Mapping Non-Cloistered Religious Women

The Other Sister Research Group met on March 7, 2025 to discuss the topic of “Mapping Non-Cloistered Religious Women”. It was organized by Delfi Nieto-Isabel and Tanya Stabler-Miller, and chaired by the latter. Tanya introduced the four projects which explore the experiences of pre-modern women outside of the cloister.

  • Tracy Chapman Hamilton (Sweet Briar College), working with Mariah Proctor-Tiffany (California State University, Long Beach): Mapping Medieval Women

Using material and textual archival sources, mappingthemedievalwoman.com makes visible women’s foundations, rituals, residences, convents, and work in the cityscape of Paris c. 1300.

  • Michelle M. Sauer (University of North Dakota) and Justin Wigard (University of North Dakota): Mapping Anchorholds of the Northwest Atlantic

In this project, sacred space of the medieval past comes alive with the tools of modern geomapping. The project creates a digital map of extant anchorholds along with the sites of textual production of anchoritic and anchoritic-affiliated texts (including sites of their original composition, places where copying occurs, and maps of dialectal features). This has not been done before in any form despite the importance of space to this religious life.

  • Delfi I. Nieto-Isabel (Queen Mary University of London): ILLITTERATAE – Digital Cataloguing and Historical Network Analysis of Dissident Beguines in the Western Mediterranean

Using social network analysis, geographic information systems, and other digital tools, ILLITTERATAE locates and maps the activity of groups of beguins and beguines associated with the reforming branch of the Franciscan order in western Mediterranean cities.

  • Eleonora Rava (University of St Andrews) and Frances Andrews (University of St Andrews): Recluses Mapping Project

The project was initially part of, “InSpeCo. Inside Speaker’s Corner. Late Medieval Italian Anchoresses in European Context” funded by a Marie Curie Individual Fellowship in 2016-2018 (https://arts.st-andrews.ac.uk/inspeco/map/). The map, which is automatically generated by a relational database of recluses, illuminates the presence of recluses throughout Italy.

Tracy Chapman began with an overview of the project mappingthemedievalwoman.com. It started in 2014, when Tracy and Mariah Proctor-Tiffany learned how to use ArcGIS in their work as art historians. Using ArcGIS, they marked the same sites on both a historic and modern map of Paris in order to ‘geo-rectify’ it, to then use the map to represent information about several women who became queens of France. They also traced these queens’ actions in the city to see how they honored both their natal land and their marital land. They did so through founding chapels, supervising the creation of specific objects, and more, therefore forging their own identity through those actions. The project maps networks of exchange for these queens, specifically their networks in Paris. Other locations were also mapped, such as burial sites and religious and educational foundations. The project works to display how visible these elite women were. The team next investigated tax rolls which led to the discovery of other women, especially those who worked in the arts, who were very wealthy and successful and had a strong presence in the tax rolls as significant businesswomen. These women were added to the map, with specifications about their trade, parish, and street. The project brings together many maps, sources, and data points, to show how visible women were in Paris c. 1300. While Paris might have been thought to be mainly a domain of men, this project challenges that notion, and locates women participating in society fully, even in jobs which are typically coded as masculine (carpenters, gravelmakers, masons). One of the joys of the project, Tracy shared, is the collaboration with other scholars on this project to expand it and include more women.

Tracy handed things back to Tanya (Stabler Miller), who is also involved in the project. Tanya briefly shared more information about beguines living outside of the beguinage in Paris. Many of these women worked, holding highly skilled jobs and paying significant taxes. They can be followed through tax rolls over time. Tanya highlighted the importance of mapping to understand how beguines lived, for example clustered around a specific parish church, and how their networks functioned in the city.

The next project was ‘Mapping Anchorholds of the Northwest Atlantic’ introduced by Michelle M. Sauer (University of North Dakota) and Justin Wigard (University of North Dakota). It is worth underlining that Justin is not a medievalist but specializes in twentieth- and twenty-first century literature, comic studies, and popular culture, but brought technical expertise to the project. Their project is an interactive ArcGIS map of known anchorholds in the northwest Atlantic region, showing each site with known information and photographs. Michelle shared that for 25 years she has explored the Northwest Atlantic looking for anchorholds, leading to an understanding of how recluses were highly integrated into their communities and to urban networks (such as roads and bridges). Justin shared how the mapping of the project worked, which includes over 300 sites of anchorholds. By mapping the sites, clusters of anchorholds can be identified and better understood. Each site includes the associated church, anchorite title, patrons, dates, and other information if known. There are also photographs and primary source documents. Michelle and Justin gave an example of how the project works by using a Sussex case. Justin highlighted how much content there is and how much more information there is to continue adding to the project. This could include hermitages, holy wells, and other related sites. The project is not yet available but with some additions Justin and Michelle are hopeful that it will be accessible to the public shortly.

