Civilised ruler

Several years ago, Mr Stansbury, from Devon, wrote about the foundation of Oxford in the letters page.

I have kept the letter and am taking the liberty of quoting some of it.

He said it was a shame that people did not remember with more warmth and understanding the woman who played such an important part in the foundation of Oxford between 886 and 892.

No doubt she has been neglected by historians because she was a woman.

She was the first-born child of Alfred the Great and if her achievement were properly recognised, she would be seen as one of the greatest English rulers.

She left a legacy in Oxford and elsewhere that has shaped England for the last 11 centuries.

Visitors to Oxford are given a garbled and factually inaccurate story.

The facts are given in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle which states that in 911, Edward, King of Wessex, took Oxford from his sister Ethelfled, the Lady of the Mercians. This makes it clear that Oxford was founded before 911 and not by Edward.

It had been part of Mercia and governed by the joint rulers of Mercia, Ethelfled and her husband Ethelred.

It is most likely that Oxford was founded by them as part of their policy of town building, which included the restoration of London and the rebuilding of Gloucester, Hereford, Worcester and several other towns.

This had a long-lasting effect on the map of England, and also resulted in making England strong enough to withstand the Vikings.

Ethelfled was a peacemaker and a civilised ruler, and it is wrong that her achievements are attributed to her brother.

Perhaps the relevant facts about Oxford in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle could be made known to the people of Oxford and we could then have even more to tell the tourists and even more about the true beginnings and foundation of Oxford.

There must be more facts and figures in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle about Ethelfled, which are hidden because she was a woman in a man's world.

E COOPER (Mrs) Sandy Lane Blackbird Leys Oxford