Wisbech, Cambridgeshire

Map

The overlays that highlight 17th century London features are approximate and derived from Wenceslaus Hollar’s maps:

Open location in Google Maps: 52.663426, 0.164815

6 Annotations

First Reading

TerryF  •  Link

Wisbech

"Before this area of fenland was reclaimed in the 17th century the region was about as inhospitable and as unsuitable for agriculture as you could find in England. Yet the rich soil beneath the watery fens provided a great boost to the fruit and flower growing industries, and Wisbech grew in size and importance.

"In the medieval period Wisbech was an active river port, only 4 miles from the sea, but the passage of time has extended the coastline so that Wisbech now rests 11 miles from open water...." http://www.britainexpress.com/cou…

in aqua pustula  •  Link

The area is rich in loam, also in rumours of King John's lost riches, when he failed to heed the gaggle of bungling yokels and their warnings and proceeded to cross the ever moving tidal basin. King John became goggle eyed having never read the Moses story properly.
Such a guggle guggle. [non sic]

TerryF  •  Link

William Godwin (1756-1836) was "[b]orn at Wisbech in Cambridgeshire, Godwin's family on both sides were middle-class people, and it was probably only as a joke that he, a stern political reformer and philosophical radical, attempted to trace his pedigree to a time before the Norman Conquest to the great earl, Godwine." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will…

Log in to post an annotation.

If you don't have an account, then register here.

References

Chart showing the number of references in each month of the diary’s entries.

1663