PROBATE VALUATIONS IN NORTHWICH

The History of Northwich

For much of its early history, Northwich was called ‘Condate’; which is referenced in the Antonte Itinerary produced in the 3^rd century and the Ravenna Cosmography in the 7^th century, both of which are Roman documents.

Northwich is located in a very strategic position; close to the salt brines and on an essential river crossing. It’s because of its position that it’s believed the Romans viewed Northwich with great interest. There is evidence of the Romans constructing a fort in AD 70, which is one of many in the area.

Salt continued to be an important product of Northwich in the following years, with the ‘wich’ element of Northwich’s name believed to have been in reference to the making of salt. The town was noted to produce salt in the 1086 Domesday Book, where it was valued at £8.

The Earls of Chester owned Northwich Manor until 1237, when it passed to a noble family, and eventually to the Earls of Derby, who would hold the manor until the end of the 18^th century. The production of salt was referenced in 1540, and discovered again in the 1670’s, around 30 years after the town was fortified during the Civil War.

 By 1732, salt was being transported out of Northwich by boat, with later history showing the construction of many salt works on the banks of the Trent and Mersey Canal. During the Victorian era and through to the mid-20^th century, Northwich saw considerable geographical expansion. The railway was constructed during the 19^th-century, and the town broke into the chemical industry, with salt as the main material component in the production of soda ash.

Whilst long-since abandoned, the salt mines in Northwich are still a large part of the town’s history and have recently undergone stabilisation to prevent problems with subsidence.