Winsford Town Council is the lowest tier of the local government of

Winsford Winsford is a town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, on the River Weaver south of Northwich and west of Middlewich. It grew around the salt mining industry ...

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county t ...

and the direct successor of the old Manor Court of the Mayors of "

Over Over may refer to: Places *Over, Cambridgeshire, England *Over, Cheshire, England *Over, South Gloucestershire, England * Over, Tewkesbury, near Gloucester, England ** Over Bridge *Over, Seevetal, Germany Music Albums * ''Over'' (album), by Pe ...

" dating back to around 1280. Although the title of Town Mayor has only been in existence since the Local Government reforms of 1974, the Mayor is still able to be called Mayor of "Over". The original Town Hall near the river was burnt down in 1946 and the Council met for many years in a former manufacturer's mansion at Over Hall (now The Loont). This was deemed impractical for modern council business and the Council now has an office in Wyvern House, offices for

Cheshire West and Chester Cheshire West and Chester is a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It was established on 1 April 2009 as part of the 2009 str ...

Council.

Regalia

In front of the mayor on civic occasions are two wardens each carrying a silver mace. The oldest dates from around 1660 and is made of silver around a wooden core. It was presented by the owner of

Vale Royal Abbey Vale Royal Abbey is a former medieval abbey and later country house in Whitegate England. The precise location and boundaries of the abbey are difficult to determine in today's landscape. The original building was founded c. 1270 by the Lord ...

mansion during this time, although it is unclear exactly by whom and when. It shows the arms of Cheshire and the arms of the Cholmondeley family below the crown. There is also a Tudor rose and a fleur-de-lys, emblems of England and France. There may have been an earlier mace, which was destroyed at the time of

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three Ki ...

, when maces were considered a sign of loyalty to

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

. It is still in the possession of Winsford Town Council. The second mace was given in 1910 by Sir John Brunner the local MP. The original mace was taken to Kenya by Lord Delamere who was responsible in the 19th century for opening Kenya to white settlers. It was his property and he approved each mayor by presenting the mace. In 1946 his son, who had settled in Kenya, returned the old mace to Winsford when he sold the remaining family land. The mayor wears the red robe and hat made by the London robe makers to Queen Victoria and the gold chain of Office that was presented in 1894 to the former Urban District of Winsford. For many years an additional link was added to record the names of each Chairman and then Mayor. However, it eventually became so heavy that it was difficult to wear and the silver links were detached and put on display in the Town Council Chamber, which is furnished with heavy committee tables given by Sir John Brunner.

Crest

The town's crest (it is not a

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...

) consists of three salt baskets dripping brine in honour of the salt industry, the lion on a castle from the arms of the Verdin family who were great benefactors to the area a century ago, the three wheatsheafs of

and the three lions of England with a crozier, the emblem of

. The

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

motto A motto (derived from the Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, or organisation. Mot ...

''Cassis Tutissima Virtus'' may be translated as "virtue is the safest defence". {{Town Councils in Cheshire Local precepting authorities in England Town Councils in Cheshire

Town Council A town council, city council or municipal council is a form of local government for small municipalities. Usage of the term varies under different jurisdictions. Republic of Ireland Town Councils in the Republic of Ireland were the second ti ...