In my January column, I said that 2018 would be a year of anniversaries for Gloucester, one of which was the 1100th anniversary of the death of Aethelflaed and her burial at St Oswald’s Priory.

So who was Aethelflaed (pronounced Eth-el-fled) and why is she important? She was daughter of Alfred the Great and she ruled over the Kingdom of Mercia – which covered from Lincolnshire in the North East to the Wirral in the North West and as far south as the Thames. She was a great military strategist, fighting the Vikings and holding land as far north as Yorkshire.

England was, at that time, made up of many kingdoms, each with their own culture and traditions. Mercia was one of the largest and was fiercely independent. Aethelflaed made Gloucester its spiritual, cultural and learning capital.

She founded St Oswald’s Priory in Gloucester and was responsible for the street pattern of the city centre, much of which survives today.

Her leadership laid the foundations for England as a single country as we know it today.

We need to make more of our most influential daughter
So, she really does deserve to be better known than she is. People have in the past written to me asking why, as a city, we don’t make more of our most influential daughter. There is a statue of Aethelflaed in the shadow of Tamworth Castle, from where she ruled Mercia, but only a plaque and an interpretation board here. Hopefully this year will start to put right how, historically, we have underplayed our links.

A weekend of events is being put on to mark the occasion, ranging from living history, theatre and musical events at St Oswald’s Priory from 7th-12th June. A schools education pack has been produced to spread learning amongst the younger generation. To learn more about Aethelflaed, visit aethelflaedrises.com.

It seems particularly fitting that in 2018, as we mark the 100th anniversary of women getting the vote and the election of the first women Members of Parliament, we also mark this anniversary of another strong female leader. Appropriately, the theme for this year’s Gloucester History Festival is ‘Women and Leadership’. For more information visit www.gloucesterhistoryfestival.co.uk

So when you drive past the remains of St Oswald’s, on the corner of Priory Road and St Oswald’s Road, reflect on the story of this amazing woman and the role she played in the history of our city and in bringing about England the country as we know it today.