You next pass through the
village of King's Heath, and about one mile before you reach King's
Norton, there is on the right a most noble, picturesque, and
variegated view over an extensive country, diversified with wood,
hill, and dale; the Worcester canal being in the valley. When you
arrive at the finger post, the eye is delighted with a grand view over
the country; the village and church being in front..
_King's Norton_
The land for a considerable distance round this village being the
property of the crown, as King's-heath, King's-wood, etc.; denote, King
Edward 6th founded a free grammar school on the north east side of the
church-yard, and endowed it with the sum of fifteen pounds per annum,
(the inhabitants at that time preferring money to land), for a master
and usher; which still remains the same to the present day. In the
time of King William 3d, when the land-tax was first established,
the inhabitants, to express their loyalty, gave an account of their
estates, at the full value, and on that account they have ever since
been rated in the same manner; this district paying four shillings in
the pound, at the same time that Birmingham did not pay four-pence.
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