrun Charter of 994 records the village as Peoles-hale, the land had been given by King Aethelred the second, to Lady Wulfrun, a Mercian Noblewoman (after whom the city of Wolverhampton is named) in 985 A.D. In 994 she donated land including Peoles-hale to a newly founded monastry at Wolverhampton. She is believed to have been the great granddaughter of Alfred the Great (of burnt cakes fame).