Lady Loretta de Braose was a noblewoman born in the 1180's and who died on 4th March 1266. As a very young woman she was married to the Earl of Leicester, but after a few years he was killed in battle and she was left a widow. Her father was a close ally of King John until they had a major falling out in 1208. As a result of this Loretta's fortune was taken from her and she fled with her father to France. Her mother and brother were captured by King John and died in prison.
In 1221 she became an anchoress ( a contemplative who lived in one room attached to a church) at St Stephen's Hackington, a small church just outside Canterbury, and she lived there until her death. Despite her enclosure she was a rich and influential woman who supported early Franciscans in England and shortly before she died received a letter from the King asking about her experience when Countess of Leicester.
When Covid hit us and we were locked down it occurred to me that we could learn a lot from someone who did not move from one room yet lived a fulfilling and influential life. My musings on the this became
The diary of an involuntary anchorite
Loretta is honoured at St Stephen's around the date of her death each year and in 2023 I gave one of the talks:
What can we learn from Loretta in the 21st century?
More about Loretta can be found on the St Stephen's website
and other live streamed Loretta events can be found here: