Gilbertine

The Gilbertine order, a Roman Catholic religious order, is the only religious order to have been founded by an Englishman. It was founded c.1130 by St. Gilbert of Sempringham (c. 1085–1190), orignally intended for women (nuns), supported by lay brothers and priests (men). Gilbert applied to the Cistercians for help, but they refused, not liking the association of women with men living monastically - lthough in a Gilbertine establishment, the nuns and monks inhabited separate wings. Saint Gilbert persisted with his work, and by his death there were 13 houses in the order, four for men only. The order "enjoyed considerable success in eastern England" (Cannon, 2009. However, the order never successfully spread outside England and disappeared following the *dissolution of its [by then] 24 communities in 1538–9" (ibid) in the course of the Henrician Reformation.