Alice Henley
English abbess
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Alice Henley (died 1470) was an English abbess at the Benedictine Godstow Nunnery, Godstow, Oxfordshire.[1]
Life
Henley was a senior nun of Godstow Nunnery in 1445. She was elected abbess in 1446 and ruled until she died in 1470.[1] During her rule, a royal confirmation of Godstow's foundation charters was obtained in 1462.[1]
Her tenure as abbess was during a time when religious women's lack of education in Latin was beginning to cause administrative developments to meet their needs.[1] She commissioned a summarised English translation of her abbey's Latin charters[2][3] by a "poor brother and admirer" of Henley and her convert.[4] He created the "English Register"[4] which allowed the nuns to better understand their muniments and instruct their servants without having to consult an outsider.[5] According to medieval historian Katie Ann-Marie Bugyis, the cartulary is the only one that has survived intact and is also more extensive and covers a longer time period than other cartularies of the time.[6]