Witchford
Witchford is a village and civil parish about west of Ely, Cambridgeshire, England. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 2,385.
History
Anglo-Saxon cemetery
When the site of RAF Witchford was being cleared a bulldozer driver found an Anglo-Saxon pagan cemetery on the site. The bulldozer unearthed and crushed about 30 skeletons. Little archaeological work could be undertaken but some artefacts were recovered, which T. C. Lethbridge stated to be consistent with the period AD 450–650.More recent survey work has found Iron Age and Roman domestic and other remains. An Anglo-Saxon cemetery was not found at that time, leading to the conclusion that this was not the site of the lost village of Cratendune.
Hundreds
Two hundreds of the Isle of Ely, North Witchford and South Witchford, took their name from the place and had their meeting-place at Witchford.RAF Witchford
was a RAF Bomber Command station that was built in 1942 and closed and dismantled in 1946. From July to September 1943 it was the base of No. 196 Squadron RAF which operated Vickers Wellington medium bombers. From November 1943 until April 1945 No. 115 Squadron RAF was based at Witchford operating Avro Lancaster heavy bombers.After the Second World War it was proposed to convert the airfield to a missile base. Rumours said it was to become a Blue Streak base. Hence some older residents refer to the site as "The Rocket Base".
The village has an RAF Witchford Museum.