She was a woman of power, principle and piety, who established a double monastery in Ely for monks and nuns, writes Charles Moseley.
Travelling to Ely, and seeing the great Tower and Octagon of Ely Cathedral rising above the level fen, it looks as if it has always been there. But it hasn’t. The building we see was not even started until 400 years after the death of that remarkable woman, Etheldreda, who in 673 founded a double monastery for monks and nuns on the rich island her first husband had given her as a wedding present.
