Ely, Isle of

Ely, Isle of

      historic region of England, part of the administrative and historic county of Cambridgeshire. The Isle of Ely consists of a hill about 7 miles (11 km) long and 4 miles (6 km) wide that rises above the surrounding fens (low-lying lands that were partly covered by water). 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. In the 17th century the surrounding fens were drained, and the Isle of Ely is now simply a hill in the midst of a low, flat plain whose rich soils provide highly productive farmlands.

      The town (Ely) of Ely lies on the northeast portion of the Isle of Ely and is dominated by a magnificent cathedral that dates mostly from the 11th and 12th centuries. The town has been the seat of a diocese since 1108, and until the Reformation its bishops held palatine jurisdiction over the entire Isle of Ely. Oliver Cromwell lived in a house in Ely from 1636 to 1647 while holding the post of farmer of the cathedral tithes. The Isle of Ely has historically had varying degrees of autonomy from the rest of Cambridgeshire.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Ely, Isle of — (spr. ail ŏw īli), Grafschaft im nordöstlichen Teil von Cambridgeshire (England), 1888 gebildet, umfaßt 968 qkm (17,5 QM.) mit (1900) 64,495 Einw. (66 auf 1 qkm) und der Hauptstadt Ely …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Ely,Isle of — E·ly (ēʹlē), Isle of A region of east central England with extensive drained fens. The name Isle comes from the high ground amid the fens; Ely probably refers to the eels formerly found in the fens. The city of Ely (population, 10,268) is noted… …   Universalium

  • Ely, Isle of — geographical name district & former administrative county (capital Ely) E England in Cambridgeshire see Cambridgeshire …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • ELY, ISLE OF —    a name given to the N. portion of Cambridgeshire on account of its having been at one time insulated by marshes; being included in the region of the Fens, has been drained, and is now fertile land …   The Nuttall Encyclopaedia

  • Ely (Begriffsklärung) — Ely ist der Name mehrerer Orte im Vereinigten Königreich: Ely, Stadt im Osten der Grafschaft Cambridgeshire Ely (Wales), Vorort von Cardiff in den Vereinigten Staaten: Ely (Iowa) Ely (Minnesota) Ely (Missouri) Ely (Nevada) Ely (New Jersey) Ely… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Ely — /ee lee/ for 1, 2; /ee luy/ for 3, n. 1. Isle of, a former administrative county in E England: now part of Cambridgeshire. 2. a town on this island: medieval cathedral. 9969. 3. a male given name. * * * ▪ England, United Kingdom  town, East… …   Universalium

  • Ely Cathedral — Die Kathedrale der Heiligen Dreifaltigkeit von Ely in Cambridgeshire ist neben Peterborough ein bedeutendes Denkmal des reifen normannisch romanischen Stils. Der Westturm (1174 97) Die heutige Anlage geht zurück auf eine benediktinische Gründung… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Isle of Ely — geographical name see Ely (Isle of) …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Ely — Ely …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Ely Cathedral — Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity The West Tower (1174 97) …   Wikipedia

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