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42 YORK.
churches and ordained presbyters and deacons to
assist him in preaching and baptising,"— "a sort
of foreshadowing," says Professor Bright,^ " of the
parochial system."
A terrible and final struggle was now at hand.
Penda, though he had now reached fourscore years,
had lost none of his energy, and made a furious
attack upon East Anglia. Anna and his army
perished. In tlie following year he contrived some
pretext for an attack upon Northumbria. The alliances
that had taken place between his son Peada
and Oswy's daughter on the one hand, and between
Alchfrid, Oswy's son, and Penda's daughter Kyniburga
on the other, were utterly unregarded as
guarantees of lasting amity. The placing by Oswy
of another son as a hostage with Penda's queen, and
the offer of a costly subsidy were equally nugatory.
The ancient warrior gathered together a vast host,
far exceeding in numbers the force which Oswy could
bring into the field. But Oswy was strong in a
higher strength than Penda knew of, and he vowed a
vow unto the Lord that if victory were granted him
he would give his infant daughter to serve Him in
holy virginity, and would assign twelve tracts of land
for the maintenance of as many monasteries. [655,
Nov. 15.] The armies met at a place called Winuaedfield,
near a river which may probably be identified
with that now known as the Went. The battle was
fierce and bloody. Penda fell, and his army was destroyed,
more perishing in the waters which were
' " Early English Church History," p. 171. See also Bede's
" Ecclesiastical History," iii. p. 24.