Isle of Ely

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The former county of Isle of Ely (1889-1965)

The Isle of Ely is a region in Cambridgeshire , England surrounding the city of Ely . It is 971 km² in size. It is the largest of the "Isles" called elevations (about 40 m) in the eastern English Fens , a swamp area, the height of which is barely above sea level.

history

Isle of Ely Council coat of arms

Legend has it that the hero of Cambridgeshire , Hereward the Wake , retired to the marshes to organize the resistance against the Normans . But he was betrayed by the monks of Ely and is considered "the last of all English" ("the last Englishman").

From 1107 to 1837 the Isle of Ely was under the jurisdiction of the Bishops of Ely ; this was ended by the Liberty of Ely Act 1837. Isle of Ely was an independent county from Cambridgeshire from 1889 to 1965 . In 1965 it was united with Cambridgeshire to form the new county of Cambridgeshire and Isle of Ely .

Surname

The name comes from island of eels (island of eels) because eels were often caught in the surrounding rivers .

Web links

Commons : Isle of Ely  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/normans/after_01.shtml#eleven
  2. ↑ http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=21880 .
  3. ^ Beda Venerabilis : Historia Ecclesiastica, IV: XIX

Coordinates: 52 ° 24 '  N , 0 ° 16'  E