There are in England certein welles where salt is made, whereof Leland
hath written abundantlie in his c[=o]mentaries of Britaine, and whose
words onlie I will set downe in English as he wrote them, bicause he
seemeth to haue had diligent consideration of the same, without adding
anie thing of mine owne to him, except it be where necessitie dooth
inforce me for the méere aid of the reader, in the vnderstanding of
his mind. Directing therefore his iournie from Worcester in his
peregrination and laborious trauell ouer England, he saith thus: From
Worcester I road to the Wich by inclosed soile, hauing meetlie good
corne ground, sufficient wood and good pasture, about a six miles off,
Wich standeth somewhat in a vallie or low ground, betwixt two small
hils on the left ripe (for so he calleth the banke of euerie brooke
through out all his English treatises) of a pretie riuer which not far
beneath the Wich is called Salope brooke. The beautie of the towne in
maner standeth in one stréet, yet be there manie lanes in the towne
besides. There is also a meane church in the maine stréet, and once in
the wéeke an indifferent round market. The towne of it selfe is
somewhat foule and durtie when anie raine falleth by reason of much
cariage through the stréets, which are verie ill paued or rather not
paued at all. The great aduancement also hereof is by making of salt.
And though the commoditie thereof be singular great, yet the burgesses
be poore generallie, bicause gentlemen haue for the most part gotten
the great gaine of it into their hands, whilest the poore burgesses
[Sidenote: A common plague in all things of anie great commoditie,
for one beateth the bush but another catcheth the birds,
as we may sée in bat-fowling.]
yeeld vnto all the labour. There are at this present time thrée
hundred salters, and thrée salt springs in the towne of Wich, whereof
the principall is within a butshoot of the right ripe (or banke) of
the riuer that there commeth downe: and this spring is double so
profitable in yéelding of salt liquor, as both the other. Some saie
(or rather fable) that this salt spring did faile in the time of
Richard de la Wich bishop of Chichester, and that afterwards by his
intercession it was restored to the profit of the old course (such is
the superstition of the people) in remembrance whereof, or
peraduenture for the zeale which the Wich men and salters did beare
vnto Richard de la Wich their countriman, they vsed of late times on
his daie (which commeth once in the yeare) to hang this salt spring or
well about with tapistrie, and to haue sundrie games, drinkings, and
foolish reuels at it. But to procéed. There be a great number of salt
cotes about this well, wherein the salt water is sodden in leads, and
brought to the perfection of pure white salt. The other two salt
springs be on the left side of the riuer a pretie waie lower than the
first, and (as I found) at the verie end of the towne. At these also
be diuerse fornaces to make salt, but the profit and plentie of these
two are nothing comparable to the gaine that riseth by the greatest. I
asked of a salter how manie fornaces they had at all the three
springs, and he numbred them to eightéene score, that is, thrée
hundred and sixtie, saieng how euerie one of them paied yearelie six
shillings and eight pence to the king. The truth is that of old they
had liberties giuen vnto them for three hundred fornaces or more, and
therevpon they giue a fee farme (or _Vectigal_) of one hundred pounds
yearelie. Certes the pension is as it was, but the number of fornaces
is now increased to foure hundred. There was of late search made for
another salt spring there abouts, by the meanes of one Newport a
gentleman dwelling at the Wich, and the place where it was appéereth,
as dooth also the wood and timber which was set about it, to kéepe vp
the earth from falling into the same. But this pit was not since
occupied, whether it were for lacke of plentie of the salt spring, or
for letting or hindering of the profit of the other three. Me thinke
that if wood and sale of salt would serue, they might dig and find
more salt springs about the Wich than thrée, but there is somewhat
[Sidenote: Priuileges doo somtimes harme.]
else in the wind. For I heard that of late yeares a salt spring was
found in an other quarter of Worcestershire, but it grew to be without
anie vse, sith the Wich men haue such a priuilege, that they alone in
those quarters shall haue the making of salt. The pits be so set about
with gutters, that the salt water is easilie turned to euerie mans
house, and at Nantwich verie manie troughs go ouer the riuer for the
commoditie of such as dwell on the other side of the same. They séeth
also their salt water in fornaces of lead, and lade out the salt some
in cases of wicker, through which the water draineth, and the salt
remaineth. There be also two or thrée but verie little salt springs at
Dertwitch, in a low bottome, where salt is sometime made.
Of late also a mile from Cumbremere abbaie a peece of an hill did
sinke, and in the same pit rose a spring of salt water, where the
abbat began to make salt; but the men of the citie compounded with the
abbat & couent that there should be none made there, whereby the pit
was suffered to go to losse. And although it yéelded salt water still
of it selfe, yet it was spoiled at the last and filled vp with filth.
The Wich men vse the c[=o]moditie of their salt springs in drawing and
decocting the water of them onlie by six moneths in the yeare, that
is, from Midsummer to Christmas, as (I gesse) to mainteine the price
of salt, or for sauing of wood, which I thinke to be their principall
reason. For making of salt is a great and notable destruction of wood,
and shall be greater hereafter, except some prouision be made for the
better increase of firing. The lacke of wood also is alreadie
perceiued in places néere the Wich, for whereas they vsed to buie and
take their wood neere vnto their occupiengs, those woonted springs are
now decaied, and they be inforced to seeke their wood so far as
Worcester towne, and all the parts about Brenisgraue, Alchirch, and
Alcester. I asked a salter how much wood he supposed yearelie to be
spent at these fornaces? and he answered that by estimation there was
consumed about six thousand load, and it was round pole wood for the
most, which is easie to be cleft, and handsomelie riuen in péeces. The
people that are about the fornaces are verie ill coloured, and the
iust rate of euerie fornace is to make foure loads of salt yearelie,
and to euerie load goeth fiue or six quarters as they make their
accounts. If the fornace men make more in one fornace than foure
loads, it is (as it is said) imploied to their owne auaile. And thus
much hath Leland left in memorie of our white salt, who in an other
booke, not now in my hands, hath touched the making also of baie salt
in some part of our countrie. But sith that booke is deliuered againe
to the owner, the tractation of baie salt can not be framed in anie
order, bicause my memorie will not serue to shew the true maner and
the place. It shall suffice therfore to haue giuen such notice of it,
to the end the reader may know that aswell the baie as white are
wrought and made in England, and more white also vpon the west coast
toward Scotland, in Essex and else where, out of the salt water
betwéene Wire and Cokermouth, which commonlie is of like price with
our wheat. Finallie, hauing thus intermedled our artificiall salt with
our minerals, let vs giue ouer, and go in hand with such mettals as
are growing here in England.