From Boudica to Cathy Dennis, it is an eclectic list of names, representing a huge array of achievements - and all with a strong link to our county.

But a poll to find Norfolk's Greatest Woman, from a shortlist of nine names, was eventually won by Norfolk nurse and First World War heroine Edith Cavell with 35pc of the votes.

The contest ran on the Evening News website throughout yesterday, to mark International Women's Day, and attracted hundreds of votes.

The initial shortlist was drawn up by the newspaper - with admittedly wide parameters - and readers were able to suggest other candidates they felt had been overlooked.

Among those proposed were the Norwich-born actress Olivia Colman, Norwich North MP Chloe Smith, Brenda Arthur, the Lord Mayor, and Harriet Martineau, credited as the first female sociologist.

The results of our quiz to find Norfolk's Greatest Woman (most popular first):

• Edith Cavell

Working as a nurse in German-occupied Belgium during the First World War, she assisted wounded soldiers from both sides, without discrimination. She also helped more than 200 Allied soldiers escape. For this, she was sentenced to death. Well remembered for her statement 'patriotism is not enough' and her strong Anglicanism.

• Boudica

Queen of the East Anglian Iceni tribe, she led an uprising against the Roman Empire. Her warriors destroyed the capital of Roman Britain, Camulodunum (Colchester), before her forces were eventually defeated. She is thought to have taken poison to avoid being captured.

• Elizabeth Fry

Best remembered as a driving force behind legislation to make the treatment of prisoners more humane. In her younger years, spent growing up at Earlham Hall, Fry - born in 1780 - collected old clothes for the poor, visited the sick and started a Sunday school to teach children how to read.

• Diana, Princess of Wales

Born in Norfolk, the 'people's princess' is considered one of the most influential people of the 20th century. She became the patron of more than 100 charities.

• Julian of Norwich

The first woman known to have published a book in the English language. Her work, Revelations of Divine Love, a 14th century work of mystical devotions, established her as one of Christianity's most creative theologians.

• Dorothy Jewson

A suffragette and socialist, who spent her life campaigning for women's right to vote and helping to make a difference in Norfolk. In 1923 she became Norwich's first female Member of Parliament and from 1927 onwards focused on local politics, working as a Norwich city councillor to tackle housing and unemployment issues.

• Delia Smith

She may be Britain's best selling cookery writer - with more than 21 million sales to her name - but in Norfolk she is most celebrated for her association with Norwich City, of whom she is a joint majority shareholder.

• Cathy Dennis

A successful singer in her own right, but her performing career has been far overshadowed by her subsequent record as a songwriter. She has been behind a string of global hits for some of the most famous performers of recent years. Her works include Britney Spears' 'Toxic', 'Can't Get You Out Of My Head' by Kylie Minogue and Katy Perry's 'I Kissed A Girl'.

• Emma Pooley

Former professional cyclist turned triathlete, Pooley became the first British woman to win a medal in the Olympic time trial, taking silver in 2008. She was also World Time Trial Champion in 2010. She may yet return to cycling, for the Rio Olympics this year.