Wisbech Wisbech Wisbech ( ) is a Fenland market town, inland port and civil parish in the Fens of Cambridgeshire, England. It had a population of 31,573 in 2011. The town lies in the far north-east of the county, bordering Norfolk and only 5 miles (8 km) south of Lincolnshire. The tidal River Nene running through the town centre is spanned by two bridges. Before the Local Government Act 1972 came into force in 1974 Wisbech was a municipal borough. Wisbece was recorded in the 1086 "Domesday". The name Wisbech is believed to mean "on the back of the (River) Ouse",
Wisbech the setting in numerous costume dramas. In the 17th century, the inhabitants became known as the "Fen Tigers" for their resistance to the draining of the Fens, but the project turned Wisbech into a wealthy port handling agricultural produce. At the time, Wisbech was on the estuary of the River Great Ouse, but silting caused the coastline to move north, and the River Nene was diverted to serve the town. In 1797, a corps of volunteer infantry was formed. A light infantry company was added in 1807. In 1835 a copy of Col. Watson's History of Wisbech was presented to