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Until the end of the eleventh century the monasteries in England mostly belonged to the Benedictine Order following the Rule of St. Benedict, but in the twelfth century new monasteries were being built that followed new Orders. The main reason for this was that some believed the the old monasteries were becoming too rich and not behaving as St. Benedict had wanted, so they returned to a stricter version of the Order.

The Benedictines or Black Monks

The Benedictines otherwise known as the Black Monks were not an Order in the same respect as those detailed below. They were named after St. Benedict who devised a set of rules for the monks to follow. Benedictine abbeys and monasteries all followed the Rule of St. Benedict and were generally self contained and were not dependant on a mother house. Known originally as the Black Monks because they wore black cloaks they became known as Benedictines later on when new Orders began to appear to distingish them from the others. Benedictine monasteries were common across both England and Normandy at the time of William the Conqueror. William founded the Benedictine Battle Abbey on the site of the Battle of Hastings in 1067.

Benedictine abbeys were known for their books and artwork. They kept important libraries where the books were copied and illustrated. The books held a chronicle of information relating to the history of both the monasteries and the nation as a whole.

Over time the Benedictines became rich and involved in the world around them. Some monks within the ranks believed the Rule of St. Benedict was not being followed and wanted to return to the simpler life that Benedict had originally envisaged. So new Orders evolved, named after the first house that was build. The Cluniacs came from Cluny, and the Cistercians from Citeaux.

The Cluniac Order (Founded 910)

The Carthusian Order (Founded 1084)

The Carthusians were founded in 1084 by Saint Bruno at Grande Chartreuse (or La Cartreause) and were descended from the Benedictines. In England their houses were known as Charter-houses. The Rule that these monks followed was possibly the most strict of all the orders. Being a Carthusian monk meant that the ideal of leaving the world behind when entering a monastery was taken literally. Each monk lived in solitude in a small cell where he did his own cooking and slept. He had a small area of garden in which to grow food and only meet his fellow monks once a week. As the life was so strict and the order did not communicate with the outside world the number of abbeys remained less than ten in number. Only two Carthusian houses were founded before the middle of the fourteenth century, those being Wilton and Nottinghamshire in around 1180 and Hinton and Somerset in around 1227.

The Cistercians or White Monks (Founded 1098)

Orders of Friars

Like monks, friars took the usual vows associated with religious orders, but unlike monks, friars travelled around the country and preached to those who would not normally be reached by other means. While they travelled they stayed at houses belonging to the order that were located in the towns they visited.

Dominican Friars (Founded 1216)

The Dominican Order was founded in 1216 by St. Dominic. An important aspect of this Order is that of learning and several houses were founded in cities with links to universities. A Dominican house was founded in Oxford in 1221.

Anchorites and Anchoresses

These were men and women who chose to live a totally solitary life in prayer away from the outside world. Unlike hermits who lived in the wilderness and had some contact with others, an anchorite lived alone in a cell and never came out. The cell could be attached to a church and permission for the person to become an anchotite needed to be provided by a bishop.

Apostasy

When a person turns their back on their religious life it is known as apostasy. In medieval times an apostate would be arrested and returned to their religious house to the punished according to the rules of the order under which they lived.