idea that neither borough was part of the region (although the Bugle now includes content on all four boroughs). The towns of Dudley and Tipton are today generally considered to be the centre.

Bilston-born Samuel Griffiths, in his 1876 Griffiths Guide to the Iron Trade of Great Britain, stated: "The Black Country commences at Wolverhampton, extends a distance of sixteen miles to Stourbridge, eight miles to West Bromwich, penetrating the northern districts through Willenhall