Witcham Village - Village Pages etc.

The villages of the Isle of Ely are now on low hills which, before the fens were drained, were true islands surrounded by the marshes, streams and meres of the Fens. Engineers drained these marshes 400 years ago to create rich farmland, much of which is now below sea level. Its survival depends on the powerful pumps which lift water drained from the fields into the Hundred Foot main drain. This drain and its Washes lie to the northwest.

Ely Cathedral dominates the southeast view - a very different but equally amazing example of human creativity.

People have been living in and near Witcham for over 6,000 years. The earliest settlers were Neolithic farmers living in the river valley to the north of the village. They left behind the flint and greenstone axes with which they cleared and burned the trees which were growing here. The Bronze Age people who came after them kept livestock, and left their socketed spearheads, daggers and shields in the same river valley. Iron Age settlers built ditches and banks to protect their settlements; that east of Wardy Hill Road continued in use into Roman times. The Romans left coins and the magnificent helmet found at Witcham Gravel. No Saxon relics have been found here, but the place names Hythe (a harbour), Slade (a muddy track), and the village name Witcham itself come from Saxon words. Originally Wiceham, and later Wycham, it means 'the place of the wych elms'.

The name of Witcham comes from ‘wych – elms which used to grow here. Witcham was for centuries an island in the swamps. The village stands on a hill with houses grouped around the church, five miles west of Ely and three quarters of a mile from the A 142 from Ely to Chatteris.

The Doomsday book records that the Manor of Witcham had always formed part of the demesne of the church of Ely, administered by the Dean and Chapter until 18 century when much of the land was sold off. The manor stretched to Byall Fen and to Meadlands north of Mepal. Most of the village was part of the manor.

High Street, The Slade and the public footpath running from Park Lane to the Slade bound the four-acre site known as the ‘site of the manor’. All houses with odd numbers on The Slade are built on the site. In High Street, Barnside, Wych Elms and The Brambles all lie on the site of the Manor. The site survived as an entity from Medieval times right through until the late 1980’s when it was split up and sold off due to a stock exchange disaster which affected the Anglican Church’s income.

The Manor House now known as Manor Farmhouse was remodelled in the late 1700’s giving it its present Georgian look.

During the Second World War the construction of a satellite airfield at Sutton part of Witchford aerodrome changed the layout of the village. It blocked the former high road to Chatteris so traffic now passed through the village to Mepal. A hutted camp was built on the north side of Sutton road. It was later used as a Polish Resettlement Centre and a Women’s Land Army Hostel.

A Wesleyan Methodist Chapel had been established in 1813 and a Primitive Methodist Chapel post 1848, which was rebuilt in 1898. In 1815 there were congregations of 90 and 19 at these chapels respectively.

St. Martin's Church dates from 1100AD. The remains of later medieval settlements survive outside the present village, as do traces of the ridge-and-furrow of medieval fields. The original manor house had been destroyed by the time of the Civil War, but the existing Manor House Barn may have been part of the farm buildings. The oldest houses in Witcham date from Tudor and Stuart times, but most were built in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The 20th century has also resulted in buildings: wartime brought many changes for this farming community, including large camps and hostels for displaced persons and military personnel to the south of the village.

A Roman weekend was held on 9^th September 2000 to commemorate the making of a replica Roman Helmet the original of which was found at Witcham Gravel. The Witcham helmet was discovered in the 19 century and is a superb example of a Roman Cavalry helmet of the 3-century; it is mostly made of bronze, lined with iron and has cheek pieces and guards for forehead and neck. The replica can be seen in Ely Museum, the original is in the British Museum in London.

Activities centred on the Village Hall and Green included an informal morning of talks on Roman life and the life of a Roman soldier. In the afternoon a Roman Fair was held with the help of the Colchester Roman Society dressed in appropriate costume. A potter made a traditional pot, which can now be viewed in the church. At an evening Banquet guests fully dressed in Roman style enjoyed authentic Roman food and wine and were entertained by a storyteller. A quiz concluded the entertainment. The following day was all about Roman games when the natives battled it out with the Roman Society members.

The Old Crown House used to be a Public House. The "White Horse" is the only remaining public house in the village, but the "Anchor", "Bell", "Brickmakers Arms", "White Lion", "Plough" and "Crown" also served Witcham into 19th century .

We have infomation that the White Horse was an Ale or perhaps the more up-market Spirit House in the 18th centtury.

A Roman helmet dating from A.D.14 was found in the Gravel Pit. It can be seen in the British Museum.

The Sign was donated by the Womens Institute to mark the Silver Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II in 1976.

The fire engine shown on the sign was as far as we know only used once, to put out a fire in Smith's barn. It is now in Ely Museum.

St Martins Church

St Martin’s Church (Credit Witcham Archive Group)

St Martin’s Church is much the oldest building in the village but not the only one. It was built in the early 13 century of brick in the Early English Style consisting of chancel, nave, north aisle, south porch and an embattled western tower with pinnacles containing a bell. Four hundred years later the tower had fallen into disrepair and had to be rebuilt. The date 1691 can be seen low down on the west side of the tower.

The original nave had no side aisles, these were added later. The porch is 15 century, the south door 14 century and the north door 15 century. The simple and elegant oak chancel screen dates from the 16 century but was considerably restored in 1897. Until lately, traces of wall paintings, partly medieval, partly 17 century were to be seen above the pulpit. Among the roof corbels is a curious hooded man with great shoulders and tiny legs, eating ravenously. Basically the chancel remains from the original 13-century church. It had a thatched roof, which was tiled in 1860. There is a double piscine in a niche on the wall at the east side of the altar.

Probably the two most interesting features are the pulpit and the font. The octagonal Norman font comes from 1300 and on five shafts are carvings of people’s heads and mystical beasts. The stone pulpit complete with steps is 15 century and relatively rare. Behind the altar is a stained glass window depicting the story of St Martin a Christian Roman soldier who is believed to have cut his robe in two so that a poor man could have half to wrap himself in. The oak reredos was given by the sons of R.W. Packer who was vicar from 1846-1892.

In 1969 the churchyard was levelled and the gravestones were re-arranged. The burial ground was moved to the northern end of the village along Mepal Road.

South West Of Village Centre

Polish Church

This was the site of the Church which served the Polish refugees who lived here during the war