DUDLEY. 135

many years ago that the "wise man of Dudley" died, and I am not sure that he hasn't left a successor. Even householders in a respectable position deem it unlucky if a female is the first person to enter their premises on a New Year's morning, and great numbers of boys find their account in swarming the streets on that morning, and receiving coppers for their services in entering houses. The colliers, in the event of a fatal accident to one of their number, all in the same pit immediately cease from working until the body is buried. A certain sum is also spent in drink, and is called "dead money." Mr. J. Vernal tells us there is a tradition here that many years ago a giant lived in Dudley Castle, as did also one in the Castle of Birmingham. The Birmingham giant had done suit and service to the Dudley giant for many years, but growing fat he began to kick, and refused to serve the Dudley giant longer. A furious dispute thereupon broke out; the Dudley giant in his rage threw a large stone all the way from Dudley at the Birmingham giant, demolished his castle, and killed him. Some of hiŁ surviving ^Blowers erected a stone in the lane as a memento of prowess and rage, and called it the war stone, whence the name Warstone Lane. When the Lord of Dudley Castle began the dispute which ended in the ruin of the Lord of Birmingham, the latter had a large and deep hole made in the castle yard, in which were buried the treasures and muniments of his house, with a full charge to his familiar spirit—every great man in those days .had one —to watch over them until better days came and justice were done to him. Some years ago, as a gentleman was digging a well in his garden, he came unexpectedly upon a strong box. He began to dig round it, and had got it slung in ropes for the purpose of hauling it up, when an ugly dwarf jumped upon it (no one seeing where he came from or went to), exclaiming, 'That's mine!" Immediately all the earth fell in the hole he had made. He tried many times to get the box, but every time the same thing occurred, so he gave up the attempt in despair. My grandmother (says Mr. Vernal) has often told