The Orseroad and a quip about the Black Country

[Peter Walker]

All my oldest relatives used to talk about the Orseroad, which I think was used until quite recently. In parts of the Black Country (Willenhall to be particular) it was the Ossroad, but they're supposed to be different, aren't they?
I would never knock the Black Country. They had a harder life than Brummies. They live hard and many are still superb tradesmen. Pity they move out to Telford or Redditch. But you can still see some wonderfully kept front gardens in the Black Country. Take the 558 bus from Dudley to Wolverhampton, andf you'll see some gems, as well as riding along the backbone of England.
Sorry this is off-topic.
Peter

 

[JohnO]

My Mum's family, from Tipton/Great Bridge, used to call it the ''Ossenrode' - mind you, her father was of Welsh extraction and her mother of 'Geordie' lines, so perhaps it was a 'family-based' patois?

 

[Mossy]

I used to work with a black country kid and he called it the ossway

Mossy

 

[JohnO]

I used to work with a black country kid and he called it the ossway

Mossy

Yes, that too, I'd forgotten that it could be either 'ossenrode' or 'ossenway' and it was 'ossencart' for 'oss and cart'....ie: the ossencart wend its way on the ossenway; or ony-rode-up, it wend its way on the ossenrode!

 

[Darby]

In Birmingham and the rest of the country for all I know it was also referred to as the horse road because at one time that's exactly what it was, a horse road.