Orders Of Monasteries In England

Welcome to the Orders Of Religion During The British Isles Since Medieval Times

Augustinians

The Augustinians canons were not strictly a monastic order in the manner of Benedictine or Cistercians, although their doctrine did adopt numerous aspects of those rules laid down by St Benedict’s. These foundations were numerical terms at lease, the most important group of monastic Britain. What set the canons apart was their contact with the outside world, not only by visiting villages and urban towns to preach, but also by welcoming the local community into church services. The Austin canons, as the order was called in England, were also known as the black canons mainly due to the colour of the order cloaks when they were out in public preaching to its population.

Carmelites

Founded during the twelfth century, they wore all brown apart from a white outer hood was either black or brown. The English province, to which the Irish and Scottish houses belonged until 1305, made rapid progress until about the middle of the fourteenth century, after which date foundations became less numerous, while from time to time some of the smaller houses were given up. The history of the Irish and Scottish provinces has never been exhaustively studied, owing chiefly to the loss of many documents. The total number of Irish convents is variously given as twenty-five or twenty-eight. The Scottish province numbered at the utmost twelve convents, of which that of South Queensferry at the foot of the Forth Bridge is still extant. Here again we have to content ourselves with stray notices, from which, however, it is manifest that the order was in high favour with the Crown.

Cistercians orders

Probably one of Britain’s well-known orders was the Cistercians. This orders came about due to the frustration and disenchantment felt by some Benedictine monks who considered that attitudes and behaviour in their own order had fallen below the require standards laid out in the rule of St Benedict’s. The order came about their name in 1098 AD in which they established a new community amid the solitude and peace of the forest around Citeaux whose Latin name was Cistercium.

The Cistercians orders was unlike the Benedictine order, which functioned independently on each other, the Cistercians regarded themselves as a united family, irrespective of an Abbey’s location. The Cistercians were known in England as the white monks due to their habits of coarse, undyed sheep’s wool, and the harshness of their environment matched that of their garments. Monasteries were built in remote locations often near to a good water supply like rivers; the furnishings were very basic with few adornments and, where other churches might use gold and sliver for items such as candlesticks. The Cistercians made do with Iron.

Benedictine orders

The Benedictine orders was introduce into Britain by St Augustine’s mission towards the end of the 6^th century, and his monastery at Canterbury became the first Benedictine house to be founded on English soil. The Benedictine followed the rule of St Benedict’s. Life in the order followed a timetable divide into three distinct areas of activity, the most important being the eight fixed periods of church worship this was known as opus Dei meaning the work of God. The monks slept fully clothed to minimize delay in beginning the daily round of prayers at the dauntingly early hours of 2am. Work in the Cloister occupied a large portion of each day that included meditation but also in translating and copying religious manuscripts. Some of the books required 250 calves’ skins that provide a sufficient quantity of vellum. Manual labour was apart of daily life of the Benedictine Monks like with most orders they had to produce food and tend to cattle.

Gilbertines

Founded by St. Gilbert, about the year 1130. The habit of the Gilbertine canons consisted of a black tunic reaching to the ankles, covered with a white cloak and hood, which were lined with lamb's wool. The nuns were in white, and during the winter months were allowed to wear in choir a tippet of sheepskin and a black cap lined with white wool.From their foundation till the dissolution of the monasteries the Crown showed great favour to the Gilbertines. They were the only purely English order and owed allegiance to no foreign superiors as did the Cluniacs and Cistercians. Most of the Houses were situated in England with the exspetion of Westmeath, Ireland

Carthusian

In the 11th and 12th century the Carthusian order came from France, the name is derived from the French chartreuse through the Latin cartusia. The order came to the Britain and built monasteries, which are called charterhouses, and sometimes the place names can lead to clues of their monastic sites. The order was built around other orders, which placed emphasis on communal living and also individual prayers.

The monasteries of carthusian had some unique features the monastery covers a great deal of ground owing to the system of life. It usually consists, of the great cloister, round which are the separate houses, or "cells" of the monks, the lesser cloister with cells of various officials, the "obediences", or workshops of the lay brothers and their living rooms, church, chapter-house, refectory and other conventuals offices. with large cloisters, central garden and communal church with a guesthouse. There was a lower house for the lay brothers. The best surviving example can be found at Mount Grace in North Yorkshire. Like with most monastic orders they too had off shoots like the Grandmontine order from France who orders was built around extreme poverty in small monasteries. There are only three that have ever been found in the British Isles so far. The next order was the Bridgetine, which was founded in Sweden during the mid 14th Century this order-included nun with monks, one foundation of this order was at Syon close to Henry V palace.

Premonstratensians

The Premonstratensians also known as the Norbertines were a reforming order under Augustinan rule, motivated by the same intense ideals that has earlier resulted in the creation of Cisterians.The Premonstratensians were a reforming order under Augustinian rule, motivated by the same intense ideal that has earlier resulted in the creation of Cistercians. The order was named after the remote forest hamlet of Premontre, near Laon in northeastern France. Its members were referred to as white canons for they elected to wear habits of the same colour as their Cistercian role models. The Premonstratensians structured their order in the same manner as Citeaux with regard to the authority and control exercised by the motherhouse. The first house was founded in England was Newhouse, Lincolnshire, in 1143

Dominicans

The Black Friars called Dominicans who had its foundations in southern France and came to England at about 1230. Next, we have the Carmelite who was known as the white friars who spread across the Mediterranean to Britain and laid its foundations in even more isolated places for that of the other orders mentioned so far. The Observant had built their order around St Francis and his teaching and became more popular in Ireland than in Britain. Black friars are large order owing its foundations to the Dominicans friars. This order was a training place for friars and finally, the Austin or Augustinian friars a group established by the Pope in 1256.

Friaries

The Friaries were a lot different to our Benedictine and Cistercian orders. The friaries encourage Christianity teaching and were often seen with the outside world not only this they also solely relied on begging to gain a small income. This order also had its fare share of offshoots that sprang up across medieval Britain, like the Franciscans also called the grey friars who were like founded in Italy during the 13th century. This order was growing extremely fast in medieval towns throughout Britain.

Cluniac order

In 1077 the Cluniac order came to Britain represented a reformed variant of the Benedictine tradition. The Cluniac order flourished mainly due to the support from Norman barons and lords. so much of Cluniacs time was devoted to church services that they were unable to perform any manual work and little study. The order has its origins in France with the foundations of an important monastery at Cluny in 909, the site was later rebuilt radically in the 11th century as an impressive palatial complex. The Cluniac order was very different from the Benedictine order as the Cluniace monasteries were directly responsible to the Pope.

Military Orders

In 1099, military orders became more much more popular in Britain due to the capture of Jerusalem. The order was comprised group of warrior monks dedicated to fighting for god. The order also built monastic establishments and the funding to support of military campaigns in the holy land. Hardly anything is known about Military Orders in the British Isles or if they owned land.

Hospitals Orders

Hospitals lived in the British Isles lived in communities and monastic charter, most of the Hospitals work was based around charity dedicated age and destitute as well as the care for the sick. The hospitals were also dedicated and spent most of their time to try to care for those who were suffering and also to the medieval people and to ensure salvation.

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