the metropolitan borough of sandwell was formed on 1 april 1974 as an amalgamation of the county boroughs of warley (ceremonially within worcestershire) and west bromwich (ceremonially within staffordshire), under the local government act 1972. warley had been formed in 1966 by a merger of the county borough of smethwick with the municipal boroughs of rowley regis and oldbury; at the same time, west bromwich had absorbed the boroughs of tipton and wednesbury.