Aethelflaed, also known as Lady of the Mercians, was the eldest daughter of King Alfred the Great. Justifiably thought of as England’s forgotten Queen; she was a formidable leader in a shadowy history of the dark ages. She only one child, a daughter, AElfwynn, and when her husband Aethelred died in 911, she ruled Mercia alone. *

Spending much of her time in Tamworth, she raised her nephew Aethelstan here. He would go on to become the first King of all England. On 12 June, 918 Aethelflaed died in Tamworth and a few days later was finally laid to rest in St Oswald’s Priory, Gloucester, beside her husband.*

*Information from a signboard near Aethelflaed’s statue in front of Tamworth Castle

In addition to displaying items from the Staffordshire hoard Tamworth Castle also has on display the Glascote Torc.

The Glascote Torc is an Iron Age, gold, silver and copper ally torc, probably dating from the 5th-4th century BC. The Torc was found in 1943 by Mr S. G. bates and Mr G. E. Croshaw whilst digging a drainage ditch in Glascote boat yard next to the Coventry Canal between Glascote and Amington.

In 1970 when Mrs G Bates read an article on ancient torcs she realised the significance of the gold band the family had in a box in their attic.

During our visit to Tamworth castle a descendent of the family told us personal family anecdotes about the the Torc before they family, after reading the newspaper article, realised it had historical significance.

Following this discovery the Torc was held and displayed in The Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. After many years of campaigning, in 2025 the Torc has returned home, on loan to Tamworth Castle. It is displayed in a gallery next to the Staffordshire Hoard.

No photography is allowed of the Staffordshire Hoard or the Torc. The picture above shows the replica of the Torc made in 2007.