March is a Fenland market town in the Isle of Ely area of Cambridgeshire, England. History Cambridgeshire is noted as the site of some of the earliest known Neolithic permanent settlement in the United Kingdom, along with sites at Fengate In Biology a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular Species; in Sociology The British national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Great Britain, different from using Latitude and Longitude The districts of England are a level of subnational division of England used for the purposes of local government Economy The Fenland economy has for years been built upon farming and food related industry Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties are one of the four levels of Subdivisions of England used for the purposes of Local government outside Greater London History Cambridgeshire is noted as the site of some of the earliest known Neolithic permanent settlement in the United Kingdom, along with sites at Fengate The region, also known as the government office region, is currently the highest tier of local government sub-national entity of England, with only one The East of England is one of the nine official Regions of England. Constituent country is a phrase used often by official institutions in contexts in which a country makes up a part of a larger entity or grouping England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland This list of sovereign states, alphabetically arranged gives an overview of States around the world with information on the extent of their Sovereignty. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located A post town is a required part of all postal addresses in the United Kingdom, and a basic unit of the postal delivery system UK Postal codes are known as postcodes. UK postcodes are Alphanumeric. The, also known as the Peterborough postcode area, is a group of postal districts covering a large area in eastern England, including Peterborough and The UK Telephone numbering plan, also known as the National Telephone Numbering Plan, is the system used for assigning Telephone numbers in the United There are a number of law enforcement agencies in the United Kingdom. Cambridgeshire Constabulary is the Home Office Police force in England responsible for policing the ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire The fire service in the United Kingdom operates under separate legislative and administrative arrangements in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service is the statutory fire and rescue service for the non-metropolitan county of Cambridgeshire and the The East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust is the authority responsible for providing NHS Ambulance services in Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, East of England is a Constituency of the European Parliament. A Gazetteer of place names in the United Kingdom showing each place's County, Unitary authority or council area and its geographical coordinates List of places --> List of cities in the United Kingdom List of towns in England Lists of places This is a list of cities, Towns and Villages in the County of Cambridgeshire, England. A geographic coordinate system enables every location on the Earth to be specified in three coordinates using mainly a spherical coordinate system. The Isle of Ely is a historic region around the city of Ely now in Cambridgeshire, England but previously a county in its own right History Cambridgeshire is noted as the site of some of the earliest known Neolithic permanent settlement in the United Kingdom, along with sites at Fengate
March was the county town of the Isle of Ely, a separate administrative county between 1889 and 1965, and is now the administrative centre of Fenland District Council. A county town is the 'capital' of a County in the United Kingdom or Republic of Ireland. Economy The Fenland economy has for years been built upon farming and food related industry
It was an important railway centre, with a major junction station on the Great Eastern and Great Northern railways, 88 miles from London by rail, 29 north from Cambridge, 14 north-west from Ely and 9 south from Wisbech. March railway station serves the town of March in Cambridgeshire, England. The Great Eastern Railway (GER was a pre-grouping British railway company whose main line linked London Liverpool The Great Northern Railway (GNR was a British railway company established by the London & York Railway Act of 1846 The city of Cambridge (ˈkeɪmbrɪdʒ is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England Ely (, rhyming with "freely" is a Cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, England. Wisbech ('wɪzbiʧ is a market town and inland port with a population of about 20000 in the Fenland area of Cambridgeshire.
The town is situated on the banks of the River Nene, which is navigable, and is used by pleasure boats. The River Nene is a River in the east of England that rises from three sources in the English County of Northamptonshire.
Like many Fenland towns, March was once an island surrounded by marshes. It occupied the second largest "island" in the Great Level.
As the land drained, the town grew and prospered as a trading and religious centre. It was also a minor port and in more recent times a market town, administrative and railway centre.
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History
Modern March lies on the path of the Roman road, the Fen Causeway and there is evidence of Roman settlements in the area. The Roman Roads were essential for the growth of the Roman Empire, by enabling the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate news Fen Causeway or the Fen Road is the modern name for a Roman road of England that runs between Denver in the east and Peterborough
Before the draining of the fens, the town was effectively an island in the marshy fens. The Fens, also known as the Fenland, is a geographic area in eastern England, in the United Kingdom. It was formed from two settlements, Merche and Mercheford, separated by a canal. The town probably owes its origin to the ford on the old course of the Nene, where the road between Ely and Wisbech, the two chief towns of the Isle of Ely, crossed the river. Ely (, rhyming with "freely" is a Cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, England. Wisbech ('wɪzbiʧ is a market town and inland port with a population of about 20000 in the Fenland area of Cambridgeshire. At one time shipping on the River Nene provided the basis of the town's trade, but this declined with coming of the railway in the 19th century.
A bridge of one arch was erected over the river Nene towards the north end of the town in 1850. The High Street, which is the chief thoroughfare, is continued over the bridge to Broad Street on the north side of the Nene, and the High Causeway is lined with a fine avenue of elm and other trees.
