ABSTRACT
Aelred composed this chapter for his sister, an anchoress in Yorkshire. Anchoresses were religious women who lived in solitude as if they were dead to the world. Aelred designed his Rule both to address the practical requirements of her life and to offer her meditative models. Despite being the subject and recipient of the Rule, Aelreds sister is an enigmatic character, devoid of personal characteristics, background, and most significantly, a name. Given these circumstances, her life presents a dubious prospect for research. Aelreds sister has suffered from a lack of interest among many modern scholars. The majority have considered that there is simply too little information about her life. Aelreds most well-known modern biographer, Aelred Squire, discussed the outline of the Rule but barely mentioned its recipient. Aelreds sister was a visible, viable presence in his life, one who inspired him to extend his concern beyond the male domain of Rievaulx into the nebulous world of female anchoretic spirituality.
