February 4medievalRoman

Gilbert of Sempringham

Priest and Founder

Sanctified Life

c. 1085 AD — c. 1189 AD

Sempringham, Lincolnshire, England

Also Known As

Founder of the GilbertinesApostle of Lincolnshire

Patronage

Gilbertine Order,English monasticism,

"Gilbert was a lover of truth and justice, chastity and sobriety, and a diligent cultivator of the other virtues: wherefore he was revered and praised by all and obtained their favour and regard."

Gilbert of Sempringham founded the only monastic order of English origin, living to approximately 104 years old — long enough to see his twenty-six convents flourish across England. A Norman lord's son who chose theology over the sword, he built a revolutionary double monastery that defied canonical convention by uniting nuns, canons, lay brothers, and sisters under a single rule.

Historical Legacy

Historical Journey

Life Locations

Historical Context

Gilbert of Sempringham (c. 1085–1189) was born in Sempringham, Lincolnshire, to Jocelin, an Anglo-Norman lord, and an unnamed Anglo-Saxon mother. Unusually for his era, his father discouraged a military career, instead sending him to France—likely the University of Paris—to study theology. Upon returning around 1120, Gilbert entered the household of Robert Bloet, Bishop of Lincoln, eventually founding a school and being ordained by the bishop's successor, Alexander of Lincoln. In 1129, Gilbert became vicar of St Andrew's in Sempringham and St Mary's in West Torrington. When his father died in 1130, he inherited the manors and began his revolutionary religious work. In 1131, he established the Gilbertine Order, described as "the only medieval Englishman to found a conventual order." This double monastery uniquely combined canons regular with nuns, lay brothers, and sisters—a structure that defied canonical convention. The order eventually operated twenty-six convents across England. Gilbert approached the Cistercians in 1148 seeking support, but they "refused because he included women in his order." He weathered accusations of aiding Thomas Becket in 1165 and a lay brothers' rebellion in 1174, receiving papal backing from Pope Alexander III. Canonized in 1202 by Pope Innocent III, Gilbert died around 1189 at approximately 104 years old, his order enduring until Henry VIII's dissolution of monasteries.

Canonization: saint

Learn More on Wikipedia

Historical Depiction

Wikimedia Commons Source

Tradition

English monasticismMedieval religious reformDouble monasteries

Titles & Roles

• Founder of religious order• Priest• Abbot• Monastic reformer

Works & Prayers

document

Rule of the Gilbertine Order

Gilbert's foundational rule for the double monastery — uniting canons regular, nuns, lay brothers, and sisters under a single governance — the only conventual rule composed by a medieval Englishman.

Prayers

"The traditional prayer invoking Gilbert's intercession — drawing on his founding vision, his pastoral steadfastness, and his century-long fidelity to a radical calling."

O God, who called your servant Gilbert to build a house of prayer that welcomed women and men alike, grant us through his intercession the courage to serve those whom others exclude, the patience to persevere through accusation and rebellion, and the wisdom to see that no life given wholly to you is ever wasted. May we, like Gilbert, live long in faithfulness and die leaving the world more holy than we found it. Amen.

Gallery

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St.Gilbert's well - geograph.org.uk - 528617

Richard Croft • 2007-08-09

CC BY-SA 2.0

St Gilbert's well at Sempringham

Sacred Symbols

Bishop's Staff

Represents Gilbert's pastoral authority as founder and spiritual father of the Gilbertines — guiding nuns and canons alike under a rule no one else had dared to write

Monastic Habit

The Gilbertine white habit with black cloak — emblem of the unique double monastery Gilbert built against canonical convention and Cistercian refusal

Life Journey

Early Life

Son of an Anglo-Norman lord, Gilbert was sent to Paris to study theology instead of bearing arms — an unusual path that shaped his lifelong commitment to learning and reform.

Turning Point

Inheriting his father's manors in 1130, Gilbert poured that inheritance into founding a radical double monastery at Sempringham in 1131 — the only one of its kind in England.

Legacy

He led the Gilbertines for sixty years, weathered royal accusation and internal rebellion, and died around age 104 — his 26 houses outlasting him by three and a half centuries.

Key Moments

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1085

Birth at Sempringham

Born in Sempringham, Lincolnshire, to Jocelin, an Anglo-Norman lord, and an Anglo-Saxon mother — a dual inheritance that may have deepened his empathy for the excluded and the overlooked.

1120

Return from Paris

After studying theology in France — likely at the nascent University of Paris — Gilbert returned to Lincolnshire and entered the household of Bishop Robert Bloet of Lincoln, where he founded a school.

1123

Ordained Priest

Ordained by Alexander of Lincoln, Gilbert took on the pastoral responsibilities that would provide the human roots for everything his order would become.

1129

Appointed Vicar

Became vicar of St Andrew's in Sempringham and St Mary's in West Torrington — the local ministry from which a network of twenty-six monasteries would eventually spring.

1131

The Gilbertine Order Founded

Gilbert established the Gilbertine Order at Sempringham, uniquely combining canons regular with nuns, lay brothers, and sisters — the only conventual order ever founded by a medieval Englishman.

1148

Rebuffed by the Cistercians

Seeking Cistercian affiliation for his growing order, Gilbert was refused because he had included women. He returned to England and pressed forward alone, vindicated by subsequent papal approval.

1165

Accused over Thomas Becket

Faced with royal accusations of sheltering the exiled Archbishop Thomas Becket, Gilbert held firm and received the backing of Pope Alexander III — a signal vindication of his integrity.

1174

Lay Brothers' Rebellion

A revolt within his own order tested Gilbert's leadership to its limits; he managed the crisis with papal support and emerged with the Gilbertine charism intact and the houses still standing.

1189

Death at Sempringham

Gilbert died at Sempringham at approximately 104 years old — the longest-lived founder in English monastic history — leaving twenty-six convents flourishing across the land he never left.

1202

Canonized by Pope Innocent III

Declared a saint thirteen years after his death, Gilbert's relics were enshrined at Sempringham and his feast fixed on February 4 — the day of his death.