A Local Board of Health was formed in 1851, under the Act, 14 and 15 Vict. c. 103 (1851), but under the provisions of the "Local Government Act, 1894" (56 & 57 Vict. c. 73), the town is now governed by an Urban District Council of 12 members, and is lighted with gas from works the property of the March Gas and Coke Co. Limited. The Wisbech Water Works Company, by a provisional order, obtained in 1884, supply the town with water, which is brought through mains from Wisbech, a distance of 10 miles.
The town is divided into four ecclesiastical parishes which, with three others, were formed out of the parish of Doddington subsequently to 1863, according to the provisions of the Doddington Rectory Division Acts, 10 and 11 Vict. Doddington is a village in Cambridgeshire, between Chatteris and March. c. 3 (1847) and 19 and 20 Vict. c. 1 (1856). " "The area of the entire civil parish is 19,669 acres of land and 108 of water; rateable value, £47,414; the area of the ecclesiastical parishes is:- St. Mary, 7,143; St John 3,485; St. Peter, 4,072. The population of the civil parish and urban district in 1891 was 6,988; and the ecclesiastical parishes, viz. St. John, 3,685; St. Mary, 634; St. Peter, 1,697 and St. Wendreda, 972. "
March is also home to HM Prison Whitemoor, first opened in 1992. "HM Prison" redirects here For prisons in Australia see List of Australian prisons. HM Prison Whitemoor is a Prison near the town of March in Cambridgeshire, England. It houses around 500 of the most dangerous prisoners in the UK. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located
Market
With a long history of trading, in the reign of Elizabeth I, March was a minor port. In 1566 eight boats, capable of carrying one, one and a half, or two cartloads, were used in the coal and grain trades. A certain amount of traffic - in coal and other commodities, carried in barges, was observed by Dugdale in 1657. Sir William Dugdale ( 12 September 1605 &ndash 10 February 1686) was an English antiquary Local tradesmen’s tokens of 1669, and a silver shilling token of 1811, have been noted. In the study of Numismatics, token coins or tokens are coin-like objects used instead of Coins The field of tokens is part of Exonumia.
Originally a market appears to have been held near the original town (then village) centre, on land beside The Causeway. A Market Cross (now called The Stone Cross) points towards the existence of an early Market and this cross was erected in the early 16th Century. This site was very near to St Wendreda’s Church.
In 1669 the people of the town successfully petitioned King Charles II and in 1670 he granted the Lord of the Manor of Doddington a Royal Charter endowing the right to hold a market with two annual fairs, in spite of the opposition of Wisbech Corporation. Charles II may refer to Charles the Bald (823 &ndash 877 king of the West Franks and Holy Roman Emperor Charles II of Naples (1248 Doddington is a village in Cambridgeshire, between Chatteris and March. This market was held on Fridays. The Lord of the Manor of Doddington, who owned a large part of March, gave special permission to the townspeople to sell their goods on some of his land in the town centre. This site, now called the Market Place, was then known as Bridge Green Common and later named Market Hill.
In 1785 the tolls were assessed at £6 per year. Soon after this the market appears to have lapsed, though the fairs continued at this period to be prosperous. The development of the market was impeded by the absence of a covered hall and by the fact that market day in March and several neighbouring towns fell on the same day (Friday).
In 1807 the Vestry decided that it was not hygienic for goods to be loaded or unloaded in the vicinity of the market and ordered all saw pits, timber and other encroachments around the Market place to be removed. A vestry is a storage room in or attached to a church or Synagogue. The market was struggling during this time and an attempt to revive it in 1821 was not very successful. A Butter Cross, also known as a Market House, was erected in 1831. This building also housed the town fire engine and had an upstairs room that for a time housed the ‘Clock House School’ and later the Town Surveyor’s office. This office was covered by a turret which housed the Town Clock (purchased by public subscription about 1750) and the Fire Bell. During later refurbishments this clock was re-housed in St Peter’s Church Tower. The Town Stocks were also placed in the Market Place and local offenders (and those who refused to go to church) were placed in them.
The want of a Market House was remedied, in a make-shift fashion, by Sir Henry Peyton, 2nd baronet of the 1776 creation, (who was the current Lord of the Manor of Doddington). His building, however, was only 40 ft long by 17 ft broad, and provided only 14 stalls under cover
After the opening of the railway in 1847 another attempt was made to increase the Market. In 1851 the Market had been stated to be ‘making progress’; and £150 was subscribed to give a treat to the poor at its re-opening. The difficulty of the clashing with other Market days was solved in December 1856 by changing the day from Friday to Wednesday ‘by private arrangement and without any formalities’. The tolls were, however, collected in an arbitrary and haphazard way; they were assessed for poor rate purposes at £10.
In 1872 the Board of Health bought a Shand and Mason fire engine that was the town’s first steam appliance that was to be housed in the Market house. During the same year the Vestry agreed to erect a urinal at the back of the Butter Cross for use by boys attending the Clock House School, but would not erect a water closet (toilet).
