With our without a hump :)

I've read this in lots of Gothic novels. They apparently have this convention that, if required, (especially young) women could seek a home among the religious recluses and know that they could stay until they felt it was safe to leave with a trustworthy guardian to protect them from the danger that drove them into hiding in the first place.

Of course, England in the late 18th century didn't have monasteries or convents, so it was probable that writers could make up whatever they chose.