According to the Vita of St. Osyth, this seventh century Mercian princess was forced to wed Sighere, the East Saxon King. The king did not consumate the marriage but released Osyth and gave her land at Chich on which to found a women's minster. She was murderd by Danish pirates (Veiled Women, vol. 2, 160).
Medieval Religious Houses in England and Wales, 173
Veiled Women, vol. 1, and vol. 2, 159-162
The Lives of St. Osyth of Essex and St. Osyth of Aylesbury
The Abbey of Chich, or St. Osyth's
Some account of St. Osyth’s priory, Essex, and its inhabitants ...
The Victoria History of the County of Essex2:157-62 available online at ">http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=39848&strquery=osyth"> [Victoria County History]
Osyth, Frithuwold, and Aylesbury
Several donations were made to St. Osyth's after 870; however, they seem to have been made to the church which was controlled by a succession of individuals and groups--some secular and some religious (See Veiled Women, vol. 2, 160-161 for further discussion of this).
This community needs further verification. According to VCH it is doubtful that this priory ever existed in this form.