The Market toll-keeper in 1888, though he had no fixed scale of charges and kept no record of receipts, was said to be taking about £50 a year. The success and prosperity of the Market fluctuated over the years and an attempt by the Local Board to purchase the Market Rights to mark the Jubilee of 1887 was a failure. However in 1897 Sir Algernon Peyton ( the Lord of the Manor of Doddington ) agreed to sell the Market Rights, the Market Place and Market House to March Urban District Council for the sum of £800. At that time the Market was leased to Mr F. B. Phillips who agreed to surrender his lease in 1898 subject to his receiving the Market tolls for one year without charge. This was agreed and the transaction was completed.
The Market Rights passed to Fenland District Council following the Local Government Re-organisation in 1974. Economy The Fenland economy has for years been built upon farming and food related industry
St Wendreda's Church
St Wendreda, to whom the church is dedicated, is the town’s own saint and the only known church dedication to this saint is here.
She was a 7th century Anglo-Saxon who is supposed to be a daughter of King Anna of East Anglia (killed 654) one of the first Christian Kings of the kingdom of East Anglia. Anna was a mid-7th century King of East Anglia. He was the nephew of Raedwald of East Anglia, and probably the second of the sons of Eni, Raedwald's brother Two of her sisters, Etheldreda and Sexburgha, who were the abbesses of Ely and Minster-in-Sheppey respectively, are better known saints. Æthelthryth, or Æðelþryð, (c 636 - June 23 679) is the proper name for the popular Anglo-Saxon Saint almost universally Saint Seaxburh or Saint Sexburga of Ely (died c 699 was an Anglo-Saxon king's daughter an Abbess and Saint of the Christian Church Ely (, rhyming with "freely" is a Cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, England. She is also associated with Exning, Suffolk. Exning is a village in Suffolk, England It lies just off the A14 trunk road roughly 12 miles east-northeast of Cambridge, and 10 miles south-south-east of
The saint’s relics were enshrined in gold, in Ely Cathedral, until in 1016 they were carried off to battle in the hope they would bring victory to Edmund Ironside the son of King Ethelred. Ely Cathedral (in full The Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Ely) is the principal church of the Diocese of Ely Edmund Ironside or Eadmund (c 988/993 – 30 November 1016 surnamed " Ironside " for his efforts to fend off the Danish invasion But at the Battle of Ashingdon the army of King Canute captured the relics and he presented them to Canterbury Cathedral. The Battle of Ashingdon was fought on October 18, 1016, at Assandun which is now believed to be Ashdon, rather than Ashingdon in southeast } Canute the Great, also known as Cnut in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles, or Knut ( Old Norse: Knútr inn ríki, Norwegian Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, Kent, is one of the oldest and most famous Christian structures in England and forms part of a In 1343 the relics were returned to March but their final resting place is unknown.
The church is world famous for its magnificent double-hammer beam roof and together with 120 carved angels it is regarded as one of the best of its kind. Hammerbeam roof, in Architecture, the name given to a Gothic open Timber Roof, of which the finest example is that over Westminster
John Betjeman described the church as "worth cycling 40 miles in a head wind to see". Sir John Betjeman, CBE ( 28 August 1906 &ndash 19 May 1984 was an English poet writer and broadcaster who described himself in Who's Who
In Victorian times, other Anglican churches were built in March, nearer to where the majority of the inhabitants now lived.
Whitemoor marshalling yards
Whitemoor marshalling yards, built in the 1920s and 30s, were once the second largest in Europe, and the largest in Britain. A ( US and Canada) classification yard or ( UK and Canada) marshalling yard (including hump yards) is a Railroad They were gradually phased out during the 1960s and shut down in 1990. Whitemoor prison was built on part of the site. The natural regeneration of the remaining 44 hectares resulted in its classification as a potential country park. In addition, a new housing development was constructed adjacent to the site. However, in 2002, Network Rail identified a need for a supply depot and redeveloped part of the site. Network Rail is a British "not for dividend" Company limited by guarantee whose principal asset is Network Rail Infrastructure Limited a company limited
March March march
The March March march is a walk from March to Cambridge, which has been performed annually in the month of March by students and academics from Cambridge University since 1979. The University of Cambridge (often Cambridge University) located in Cambridge, England, is the second-oldest university in the [1] It is unusual for the homophonous phrase of the walk's name. In linguistics a homonym is one of a group of words that share the same pronunciation but have different meanings and are usually spelled differently
People connected with March
- William Barker, gold prospector
- Benjamin Gimbert, George Cross winner
- Kevin Painter, darts player
- Martin Peerson, seventeenth century composer
- Rex Tucker, TV director
- Eric Sherbrooke Walker, owner of Treetops Hotel
See also
Reference
External links
- 2001 Census
- Cambs Times Web site of local newspaper
- Fenland Citizen Web site of local newspaper
- Fenland District Council District councils web site
- March Town Web site on March
- St Wendreda's church
- March Museum
- Neale Wade Community College Local College web site
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