Next, Tanya introduced Delfi I. Nieto-Isabel (Queen Mary University of London), a co-organizer of The Other Sister, and her project, ILLITTERATAE – Digital Cataloguing and Historical Network Analysis of Dissident Beguines in the Western Mediterranean. Using social network analysis, geographic information systems, and other digital tools, ILLITTERATAE locates and maps the activity of groups of beguins and beguines associated with the reforming branch of the Franciscan order in western Mediterranean cities. Delfi explained that while she does mapping, she is less concerned with geographic mapping and more with other forms of mapping. The project is based on the question of what roles illiterate women (those who didn’t understand Latin) played in religious dissidence movements, focusing on beguines and their male counterparts, beguins. These groups were based in different areas of the western Mediterranean and were increasingly suspected of heretical beliefs. They were strongly associated with radical Franciscans. After May 7, 1314, when Franciscan friars were burned at the stake for the first time, the movement spiralled out of control. Delfi consulted a multitude of sources in many archives and libraries, including inquisition manuals and other materials which discuss these women; the coordinates of where to find these sources is included in the project. The ‘actors’ interface’ shows where we can find each woman (with her age, religious status, marital status, and in which sources she is mentioned) and her social network.  From here, the maps allow researchers to find gaps in sources and ask new questions.

One such question concerns the leadership of men and women in these movements. Delfi shared that the project reveals that the leadership of men can be seen as circumstantial – disappearing when the man in question was arrested –, while that of women is generally charismatic and community-based. Indeed, usually, women’s groups had formed even before persecution began and were able to survive the arrest of a given woman. Delfi hopes to make a better history using these networks.

Next, Tanya introduced Eleonora Rava (University of St Andrews) and Frances Andrews (University of St Andrews), who joined to share their ‘Recluses Mapping Project’ for Italy. It was one of the outputs of the project “InSpeCo (Inside Speaker’s Corner): Late Medieval Italian Anchoresses in European Context” funded by a Marie Curie Individual Fellowship in 2016-2018 (https://arts.st-andrews.ac.uk/inspeco/map/). It tracks known and anonymous recluses from the thirteenth to the seventeenth century. The map is automatically generated by a relational database of recluses hosted on Research Computing technical infrastructure maintained by St Andrews IT Services. This type of project has not been undertaken in Italy before and is important because of the idea that urban reclusion relied on local context and therefore varied highly between locations. The map ties together sites which otherwise appear unrelated, showing new connections and a better understanding of recluse networks and how they interacted with the urban and natural environment. The website includes registers, chronicles, and many other sources. The project uses a multidisciplinary approach. The database is available to the public online, except for the transcript of the documents, which will be made available once Eleonora’s monograph on recluses is published. Currently, the project includes 1068 entries, providing researchers with extensive information. The mapping project can be adapted to the needs of researchers by altering the period, sorting recluses by gender, specific location, etc. It illustrates how extensive the instance of male and female reclusion was, where it occurred, its distribution, etc. This can show how far recluses were at times from towns, political borders, and more.

Next, Tanya opened the discussion up to questions. Isabelle Cochelin asked both presenters about the gender of their recluses; she specifically cited an article (Clare M. Dowding, “’A Certain Tourelle on London Wall… Was Granted…. For Him to Inhabit the Same’: London Anchorites and the City Wall,” Journal of Medieval Religious Cultures, 41/2 [2016] 44-55) which seemed to refer to as many male recluses as female recluses in late medieval London. She asked; how much was it representative of what was to be found in England compared to the situation on the continent? Eleonora answered that in Italy, female recluses were much more common. Male recluses were often priests or friars when they did occur. Justin answered that in their project, recluses also appear to be mainly women, though there are examples of men.

Tracy asked Michelle and Justin if they built their project starting with a simpler map or keeping true to modern maps. Justin answered that so far, they have used the default map but have been working to rectify it to consider the historic spaces. Michelle agreed that it is a challenge to balance historic landmarks with modern factors like modern administrative divisions.

