St Ethelburga ( d. AD 675) was the ruler and possibly owner of Barking Abbey which was given to her by her brother Erkenwald (Bishop of London, d. AD 693). The brother and sister were thought to be of royal blood. Hildelith was invited by Erkenwald to teach Ethelburga the monastic traditions. She was a formidable organiser, a wise woman, and was utterly fearless when dealing with the high and mighty; she held precedence over all other abbesses in England, because Barking was a royal foundation. You can still see the outline of the Abbey buildings in the park next to St Margaret's parish church, which was built within the Abbey grounds in the 13th century.