The Medieval Woman
William the Conqueror's Affect on Women During the Norman Era
In William the Conqueror's time women searched for ways to avoid male domination. Entering a convent or becoming an anchoress were two choices for medieval women.
In medieval society when a woman refused to marry there was little alternative but to enter a convent or become an anchoress (or anchorite) - a woman who sought refuge in a cell attached to a church. Women were attracted, or perhaps forced, into this way of life by changing social, political and cultural conditions as William the Conqueror imposed his rule on everything, domestic life, law, language and religion. He changed Anglo-Saxon life for ever. It was mainly noblewomen who entered convents. Their families could afford to support the community with healthy donations whereas lower-class women and their families could not.
It's debatable whether life in a medieval English convent was actually better than life as a married woman. For many young women the rigors of convent life were an extremely unpleasant shock. It was not necessarily the life of quiet contemplation that they expected. It was especially hard for the noblewoman unaccustomed to physical labour. In these self-supporting communities nuns earned their keep and maintained their property.
The alternative to the convent was to become an anchoress. The applicant needed permission from the nobleman responsible for the church to which she would be "anchored" and also from the bishop or even the king. She was questioned to ensure she was not a heretic. She needed references from members of her religious community proving she was of good character and her reasons for wanting to become an anchoress were sincere. The would-be anchoress had to prove that she could support herself and not be a burden on the church or local community. Occasionally wealthy relatives might provide the minimum income required to feed and clothe her. Some of these women even received royal patronage. Supporting a recluse increased the king's perceived virtue in the eyes of his religious guides. The anchoress repaid his patronage by praying for his soul. The royal pension for an anchorite in the twelfth century was one old penny per day.
A Requiem Mass was performed when new anchorites were enclosed in cells. After enclosure the anchoress was deemed to be "dead" and given the Last Rites. Sometimes the cell became the burial chamber of its owner but usually it was bequeathed to a servant or friend. The cell (or anchorhold) was attached to the wall of a church or cathedral, or very occasionally a monastery or convent. It was small, approximately 12' x 12', with two windows. One opened into the church so that the anchoress could receive the sacraments and take part in services. The other opened onto the street to allow contact with her servants and visitors.
You would expect that having been "enclosed" in this cell, the anchoress would live a solitary existence. For many the solitary life included contact with visitors, plus personal servants who performed mundane tasks like cooking and laundry. So in reality, the ritualistic enclosure was only symbolic.
There are several good books on this subject including "Medieval Lives", Jones, T. BBC Books, 2004, and "Women in Medieval Life", Labarge, W. M., Penguin Books Ltd, 2001.
