Prehistoric settlement evidence has been recovered from across the Isle of Ely and the slopes of the island show a particularly high density of settlement. Despite this density, the area occupied by the modern city of Ely lies has revealed little prehistoric evidence, with the exception of some Bronze Age burials. Evidence of Iron Age and Roman occupation within the area of the town is similarly sparse, although such evidence might be concealed beneath the later town.
Traces of Early Saxon occupation have been found in and around Ely, including both settlement and cemetery remains. Arguably the most important event in Ely’s history occurred in the 7th century, when Æthelthryth, daughter of the East Anglian king, founded the abbey of Ely. Extensive archaeological evidence of a settlement contemporary with the foundation of the abbey has been found to the west of the town. During the later Anglo-Saxon period and into the medieval period, the settlement gradually gravitated towards the abbey. The monastic church was rebuilt in the 11th century and became a cathedral in 1109. The street pattern of modern Ely had been established by the 15th century. Exactly when the town was laid out is uncertain, although date early in the medieval period would be reasonable.
The abbey was dissolved in 1539 and its buildings and holdings were transferred to the bishop and diocese. However, the curtailing of the important economic role played by the abbey caused a decline in Ely’s fortunes. The economic conditions were not helped by the devastating floods that hit the fenlands in the 16th century or by the upheavals of the Civil War in the 17th century. By the end of the 17th century Ely was in a sorry state.
The population of Ely grew substantially during the first half of the 19th century, as the rural areas which surrounded the isle of Ely were abandoned and destitute farmers moved into the city. By this point in time the area of the docks had been given over to industry and poor housing, but the increased numbers and the limited amount of space within Ely resulted in widespread slum conditions and considerable poverty.
It was the establishment of a high status site by Aethelthryth in the Saxon period that provided the catalyst that allowed the expansion of the settlement into the town we see today. Yet this development was so entwined with the church that once this had been diminished by the Dissolution, the town suffered a decline that was still being felt in the 19th century. The town today is still subject to a programme of regeneration.
If you wish to learn more about the archaeology of Ely, online access to the Cambridgeshire Historic Environment Record is available via the Heritage Gateway.