Sounds as though it should be a song by Lindisfarne or some similar group, but I found this small roadside memorial a long way from Newcastle.
It was in Wolverhampton down Gorsebrook Road, leading to the racecourse and it unfortunately gave no clue as to who the Lady Wulfruna was. Thanks to Google I now know that Wulfrun (Wulfruna is the Latin translation of her name) was an Anglo-Saxon noblewoman, the granddaughter of King Ethelred I and his Queen Aethelflaed, which also made her the great granddaughter of King Alfred the Great.
She gave her name to Wolverhampton through the phrase "Wulfruna's Heantune" or "Wulfruna's high town". The site is apparently known as Lady Wulfruna's Well and is reputed to sit over a spring, though there is no sign of any water there now. The memorial (but not the wall or railings) dates from 1901 and used to be a drinking fountain with tap and cup, but they have disappeared also. I've noticed it before on previous visits to run workshops at the nearby Science Park and this time had a camera with me!
This shows that Wolverhampton is a very historic town.
ReplyDeleteIt was an important place in Anglo Saxon times when Birmingham did not even exist, that's why I get annoyed when people call me a "Brummie".
As an inhabitant of Wolverhampton for over 50 years I am proud of my City.