Ely History

The name Ely comes from the Saxon word ‘Elig’ meaning eel island. Until the 17-18th centuries, when the fen lands of East Anglia were drained, Ely was quite literally a small island.

The Norman invasion of 1066 had been a widespread success however Ely’s position as an island, surrounded by treacherous bogs meant that it had natural defences to resist invasion and these were exploited by Saxon leader Hereward the Wake.

Hereward had returned to his family estate in Lincolnshire in 1068 to find his brother slain and his head impaled above the entrance. This determined him to resist the Norman invasion and he made his way to Ely.