[3] The name ‘Godmanchester’ is first attested as Godmundcestre in the Domesday Book of 1086, and subsequently variously appears as Gutmuncetre, Gudmencestre, Gudmundcestria, Gum(m)uncestre, Gumencestre, Guncestre, Gumcestria, Gumecestre, Gommecestre, Gomecestria, Gummecestre, Gurmund(es)cestre, Gormecestre, Gormancestre, Gomecestre, Gunnecestre, Gurmecestre, Godmechestre, Gurminchestre, Gumchestre, Gurmencestre, Gumcestre, Gumestre, Godmonchestre, Gumecestur and Gumycestre.

The second part of the name refers to the Roman fort or ‘chester’ (from the Latin ‘castrum’) south of the River Ouse, identified with the Durovigutum mentioned in the Antonine Itinerary.

[4] There is no etymological or historical connection between the town and the Danish King Guðrum of East Anglia (c.835–890) or with the Goths, a Germanic people of central and eastern Europe.

[7] There is archaeological evidence of Celtic and earlier habitation prior to the establishment of a key Roman town and a mansio (inn), so the area has probably been continuously occupied for more than 2,000 years.

The remains of a 6.3-hectare (16-acre) neolithic temple of considerable importance, carbon dated to 3685–3365 cal BCE and aligned to the Beltane sunrise, were documented on the edge of Godmanchester.

The Roman settlement was at a crossroads of: Ermine Street, (from London to York); the Via Devana (from Colchester through Cambridge to Chester); and a military road from Sandy, Bedfordshire.

Archeological discoveries include a basilica, a bathhouse, temple, a Mansio which is one of the largest in the UK, other villas, farmsteads and a hoard of Jewelry, suggesting a population of up to 3000 people.

[14] Farm Hall, on West Street, was used as a bugged detention centre for German nuclear scientists as part of Operation Epsilon, from July 1945 to January 1946.

Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative) was elected as MP in 2024, replacing Jonathan Djanogly[22] Since 1801, the population has been recorded every ten years by the UK census, the only exception being in 1941 due to the Second World War.

[31][32] The town has a waterside location surrounded by open countryside of high value for its biodiversity, agricultural land value, scenic beauty and landscape quality.

These commons are intersected by The Ouse Valley Way and Pathfinder Way[35] long-distance footpaths, and the route of a disused railway which connected the demolished Godmanchester Station and St Ives.

[37] In October 2003 BBC1's Songs of Praise was hosted by St Mary's and featured the new hymn tune Godmanchester, written by the then vicar, Peter Moger.

Since opening in 2020 the A1307 provides a resilient route for light vehicles, north across the river into Huntingdon, or south to St. Ives and Cambridge.

Huntingdon railway station, a semi-major stop on the East Coast Main Line is less than 1.8 miles (2.9 km) from the town centre by car.

The town of Huntingdon and railway station may also be accessed on foot via the expansive meadow or by National Cycle Network route 51.