Wem is a market town in the north of the county.
The name is derived from the Old English wamm or marsh. There has been settlement in the area since at least the Iron Age, the Romans may have also had a camp in the area. The area was owned by the Arden family at the time of the Norman Conquest. The town was listed in the Domesday Book, the Normans building a castle and fortified the town with a wall or earthwork. This was necessary due to reported attacks by Welsh rebels.
Wem gained a market charter from King John in 1202. It has kept a market to the present day. The town was badly damaged by a great fire in 1677, the heat was intense enough to melt the church bells!
Later the town was served by two stagecoaches. The Llangollen Canal has a marina nearby at Whixall. Wem railway station opened in 1858.
The sweet pea was first cultivated in Wem in the 1880s. Agriculture was the basis of the local economy until recent times, brewing began in Wem in 1700 and continues to the present day.
