William Malbank, 3rd Baron of Wich Malbank William Malbank, 3rd Baron of Wich Malbank William Malbank (also William de Malbanc and William II de Malbank) ( 1125 – 1176) was a Norman landowner who was the third Baron of Wich Malbank, now known as Nantwich, in Cheshire. His grandfather of the same name was the first Baron. The son of Hugh Malbank, 2nd Baron, and his wife, Petronilla, he held substantial lands in and around the salt town of Nantwich, amounting to much of the Nantwich hundred. His father founded Combermere Abbey in Cheshire in around 1133, and William Malbank is known to have confirmed the foundation
Battle of Nantwich Battle of Nantwich The Battle of Nantwich was fought during the First English Civil War, between the Parliamentarians and Royalists, northwest of the town of Nantwich in Cheshire on 25 January 1644. The Royalists under Lord Byron were besieging Nantwich, and Sir Thomas Fairfax led an army to relieve the town. As Fairfax approached, a sudden thaw caused the River Weaver to rise in spate, dividing Byron's cavalry from his infantry and artillery, who were overrun and destroyed by Fairfax. The Parliamentarian victory halted a run of Royalist successes in the area, and was a major setback to King Charles