an order of religious, thus called from St Gilbert of Sempringham, in the county of Lincoln, who founded the same about the year 1148: the monks of which observed the rule of St Augustine; and were accounted canons: and the nuns that of St Benedict.

The founder of this order erected a double monastery, or rather two different ones, contiguous to each other, the one for men, the other for women, but parted by a very high wall.

St Gilbert himself founded 13 monasteries of this order, viz. four for men alone, and nine for men and women together, which had in them 700 brethren and 1500 sisters. At the dissolution there were about 25 houses of this order in England and Wales.