NANTWICH, a market town and urban district in the Crewe parliamentary division, Cheshire, England, 16r m. N.W. of Lon don, on the L.M.S. and G.W. railways. Pop. (1931) 7,132. It lies on the river Weaver, in the upper part of its flat, open valley. The church of St. Mary and St. Nicholas is a cruciform building in red sandstone, of the Decorated and Perpendicular periods, with a central octagonal tower. The fine old carved stalls are said to have belonged to Vale Royal abbey, near Winsford. Nantwich retains a few old timbered houses (16th and 17th centuries), but the town as a whole is modern in appearance. The grammar school was founded in 1611. The salt industry was so important here in the time of Henry VIII. that there were three hundred salt-works. Though this industry has lapsed here, there are now brine baths, and the former mansion of Shrewbridge Hall is con verted into a hotel with a spa. Nantwich has tanneries, a manu facture of boots and shoes, and clothing factories; and corn milling and iron-founding are carried on.
Remains found in the district indicate a Roman settlement here, probably because of the salt. The Domesday Survey con tains a long account of the laws, customs and values of the salt works. The salt-houses were divided between the king, the earl of Chester and certain resident freemen. The name of the town appears variously as Wych Manbank, Wie Malban, Nantwich, Lache Mauban, Wysmanban, Wiens Malbanus, Namptewiche. About the year 1070 William Malbedeng was created baron of Nantwich, but the barony became subdivided later. The only town charter was granted by Queen Elizabeth (1568). There was a gild merchant and also a town bailiff. but the latter office was soon dropped. There is documentary evidence of a castle at Nantwich in the 13th century.