Wisbech was a

rural district Rural districts were a type of local government area – now superseded – established at the end of the 19th century in England, Wales, and Ireland for the administration of predominantly rural areas at a level lower than that of the Ad ...

Cambridgeshire Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East of England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and North ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

from 1894 to 1974. It was formed from that part of the

Wisbech Wisbech ( ) is a market town, inland Port of Wisbech, port and civil parish in the Fenland District, Fenland district in Cambridgeshire, England. In 2011 it had a population of 31,573. The town lies in the far north-east of Cambridgeshire, bord ...

rural sanitary district Sanitary districts were established in England and Wales in 1872 and in Ireland in 1878. The districts were of two types, based on existing structures: *Urban sanitary districts in towns with existing local government bodies *Rural sanitary dis ...

which was in

Isle of Ely The Isle of Ely () is a historic region around the city of Ely in Cambridgeshire, England. Between 1889 and 1965, it formed an administrative county. Etymology Its name has been said to mean "island of eels", a reference to the creatures that ...

, by the

Local Government Act 1894 The Local Government Act 1894 (56 & 57 Vict. c. 73) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales outside the County of London. The Act followed the reforms carried out at county level un ...

. It covered the parishes of

Elm Elms are deciduous and semi-deciduous trees comprising the flowering plant genus ''Ulmus'' in the plant family Ulmaceae. They are distributed over most of the Northern Hemisphere, inhabiting the temperate and tropical-montane regions of North ...

Leverington Leverington is a village and civil parish in the Fenland District of Cambridgeshire, England. The settlement is to the north of Wisbech. At the time of the 2001 Census, the parish's population was 2,914 people, including Four Gotes, increasin ...

Outwell Outwell is a village and civil parish in the borough of King's Lynn and West Norfolk, in the English county of Norfolk.Ordnance Survey (2006). ''OS Explorer Map 228 – March & Ely''. At the 2011 Census, the parish had a population of 2,083, an ...

Parson Drove Parson Drove is a fen village in the Isle of Ely, Cambridgeshire, England. A linear settlement, it is west of Wisbech, the nearest town. The village is named after the central thoroughfare along which the village developed, a green drove, much ...

Tydd St Giles Tydd St Giles is a village in Fenland, Cambridgeshire, England. It is the northernmost village in the Isle of Ely, Cambridgeshire (bordering Lincolnshire), on the same latitude as Midlands towns such as Loughborough, Leicestershire and Shrewsbu ...

Upwell __NOTOC__ Upwell is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. Upwell village is on the A1101 road, as is Outwell, its conjoined village at the north. The nearest towns are Wisbech to the north-west and Downham Market to the ...

and

Wisbech St Mary Wisbech St Mary is a village in the Fenland District of Cambridgeshire, England. It is west of the town of Wisbech. It lies between two roads, the B1169 and the A47. The population of the civil parish (including Guyhirn and Thorney Toll) at th ...

. The offices were in Alexandra Road, Wisbech. When first created, the district consisted of two detached parts separated by the long, narrow tail of

Wisbech Municipal Borough Wisbech was a municipal borough in the Isle of Ely, Cambridgeshire in England from 1835 until 1974. History The corporation met at the Wisbech Town Hall, North Brink. It operated the Port of Wisbech, Wisbech Market, the borough police and th ...

. In 1933 the south-western part of Wisbech MB was transferred to the parish of Elm, leaving Wisbech RD surrounding the town on three sides. It formed part of the administrative county of

from its creation until 1965, when this merged to form part of

Cambridgeshire and Isle of Ely Cambridgeshire and Isle of Ely was, from 1965 to 1974, an administrative and geographical county in East Anglia in the United Kingdom. In 1974 it became part of an enlarged Cambridgeshire. Formation The Local Government Act 1888 created four s ...

. In 1974 the district was abolished under the

Local Government Act 1972 The Local Government Act 1972 (c. 70) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974. It was one of the most significant Acts of Parliament to be passed by the Heath Gov ...

. It became part of the Fenland district.

Coat of Arms

ARMS: Barry wavy of eight Argent and Vert a Cornucopia erect Or the fruit proper all within a Bordure Gules charged with eight Ducal Coronets Gold. CREST: Out of a Circlet Argent charged with three Mullets Sable a demi Lion also Argent gorged with a Ducal Coronet Or and supporting a Staff of the first flying therefrom a Banner Azure charged with a Lily Flower also Argent; Mantled Vert doubled Argent. Motto 'THESAUROS IN AGRO' - For we have treasures in the field. Granted 11 October 1954.

References

{{coord, 52.666, 0.159, display=title, region:GB_scale:100000 History of Cambridgeshire Districts of England created by the Local Government Act 1894 Districts of England abolished by the Local Government Act 1972 Rural districts of England Fenland District