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
Northwich Victoria F.C. break away from Northwich Victoria and form a new, community-owned team, initially playing in Winsford. On the day of the vote, it emerged that the owner of Northwich Victoria had been declared bankrupt and therefore failed the FA's Fit and Proper Persons test. The founders chose the name 1874 Northwich, retaining links to the past while creating a distinctive name for the future; in order to avoid legal issues over the new club's name, none of the proposed options presented to supporters included the words Vics or Victoria. In their first season, at level 10 of the English football league