__NOTOC__ Upwell is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

in the

English county The counties of England are a type of subdivision of England. Counties have been used as administrative areas in England since Anglo-Saxon times. There are three definitions of county in England: the 48 ceremonial counties used for the purpo ...

Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...

. Upwell village is on the A1101 road, as is Outwell, its conjoined village at the north. The nearest towns are

Wisbech Wisbech ( ) is a market town, inland port and civil parish in the Fenland District, Fenland district in Cambridgeshire, England. In 2011 it had a population of 31,573. The town lies in the far north-east of Cambridgeshire, bordering Norfolk and ...

to the north-west and

Downham Market Downham Market, sometimes simply referred to as Downham, is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Norfolk, England. It lies on the edge of the Fens, on the River Great Ouse, approximately 11 miles south of King's Lynn, 39 ...

to the east. The parish covers an area of and had a population of 2,456 in 1,033 households at the 2001 census, increasing to 2,750 at the 2011 Census. And most recently, In the 2021 census the town population has nearly doubled to 4,734.

History

The villages name means 'higher well (= spring/stream)'. Originally, part of a single place called Well; 'upp' was prepended to distinguish from Outwell. Upwell in 1202 had a market-place and a weekly market. Marmont Priory was endowed by

Richard I Richard I (8 September 1157 – 6 April 1199), known as Richard the Lionheart or Richard Cœur de Lion () because of his reputation as a great military leader and warrior, was King of England from 1189 until his death in 1199. He also ru ...

with 300 acres in Upwell and Outwell. The priory of Gilbertines was founded in the reign of King John. Cultivation of flax and hemp is referred to in an order of Sessions of Sewers in 1340. Upwell was connected with Wisbech by a steam tramway in 1884 William Wolsey a constable of Upwell, Outwell & Welney (and Robert Piggot of Wisbech) Protestants were tried at Ely for heresy and burnt at the stake in 1555. In 1810 a building was being used as a temporary theatre by Joseph Smedley at a cost of five Guineas. In 1869 Upwell St Peter, was the richest

benefice A benefice () or living is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The Roman Empire used the Latin term as a benefit to an individual from the Empire for services rendered. Its use was adopted by ...

of the English church, being returned in the clergy list as worth £3,058 a year, though worth considerably more, and had just become vacant by the death of the Rev. William Gale Townley, who had held it only seven years. The living was in the gift of B. G. Townley. In the same parish was the rectory of Christ Church, returned as being worth £1,594 year, also belonging to the Townley family.

Governance

Upwell has a parish council. The parish falls within the

electoral ward A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected t ...

of Upwell and Delph. The population of this ward at the 2011 Census was 4,827. For the purposes of local government, it falls within the

district A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...

King's Lynn and West Norfolk King's Lynn and West Norfolk is a Non-metropolitan district, local government district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Norfolk, England. Its council is based in the town of King's Lynn. The district also includes the t ...

. Until 1974 it formed part of the

Marshland Rural District Marshland Rural District was a rural district in Norfolk, England from 1894 to 1974. It was formed under the Local Government Act 1894 based on the Marshland rural sanitary district, and was named after the Freebridge Marshland hundred. It cov ...

References

External links

*
GENUKI(tm) page
* Villages in Norfolk King's Lynn and West Norfolk Civil parishes in Norfolk {{Norfolk-geo-stub

History

Governance

See also

Further reading

References

External links