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| In Domesday Book 36 manors are numbered in Worcestershire, and nearly as many in other Midland counties, which were entitled to obtain salt at Droitwich. These entries help to map out the salt routes of the area, along with local place names (ie they all led to Droitwich). Charter details (from around the 13th century on) also help to confirm these. Saxon Charters of the Midlands are known to have many references to 'salt-based' names, eg. sealstaet, saltera weg, & salteford. In Cheshire, the Domesday Book names only 7 manors with salt-rights, all near the 'wiches', even further, comparatively near Northwich ; (They included Halton and Frodsham on one side, Tatton on the other, and Claverton, near Chester) although it is known that there was an elaborate organisation of the salt industry even in 'the time of King Edward'. In fact, the wiches were owned jointly by King Edward and Earl Edwin, who shared the proceeds of the salt-tolls 2:1. Possibly because of this, the wiches were not known as manors, nor as connected to manors. Methods changed little over the years. The large estates and monasteries- some having 'salt-rights' (an exemption from paying salt-tolls at certain wiches), were more likely to obtain their supplies in bulk, annually, direct from the wich, while most people bought their salt from travelling salters who attended markets, fairs and other regular stopping points on the salt roads. In later years monastic 'owners' included the Abbeys of St. Werburgh, Chester ; Vale Royal ; and Combermere: with Birkenhead Priory and Stanlaw in the Wirral, "but the latter soon removed to Whalley in Lancashire." Also, Basingwerk, in Flintshire. Others lay to the south: in Shropshire (Lilleshall Abbey, Shrewsbury Abbey, Wenlock Priory) ; or in Staffordshire (Burton, Ranton, Dieulacres, St. Thomas - Stafford). In early times, when the saltways were in process of being named, monastic houses played little or no part. In Cheshire, salt was for sale 'to all-comers', although the 'stranger' from another hundred or another shire, paid a heavier toll than a native. (Although allegedly not so at Nantwich and Middlewich where a buyer from a distance (usually a 'bulk-buyer') was not so penalized). The regulation at Nantwich and Middlewich was that:- "Whoever carries away purchased salt in a cart from these two wiches paid four pence in toll if he had four oxen or more in his cart ; if two oxen he paid two pence." A man from another hundred "paid two pence" for a horse-load, "a man from the same hundred only a half-penny". If on foot, "twopence or a penny", respectively "for eight (man) loads". At Northwich there was a distinction : the shire. "Anyone who brought a cart with two or more oxen from another shire paid four pence in toll. A man from the same shire paid two pence for his cart within the third night after his return home." That is, having loaded up with salt on say, the Monday, he would have all day Tuesday to reach his Market, or othr destination; sell his ware, and then all day Wednesday to get home (selling off anything left over on the way), before he paid his two pence. "A man from another shire paid a penny for a horse-load", but a man from the same shire paid 'a minuta' "within the third night." A final regulation directly includes 'hawkers', although this could apply, equally, to 'other' salters : "If a man living in the same hundred carted salt about the said county to sell, he paid a penny for each cart as often as he loaded it. If he carried salt on a horse to sell he paid a penny at the Feast of St. Martins" (which feast marked the end of the 'season'). Anyone who did not pay by that date was fined 40s. This all happened in Saxon times, being then recorded in Domesday. Evidence of the already widespread traffic in salt from the wiches into neighbouring counties. Five centuries after the laying down of the Domesday Regulations, the household expenses of the Shuttleworths of Gawthorpe Hall give an indication of their (then current) interpretation 'In the earlier years, when Sir Richard Shuttleworth was resident at Smithills [near Bolton], his younger brother Thomas acted as his steward. At his order the yearly supply of salt was bought each summer at Northwich and brought home by one or more of the servants.' The salt was bought by the 'crannock' a size of uninterpreted magnitude, 'but costing 14s. to 16s.,' against 11s. to 12s. 'paid for a 'lode' or a 'quarter' of salt in later years.' The toll paid on two crannocks was fourpence. [The price of one Saxon cart with four oxen at Nantwich & Middlewich]. In June, 1586, 'twoe krenneckes and a halffe of salte at the North - Wyche ~~35s. spente in fetching the same and for that which was payed for towle~~~~~~3s. 4d. July, 1590 - towe crineokes of sallte~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~31s. toule in the wyche for the same sallte~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~4d. June, 1591 - thrie crynokes and a halfe of salte~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~54s. those that fechide the same at towe several tymes~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~5s. 6d. towle at the Wyche for the same~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~8d. It is not to be supposed that Northwich was the only source of salt for these households. (For example after the death of Thomas the Steward.) If more expedient, salt was also gotten from other sources eg Clitheroe (1602 - one mette of salte in Clitherew - 2s. 6d.) and Manchester (1611- Four lode of sault - at 11s. ) ; and once, when the same household had run out and was in need of urgent supply for salting the winter beef, cote-salt was bought: this would be salt from the Lancashire coast. The monastic houses and the large landowners were the only ones really to collect their supplies at the wyches annually or so. The ordinary Salters were the Real distributers, making regular journeys during 'the season', travelling the same roads inwards and out. Some of these Salters were 'carriers' and some were 'dealers' but most took and sold their salt in markets & fairs on a regular rotation, selling (or hawking) what was left on the way home. They travelled sometimes from a distance, over hills with no cart, but only a horse to be salt-laden. It is possible that they travelled with more than one horse, but it is more than likely that they travelled in company on the road. The period when most of the place-names in which 'salter' or 'salters' is the first part, began before the Norman Conquest, much earlier in effect, and, did not close until the coming of the canals and turnpike-roads. Even so: the oldest names are the most weighty, usually designating a natural feature upon, or the road itself eg. Salter/s-gate, = Salt-way (Midlands); Salterford, and the Norse 'Salterwath'. Most of the salt routes from the wyches in Cheshire go east to west towards Chester, and there, the salt came to be measured 'for the purposes of toll by the crannock and the bushel' The North-wich line strikes that of Watling Street - Kelsall - Tarvin : it crosses Salters Brook by Salters Bridge. "The road from Middlewich that joins [this] from Kelsall, after passing through Over, makes a turn at the hamlet of Salterswall. There is also an early reference to a Saltereswey that appears to apply to the road as it went through Over towards Salterswall. From Nantwich the Chester road reaches Tarvin by way of Tarporley, and Salterswell House stands immediately beyond Tarporley. The roadside well from which it derives its name is still there though filled up. This is part of the old Holyhead road." Of the salt roads going eastwards: From Northwich to Broken Cross & King Street is probably the first step, then a path to a point south of Lostock Green. Then go east by Bradshaw Bridge, Barnshaw Hall, and Withington Green, to Siddington - where this probable salt road joins the one from Middlewich : eventually it reaches Macclesfield. It is possible that 1 'crynoke' = half a cart-load although the size of the cart is unkown. |
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| Notes on: The collection and distribution of salt via the saltways |
| For a closer look at the above map, click here. This is a Large map, therefore will take a little while to download. Note the number of Salt related place names and 'ways', eg. Salter's Gate, part of the old highway from Rochdale to Burnley & Salter's Brook. Many of these routes are now incorporated into or cross Public Rights of Way and can be found included in the many books of 'Walks' for Ramblers. |
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