The Black Country is a region of the British Isles encompassing the South Staffordshire coal field. Roughly ten by twelve miles it is bounded by the settlements of Wolverhampton, Walsall, West Bromwich, Smethwick, Halesowen and Stourbridge. The town of Dudley is seen as the capital of the area. The name ‘Black Country’ may have originated in the Middle Ages from where the coal seams came to the surface discolouring the heath land. Roughly speaking it is bordered to the north by Staffordshire, east by Warwickshire, south by Worcestershire and west by Salop (Shropshire).

Seen as the cradle of the Industrial Revolution, the discovery of iron smelting with coke, the formation of the industries of glassmaking, leather work and brewing either created the Black Country’s name or reinforced the original one. The people who live in the area are called “Yam Yams”, have their own culture and the oldest surviving dialect of English. They are not to be confused with their friendly rivals – the “Brummies” from next door Brummagem (Birmingham).

There were no existing symbols for the Black Country before the tartan became registered becoming the first official one. It did share a development and inspiration with the proposals for a flag and heraldic emblem that Philip Tibbetts put forward in 2008. Black was the obvious main colour to any design. There is a famous quote from Elihu Burritt, the American Consul to Brummagem in 1862, that the Black Country was “Black by day and red by night” owing to the industry which subesquently adds the use of red.

Yellow is taken from the ancient flag of the Kingdom of Mercia, which existed in the area before England, that was a yellow saltire on blue. As such the use of this colour in the tartan represents the ancient links to the past that the area has. Finally the bold white strip comes from the the glowing metal working as well as giving the design a little balance in terms of light and shade.

All these elements combine to create a truly beautiful design. The dark black means that whatever the material is fashioned into it is always appropriate and elegantly understated. Yet the use of the bold highlights ensures that the design is never dull creating an impression of great style and timeless appeal.