Wem is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire, England, 9 miles north of Shrewsbury and 9 miles 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.