Northwich was the most northern of the -wich towns in Cheshire. The existence of Northwich in the early medieval period is shown by its record in the Domesday Book: The manor of Northwich belonged to the Earls of Chester until 1237 when the family line died out. Subsequently, Northwich became a royal manor and was given to a noble family to collect tolls in exchange for a set rent. That salt production continued throughout the centuries and can be seen through John Leland's description of the town in 1540: Between 1642 and 1643, during the English Civil War, Northwich was fortified
Nantwich Bridge military use being exempt. The bridge appears to have survived the fire of 1583, which started nearby and destroyed much of the town to the east of the river. In 1622, William Webb writes: In 1652, Wich Bridge was described as lying on "y greatest & most frequented Road within this County", and it was designated a county bridge on 27 April 1652. This meant that the county was responsible for its maintenance, but also that Nantwich had to pay towards the maintenance of the other county bridges, a charge from which the town had previously been exempt. By 1663,