The Office of Saint Richard of Hampole, written in support of Richard Rolle's canonization in the 1380s, clearly includes his ministry to women as a central part, prominently incorporating the story of Margaret of Kirkby, the enclosed woman for and to whom Rolle writes The Form of Living. In the story, Margaret has a devastating seizure and Rolle comes to minister to her because he had long admired and loved her. When he arrives, she comes out of her seizure and falls asleep, leaning on him through the window of the anchorhold. But then she has another seizure before her complete restoration:

Rolle prophetically promises her that she will have no more seizures while he is alive, which the office recounts was true, but Margaret has another seizure upon his death. Rosamund Allen suggests that Margaret herself provided these details (she lives much longer than Rolle and is alive when his office is written). She writes ‘the tone of Margaret's report of Rolle's promise to her is serene, reflecting a deep and fruitful friendship. Richard Rolle was a man who inspired deep affection in those who knew him, and a loyal following of friends, particularly from the peasant class, after his death.’ This extensive moment in the Office personalizes both Rolle and Margaret, to whom more than one of Rolle's vernacular works is addressed. The image of the window, too, serves as a metaphor for the kind of reach that Rolle had into the anchorhold – he is outside of it but inside, looking through, supporting.

I think of Catherine Innes-Parker this way too. Throughout my academic career she was a supporting figure – someone I could lean on, lean towards. She was a professional support (letters of recommendation, tenure advice) and personal (we had many long discussions about academic motherhood).