The History of Nantwich Market

By Connie Bullock

In the year 1500, according to the Harleian Manuscript in the British Museum, the Lords of Nantwich obtained permission to hold a Saturday Market in Nantwich.

In 1538 Sir Thomas Foulshurst, a son of one of the lords, laid down the rules and regulations for the tolls and stallage of all the merchandise sold in the town on market day. Thus every Saturday Nantwich became an open market town with stall-holders selling their wares from open stalls in various parts of the town in positions given to them by the town officers.

The only sign of anything that could be remotely called a market hall appear to be that of Booth Hall which was an inferior structure or booth, probably of canvass or wood. It was from here that the travelling drapers - called foreigners by the townsfolk - were ordered to sell their wares.

Market Day saw the goose-girl driving her geese and milk-maids with pails hanging from wooden yokes carried on their shoulders. Farmers' wives came to sell eggs, and vagrants and quacks joined the travellers, people and animals jostling together in the busy town.

According to the late Mr. E. Lane of Nantwich, the butchers sold their meat on open stalls in front of the former shop of Stretch and Harlock. Any unwanted offal was taken down the nearby lane and thrown into the River Weaver, so that, for a period, the name Castle Street became known as Pudding Lane.

Fish was sold on boards with tubs underneath for the resultant garbage. In summer there was dust and flies, and in winter, mud.

Potters and ironmongers were a little further away in Pillory Street with the onion sellers, and at the far end stalls were piled high with parsnips, turnips and garlic.

Market Day was a social gathering where local news was discussed and savoured. In the High Town stood the Cage used for wrong-doers and for proclamations beginning "Oyez! oyez!" This was near to where the present Rumbelow's T.V. shop now stands.

In 1720 the Prince of Wales (afterwards GEORGE II) gave £600 for the building of a Market Hall with a Sessions Room above. This was situated in the High Town.

A figure of the Prince, carved in stone, stood on the south side of the building. It looked very grand but did not stand the test of time, for seventeen years later the Sessions-cum-Market Hall fell down.

The disaster happened on a market day in May 1737 at 6 o'clock in the evening. Most of the people had gone home and luckily casualties were not as heavy as they might have been had it happened earlier in the day, although "many were terribly bruised and hurt." Nine people died, one of them an old woman dressed in rags whose name was Mary Icklin. ("on Saturday 14^th May 1737 about six in the evening the Sessions and Market House at Namptwich fell down, by which nine persons were killed." - Gentleman's Magazine 1737 p314)

There was much talk afterwards, for folk had said that the hall would soon tumble down. They looked at the rubble that was left and at the broken effigy carved in stone of the Prince that a few hours before had adorned the building. With a fondness most touching they carried the upper part of the statue and placed it in the garden of Burford Hall on a rockery among the greenery beneath the yew trees, where it became known as the King of Burland. The Parish Registers for Nantwich, Wrenbury and Wybunbury for 1737 record the following burials:

Nantwich
May 15^th Mary Icklin, a Pauper, killed by the Market house falling in this town the 14th, buried the 15th. May 16^th Patient, Daughter of Jane Smith, kill'd at the same time and place. May 16^th Catherine, Wife of Thos. ffletcher, Taylor, kill'd at the same time and place. And Sarah Hewitt, Wid.

Wrenbury
Elizabeth, wife of John Tomson of Wrenbury Parish was interr'd 15^th May 1737. N.B. She was kill'd by ye fall of ye Market house in Nantwich with eight others.

Wybunbury
May 16^th James Burscoe, of Stapely, Yeoman, Kill'd by the fall of the Market House at Namptwich where many more lost their lives.

The burial entries above account for six persons. The other three, no doubt coming from surrounding villages, would have been buried there.

Back in the High Street opposite Castle Street, the people of Nantwich rebuilt the Market Hall with the Sessions Room above it. All went well until 22 years later in 1759 when the Sessions were being held in the upper room. There was the sound of a loud crash and everyone rushed to descend the stairs. Many were hurt in their efforts to reach safety. ("while the justisces were holding their Sessions a sudden crash so greatly alarmed the court that in the hurry and confusion of getting down, many people, expecting the whole fabric to fall every moment, were much hurt." - Patridge's History of Nantwich pp 82/3 )

From then on the Sessions were held at Knutsford and the upper room was taken down in 1760. The lower part was used as a market place for the sale of eggs, poultry and butter. The lower building opposite Castle Street was altered and was rather pleasing to the eye. In his "History of Nantwich," Hall describes it as follows:" Its roof was supported by brickwork and semi-circular arches rested on nine granite columns, the only ornament being a plume of feathers - the badge of the Prince of Wales - on the cornice above the central pillar on the south side." And so it remained for over a hundred years.

In 1868 a new Market Hall was built at a cost of £2,000 on land given by John Tollemache Esq. M.P. This was opened on 30^th July. The old Market Hall in High Town was shortly afterwards demolished and a new thoroughfare called Market Street was constructed.

You may ask "What is the sense in keeping the present Market Hall?" Well I have always found that people in the main like markets the way they are. Other Cheshire towns still cling to their markets as something different from the sophisticated market centres, which in time become commonplace and a haunt of vandals. Nantwich needs to keep its down-to-earth Market Hall of the old style.