Wisbech Ouse being a common Celtic word relating to water, and the name of a river that once flowed through the town. Alternatively, the first element may derive from the River Whissey which used to run to Wisbech or possibly ‘marshy-meadow valley or ridge’. OE Wisc or wisc + bece or baec. During the Iron Age, the area where Wisbech would develop lay in the west of the Brythonic Iceni tribe's territory. Icenian coins are known from both March and Wisbech. Like the rest of Cambridgeshire, Wisbech was part of the Kingdom of East Anglia after the Anglo-Saxon invasion. The first
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