Look, mum – we’re famous!

FOR a town unaccustomed to finding itself in the top 10 of anything, there was a certain baffled look in Wisbech this week as it emerged at number eight in the top 10 of the most English towns in the country. Half of the most English towns in the country

FOR a town unaccustomed to finding itself in the top 10 of anything, there was a certain baffled look in Wisbech this week as it emerged at number eight in the top 10 of the most English towns in the country.

Half of the most English towns in the country are in East Anglia, according to a study investigating the origin of first and surnames which placed five of the region's towns in its top 10 list of Englishness.

The study, carried out by originsinfo.com put Halesworth, Beccles, Wisbech, March and Leiston in the top 10 in terms of Englishness, with Ripley in Derbyshire top of the list.

Councillor Roger Green, leader of Wisbech Town Council, said he hoped those arriving in the Cambridgeshire town would share its sense of pride.

"I'm proud of Wisbech and although I didn't know about this study, I'm proud that the town is English," he said. "I hope anyone arriving here would equally take pride in their adopted home town."

Although the communities involved might be proud of their newly-found status, an expert from the University of East Anglia warned that it was important the information was not abused.

Rajat Ganguly, an expert in ethnic politics, said: "If the information is used negatively, in a political sense, then it could be problematic.