Saint Gilbert of Sempringham: an unique man

       St Gilbert of Sempringham has a unique place in church history. First of all he was the only Englishman to have founded a religious order in medieval England, secondly this order was remarkable in that it was a double order with men and women, and lastly Gilbert had an extraordinarily long life, for in spite of his austerities, he lived to the age of one hundred and six!

        He was born at Sempringham in Lincolnshire and was the son of Jocelin, a Norman knight. His father sent him to the University of Paris. It is suggested that a physical deformity made him unsuitable for military service. When he returned in 1120 he entered the service of Robert Bloet, Bishop of Lincoln, and he opened a school for boys and girls. He refused an archdeanery, saying that it was a sure way to perdition. He was ordained a priest by Robert’s successor Alexander. When his father died he became lord of the manor of Sempringham.

        He became advisor to seven young women who were living in enclosure with lay sisters and brothers. With Alexander’s help, he founded the Gilbertine order and constructed at Sempringham a cloister for nuns at the north of the church of St Andrew. The male part of the order consisted of canons regular. He approached the Cistercian order for help in 1148, hoping they would take over the governing of the foundation, but they refused as it included women! Eventually he had a chain of 26 convents, monasteries and missions. On his visit to Citeaux he met Pope Eugenius III, St Bernard and St Malachy, Arcbishop of Armagh. The Pope expressed regret that he had not known of Gilbert earlier as he would have created him Archbishop of York - though it is unlikely that Gilbert would have welcomed such a promotion!

        Gilbert was noted for his austerity. A special custom of the house was "the plate of the Lord Jesus" where the best portions of the dinner were put on a plate for the poor.

         In 1165 Gilbert was accused of having assisted Thomas a Becket when he fled from King Henry II, but was later exonerated. At the age of ninety he suffered a revolt from some of the lay brothers. Eventually Gilbert resigned because of his blindness.

        The order thrived but it came to an end when King Henry VIII suppressed the monasteries, and it was never reconstituted. However the school in Sempringham is still called after St Gilbert. St Gilbert is to be admired because he had the courage to persevere with his double order when he had been rebuffed by the Cistercians, putting the needs of the women in his care above ideology.

        St Gilbert of Sempringham, pray for us.