Wem

Wem is a market town in the civil parish of Wem Urban, in Shropshire, England, 9 miles (14 km) north of Shrewsbury and 9 miles (14 km) south of Whitchurch. The name is derived from the Old English term wamm, meaning "marsh". As a caput of a barony and a large manor and parish Wem was a centre for justice and local government for centuries, and the headquarters of the North Shropshire District Council until Shropshire became a unitary authority. From the 12th century revisions to the hundreds of Shropshire, Wem was within the North Division of Bradford Hundred until the end of the 19th century. It is considered that the landscape around the town may be the inspiration for Shakespeare's play As You Like It, a belief reflected in cultural programming in the town.