Wisbeach or Wisbech

[JenB]

Until thirty years ago, the differing methods of spelling the name of the town, Wisbech or Wisbeach, were the source of inconvenience and sometimes of delay. The desirability of adopting a recognised and uniform spelling was urged in the local press, and debated by the Corporation, a resolution being passed in favour of adopting " Wisbech " without the "a" as the official method. In response to the request of the municipality, the railway and postal authorities, as well as other public officials, concurred in the expressed desire to obtain uniformity, and it has since become generally adopted, not only by the inhabitants, but in Post Office, railway and official documents. The exact spelling of a name may not seem a very important matter to some, but in the present day of rapid telegraphic and postal communications, when it is most desirable to avoid mistakes and consequent delays, the authorities were naturally anxious to permanently settle the nomenclature of the borough.
https://archive.org/stream/historywisbecha00gardgoog/historywisbecha00gardgoog_djvu.txt

'History of Wisbech during the last Fifty years, 1848 - 1898' Frederick John Gardner, F.R.Hist.S.

[radstockjeff]

Thanks for the responses. I am writing up some notes for a friend in Australia and because I have referred to Wisbech from documentation which gives different spellings, I thought it would be appropriate just to add a note regarding the spelling for the avoidance of any confusion.

radstockjeff