Was Ely Once an Island

The Isle of Ely is the highest point in these fenlands and was formerly an island surrounded by marshes and swamps; it could be reached only by boat or causeway. This inaccessible location became the scene of Hereward the Wake’s resistance to William I the Conqueror about 1070.

Is Ely in Cambridgeshire an island?

The ancient city of Ely occupies the largest island in the Cambridgeshire Fens. The “Isle of Ely” is so called because it was only accessible by boat until the waterlogged Fens were drained in the 17th century.

When was Ely founded?

Medieval period The city’s origins lay in the foundation of an abbey in 673, one mile (1.6 km) to the north of the village of Cratendune on the Isle of Ely, under the protection of Saint Etheldreda, daughter of King Anna. St Etheldreda (also known as Æthelthryth) was a queen, founder and abbess of Ely.