Wisbech Rural District Wisbech Rural District Wisbech was a rural district in Cambridgeshire in England from 1894 to 1974. It was formed from that part of the Wisbech rural sanitary district which was in Cambridgeshire, by the Local Government Act 1894. It covered the parishes of Elm, Leverington, Outwell, Parson Drove, Tydd St Giles, Upwell and Wisbech St Mary. When first created, the district consisted of two detached parts separated by the long, narrow tail of Wisbech Municipal Borough. 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.
Wisbech 18th and early 19th centuries. A custom house was built in 1801. The greatest shipowner was Richard Young (1809-1871), who had at various times 43 boats operating from the port. The port of Wisbech could accommodate sailing ships of 400 tons, but its prosperity declined after 1852 when extensive river works impeded navigation. The Wisbech Canal was cut to allow narrow boats to connect with the river, but no longer does so as parts have been filled in. Narrow boats continue to access inland waterways via the river Nene. In 1931 A concrete bridge was built to replace the previous