History of Northwich was the Stanley's, later Earls of Derby and stayed in the family’s hands until the late 18th century. That salt production continued throughout the centuries can be seen through John Leland's description of the town in 1540: Although Leland described Northwich as a market town, there is no surviving charter for a market or fair. A market still exists today. Between 1642 and 1643, during the English Civil War, Northwich was fortified and garrisoned by Sir William Bereton for the Parliamentarians. The salt beds beneath Northwich were re-discovered in the 1670s by employees of the local Smith-Barry family. The Smith-Barrys
Nantwich Town F.C. was opened in 2007 before the start of the 2007–08 season; previously the club had played at Jackson Avenue. Although bad weather set back the opening of the ground, with Nantwich having to play the majority of their pre-season games away from home, the first match at the Weaver Stadium took place on 7 August 2007 with League One side Port Vale the visitors for a friendly that ended 6–3 to the League side. Port Vale's Ross Davidson scored the first goal at the ground after just 3 minutes with Glyn Blackhurst becoming the first Nantwich Town player to find