Coordinates: 51°47′52″N 0°38′14″E / 51.7978°N 0.6373°E / 51.7978; 0.6373

Witham /ˈwɪtəm/ is a town in the county of Essex, in the east of England with a population (2011 census) of 25,353. It is part of the District of Braintree and is twinned with the town of Waldbröl, Germany. Witham stands between the larger towns of Chelmsford (8 miles to the south-west) and Colchester (13 miles to the north-east). The River Brain runs through the town and joins the River Blackwater shortly outside it.

History

Early history

Excavations by Essex County Council field archaeological unit at the recent Maltings Lane development discovered evidence of Neolithic occupation of Witham including human remains and several trackways across ancient marsh. Excavations of the Witham Lodge (Ivy Chimneys) area of the town unveiled remains of a Roman temple in the 1970s as well as a pottery kiln. This would have been alongside the main Roman road from Colchester to London and used as a stop over point on the long journey, another notable find during the excavation was a Votive Offering pool in the grounds of the temple, the pool contained several artefacts that would have been offered to the gods. In 913, according to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Edward the Elder marched from Hertford to reconquer Essex and made an encampment here on his route to set up a base at Maldon. Witham's position on the Roman road in relation to the major Viking army based at Colchester was the most likely reason for this and it would have effectively cut Essex in two.

Witham is a place in England.

Witham is also a surname. Notable people with the surname include:

Witham is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.

On 20 November 2006, Priti Patel was selected as the Conservative Party candidate for the seat at the 2010 election. She won the seat with a majority of 15,196; an increase against the notional Conservative majority of 7,241 votes (17.29%), (according to Media Guide To The New Parliamentary Constituencies, Rallings & Thrasher).

Boundaries

Following a review of parliamentary representation in Essex, the Boundary Commission for England made radical alterations to existing constituencies to allow for an extra seat to be created due to increased population. As a consequence, electoral wards from the districts of Braintree, Colchester and Maldon were used to create a new constituency of Witham.