In celebration of 1,000 years of St Oswald’s Priory, I am taking part in a unique celebration of the life of Aetheflaed, the Lady of Mercia, whose palace was at St Oswald’s Priory.

The lady herself helped to build the united England that we know today and this year marks the 1,100th anniversary of her death. Her significance to Gloucester is legendary, she was buried beneath the Anglo-Saxon Palace in our very city, the same one that she built to house the sacred relics of a Christian king.

I will be joining the reenactment on Saturday 9th June as we parade the body of Aetheflaed (in the form of an actress, of course!) through the streets of our historic city. Alongside this funeral procession, members of the public will be able to view a display at St Oswald’s Priory to see what life was like in the dark ages. Spooky!

Image credit: The City of Gloucester