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writes of the Shaftesbury Abbey : " Another monastery also 

 was built by the same king (Alfred) near the eastern gate of 

 Shaftesbury, and his own daughter, Ethelgifa, was placed in it 

 as abbess. With her, many other noble ladies dwell in that 

 monastery." Here we see that Shaftesbury was a walled and 

 gated town ere Alfred built the monastery. Asser calls Ethel- 

 gede Efhelgifa (Saxon Ethelgifu or Ethelgeafa, Noble gift), but I 

 will stand by the will of King Alfred. As Abbess of Shaftes- 

 bury there Ethelgede lived and died, and was buried, and, as we 

 may believe, in the ground of the Abbey Church. King Alfred 

 had land at Sturminster Newton, and left it with other lands to 

 his youngest son. His will says : " And pam gingran minam 

 eunathaetland aet Sturemynster." The abbey last - 1 under many 

 noble abbesses till the Reformation, when it was sold and soon 

 demolished. Henry VIII. sent many of the finest buildings of Eng- 

 land to the wrecker of works of art. From a princess who was 

 buried at Shaftesbury let us glance at a prince whose body was 

 received by its abbey Edward, the so-called martyr, though in 

 the true Christian meaning of the word, martyr he was not' 

 Edward was the son of Edgar, and was stabbed at Corfe Castle 

 from the bad will of his stepmother, Elfrida, whom his father 

 had wedded A.D. 965. The Saxon Chronicle says, under the 

 year A.D. 978, "Her wearth Eadweard cyning ofslegen on 

 aefentide, aet Corfes geate ; and hine man tha bebyrigde aet 

 "Wareham, butan alcum cynelicum worthscipe ' : '"'Here was 

 King Edward slain at eventide at Corfes gate, and they then 

 buried him at Wareham without any kingly honour." A.D. 980 

 Aelfere, Edward's ealdorman, took his body at Wareham and 

 bore it with great honour to Shaftesbury, where it was laid in the 

 Abbey. " A.D. 980 Aelfere, Eadweardes ealdorman, gesette his 

 lichoman aet Waerham, and geferode hine mid mycelum 

 weorthscipe to Sceaftesbyrig." By Corf's Gate, where Edward 

 was slain, we are not to understand the Grate of a Castle, but the 

 Gap in the hill, through which runs the Corfe stream. Edward 

 the Martyr was of the kin of King Alfred, and thence we can 

 understand why his body was brought from Wareham to the 



