Nantwich, Cheshire One Place Study
Location: Nantwich, Cheshire, England, United Kingdom
Surnames/tags: One_Place_Studies England Cheshire
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Nantwich, Cheshire One Place Study
Name
Nantwich Town was originally known as ‘Wich Malbanc’ and, in the 18th century ‘Namptwych’. The old Welsh name was ‘Hellath Wen’.
History
Nantwich Town is relatively small in comparison to other towns but has a wealth of history.
Salt production in this area can be traced back to the Romans, with a break in this production during the wars with the Welsh to resume again as those wars ended. There were around 300 salt works throughout the reign of Henry VIII but this trade in Nantwich was to decline by the mid 1800s.
There are more than 100 listed buildings in this town, one of the oldest buildings is The Black Lion Inn on Welsh Row dating back to 1664. This building together with others fortunately was not affected by the Great Fire of Nantwich in 1583. This fire was started on the night of Tuesday 10 December and the fire burned unabated for twenty days, causing great devastation to vast areas of the town. Queen Elizabeth I on learning of this great tragedy, which had left 900 people homeless ordered a nationwide collection for funds to rebuild Nantwich to which she herself contributed £1,000. A building in Nantwich Square is marked by a plaque to mark the Queen’s patronage and is still known today as the “Queen’s Aid House” and the town itself still contains many streets lined with the black and white houses that were rebuilt following the fire. [1]
Nantwich was also an important town during the English Civil War and was placed under siege, which was finally lifted on 25 January 1644 following a fierce battle between Royalist and Parliamentarian troops. Every year in Nantwich there is an annual re-enactment of the battle by “The Sealed Knot” which takes place on the nearest Saturday to 25 January. [2]
Throughout the history of Nantwich religion, as in any other parts of England has played a large part in the lives of the people and at the heart of Nantwich town lies the parish church of St Mary’s, this is a beautiful church and has often been described as the Cathedral of South Cheshire. The building itself dates back to the 14th century. Together with the established Church of England, Nantwich was also to witness other forms of Christian worship being represented. [3]
In 1721 Quaker families were residing in the town and a meeting house was erected in 1725. This building whilst no longer a meeting house is still there today and is now the “Player’s Theatre”. Also, in the same year the first Baptist chapel in Barker street was established. There was also a Presbyterian chapel in Hospital Street, which was built in 1726, later to become the Unitarian chapel until it was eventually demolished in 1970. Methodism was also to become well established in this town and there was a Wesleyan chapel built on Hospital Street in 1808, closing in 2009, together with a Primitive Methodist Chapel on Welsh Row that was built in 1840. This chapel closed in 2001 and is now partially residential accommodation. [4][5][6]
Learning and writing just a small amount of information in relation to Nantwich I am hoping will show to anyone who may be interested in my study what a rich and diverse history this small town in Cheshire holds.
The aim of this study is to share more information concerning both the rich architecture of the town that still survives to this day and also to discover and record more information about the lives of the people who worked and lived there.
Geography
- Continent: Europe
- Sovereign State: United Kingdom
- Country: England
- County: Cheshire
- GPS Coordinates: 53.067, -2.522
- Elevation: 43.0 m or 141.1 feet
Population
Sources
- ↑ https://nantwichmuseum.org.uk/permanent-exhibitions/the-great-fire/
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Sealed_Knot_(reenactment)&oldid=1110042955
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=St_Mary%27s_Church,_Nantwich&oldid=1085022478
- ↑ https://nantwichmuseum.org.uk/product/religion-in-18th-century-nantwich/
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wesleyan_Methodist_Church,_Nantwich&oldid=1027099818
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Primitive_Methodist_Chapel,_Nantwich&oldid=1027099827
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