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Only
recently have the tanning and shoemaking
industries declined. In 1850, shoemaking
maintained one third of the adult population; in
1932 the last boot and shoe factory closed, in
1958 the last pair of bespoke shoes were made in
the town and the last tannery closed down in
1974. Glove making had finished in 1863.
Until the re-routing of the London to
Holyhead road in the 1830's and the establishment of
Crewe as a railway centre in the 1840's, Nantwich was on
the main land route to Wales and Ireland via Chester. In
the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, a castle dominated
the river crossing, and during the Welsh Wars of Edward
1, which ended in 1284, many grants for the upkeep of
roads and bridge were awarded to the town. Richard 11,
Edward 1 and James 1 are among the royalty known to have
visited the town.
At least
eight important inns and a postal service were in
business by the 1580's and by 1792 there were 34 inns and
public houses, 12 malt kilns and malt houses, 127 stables
and 5 smithies. This was the golden age of the coaching
era, and we hear of the "London Post" and
"Royal Chester" which plied their way between
London and Chester. There are still a remarkable number
of public houses which provide enjoyment for many people.
In 1548
the population was recorded as 1800, quite a large size
for a market town of that time. The principle streets of
the town had assumed their present layout by at least the
fourteenth century and the simple radial street plan,
focusing on the central market place and church, gave to
the medieval merchants the advantages of house frontages
along the approach roads. Until the vast improvement in
communications of the 20th century, farming was an
important aspect of the town economy; from the streets,
lanes extended into the arable fields which lay
immediately around the settle area and livestock was
pastured on Beam Heath. Early this century, it was said
that the streets were so filled with sheep, cattle and
pigs that women and children scarcely ventured out of
doors. since 1870's Nantwich has really expanded out of
its old limits. The population of the town doubled in
the eighteenth century and by 1881 it numbered 7496. From
1975, the population expanded from 8783 to 11666.
The
history of this town has often been a troubled and
eventful one. The area was one of the last to hold out
against the Norman invaders when William the Conqueror
cane here and devastated the town in 1070 at the end of
his ruthless campaign against the northern rebels.
In
December 1583 a great fire, fanned by strong westerly
winds, broke out while some people were brewing ale in a
house to the east of the river bridge. It devastated High
Street and burned down most of the town east of the
river; fire fighting was made difficult by the presence
of four savage bears which had been let out of the Bear
Inn. Nantwich, however, was blessed by its importance to
the Elizabethan Government as a supplier of food and
accommodation for the army and so it was the subject of a
national relief collection; it also received a gift of
1000 pounds from the Queen, and was speedily rebuilt
along the lines of the old streets.
In the
Civil Wars Nantwich was occupied by Parliamentary forces
who thereby intended to prevent the passage of Royalist
troops from Ireland into England. Surrounded with
trenches, earthen walls and ramparts at the street ends
the townsfolk successfully held out against a Royalist
siege and on the 25th January 1644 General Fairfax
inflicted a crushing defeat upon the Royalists, killing
300 and capturing 1500 who were promptly imprisoned in
the church. From then on, Parliament had the upper hand
in the Cheshire war.
After the
Black Death of 1349, the dreaded plague and other
diseases came to Nantwich. In 1604 over 400 people died
of plague here, and it was not until after a serious
outbreak of cholera in 1850, when trade stopped and grass
grew in the streets, that a once smelly and
disease-ridden town was finally cleaned up. Famines,
especially those of 1586, 1596 & 1597, also carried
away many poor folk.
Having
said all of that, Nantwich is a great place to live!
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