Frances Bedingfeld, I.B.V.M., (1616–1704) was a Mother Superior of the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary (better known as the "Loreto Sisters") in England.[1] She came from a family which had remained loyal to the Pope.
After spending a number of years at the Institute's establishment in Munich, Germany, in 1669 she returned to England to found a school in London. Mother Frances found the support of Queen Catherine of Braganza in this effort. From this house, she founded Bar Convent in York in 1677, which is the oldest surviving Catholic convent in England. Both houses continued despite frequent harassment by local authorities for their ties to the Roman Catholic Church, being suspected of harboring priests.[2] She supervised both communities until 1686, when she settled in York.
Her family connections often helped her to avoid major punishment, even though the community endured repeated searches and destruction of their house. At the age of 76, however, she and her niece, Sister Dorothy Bedingfeld, were summoned before a magistrate and briefly committed to Ousebridge Gaol. In 1699, she resigned as Superior in favor of her niece and relocated to Munich, where she died.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed (1913). Catholic Encyclopedia. Robert Appleton Company.