MIDDLEWICH is an ancient market town situated at the confluence of the rivers Wheelock, Croco and Dane. In the Domesday Book, it was called Mildestvich. It is one of the Wiches or Wyches joining Northwich and Nantwich from which salt has been drawn for centuries; in fact, it is between the two other Wiches, hence the name. The Romans were the first to discover the brine that flowed freely here and founded the town calling it Salinae after the salt. From the traces of a Roman road in the vicinity, there is little doubt that it was a Roman station, and the remains of an entrenchment camp were discovered at Kinderton.
A look now at the darker side of ancient Mid Cheshire, in this case, the beautiful village of Great Budworth, but this time the date is 1593, long ago. A young lady, living in the village in a house next to the ancient church of St Mary and All Saints, named Elizabeth Duncalfe. Her family had lived there for generations and were part of what was known as Cheshire society.
Great Budworth 1890
Great Budworth in 1890 As was the practice then, her father sought a suitor for her and decided upon a local man called John Caldwall whom he awarded a settlement fee of £10 a year (today £1,716), quite a large sum in those days.