Next, Renate Blumenfield-Kosinski asked about the technology that Delfi used. She answered that Kumu was the software, which had superior analysis capabilities but less comprehensive mapping capacity. Renate also asked Tracy and Tanya if the women listed in the Paris project worked independently, or if they shared a workshop, and if they seem to have been completely independent from men. Tanya explained that the tax rolls listed only a limited number of actors; in most cases married women are obscured from the sources by reference to their husband. She shared that sometimes married women showed up in the tax rolls, but it was rare. Singlewomen and beguines show up as long as they make a significant enough income. She added that the clusters of beguines are treated as distinct working groups within the rolls.  Tracy added that widows offer a striking example of women’s work. She finds the networks between all these women, widowed, singlewomen and beguines, especially fascinating.

Delfi added that she finds many unnamed women in her sources and includes them in her project to include them in the record, with names like ‘woman from Avignon’. Excluding women for not having a name was one of the issues that Delfi identified in projects like this. She stated that problem-solving this kind of issue is important.

Laura Moncion asked Tracy, Tanya, and Justin if their maps cover one moment or a period and how they express time in their projects. Tanya answered that the tax rolls cover about a decade around the year 1300. Other added data points also surround this period, but she hopes to expand the capabilities of the project to increase the data and other capabilities. Justin answered for their project that each map point has its own date but that he has gained new ideas for how to sort by chronological date in their project.

Next, Meghan Lescault asked how those who are interested can start adding digital humanities projects to their repertoire and how this can work alongside their other responsibilities when they want to obtain an academic position and, later, tenure. Delfi answered that there has been a movement asking for time and support to create digital humanities, especially in European funding schemes. Medievalists, she shared, are especially active in developing digital projects. Tracy added that discipline also matters in this, sharing that art historians have been working to convince departments to start including digital humanities materials in their criteria for hiring and granting tenure, and taking them as seriously as publications. Delfi also offered advice to those who wish to make a project like this, that databases have downloadable materials with a doi, so that these contributions can be viewed as a publication and the author given credit. Justin added via the chat that he agreed with the comments from Delfi and Tracy, adding that he has had positive experiences with departments who are receptive to Digital Humanities projects. He also suggested referencing the MLA guidelines for evaluating these types of projects.

Eleonora Cappuccilli asked if a shift can be seen over the centuries or in relation to certain events (for example, the Reformation) in the evolution of recluses in Eleonora’s project. Eleonora answered that reclusion in Italy expanded especially during the 13th and 14th centuries, related to mendicant movements. In particular, it was related to the creation of the Franciscan third order. Recluses, compared to women tertiaries, were less under the influence of authorities like an abbess or bishop. Another important moment was the Black Death, because the type of evidence available changed after this event. Often recluses are found in bequests for the poor in this period, while fifteenth-century sources reveal information about changing ideas of spirituality for recluses and how their confinement informed their piety.

Next, Sarah Carruthers asked Tracy and Tanya about the jobs for women that were related to book making, whether there were separate workshops for bookmaking or if they were connected to households. Tracy answered that both instances occurred, and that there was overlap and collaboration between households and communities but also instances of individual production.

Melissa Moreton asked the final question, highlighting the potential of the Italian Recluse mapping project. She shared that this kind of tool is very useful for her research but noticed that it is not as accessible to a user who is not an expert. She wondered if there is an apparatus to identify the capabilities and uses of the database so that it can be used by more people. Delfi agreed and discussed the uncertainty of medieval sources, and how to translate that into projects that still allows them to be user-friendly. Data must be adjusted to reflect the realities of the sources and incorporate the knowledge of historians so that the information has more context that allows more users to understand it. Tracy added that uncertainty has been reflected in their map using color-coding to identify the level of certainty in a piece of information (a location, for example). She echoed that making sure the viewer knows that uncertainty exists is very important.

Tanya closed the discussion with thanks to the presenters. Isabelle Cochelin highlighted the collaborative work of these kinds of projects and how well it fits into the goals of The Other Sister research group.


OpenEdition suggests that you cite this post as follows:
Julia Cole (April 25, 2025). Mapping Non-Cloistered Religious Women. The Other Sister. Retrieved November 8, 2025 from https://doi.org/10.58079/13tos


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