Grey Friars (Franciscans)
The Grey Friars, named for their grey
habits or cowls, were an order of franciscan friars founded by St. Francis of Assisi in 1209 and arrived in England from Italy in 1224 (Holder 66). Devoted to following the teachings of St. Francis, the Grey
Friars occupied Greyfriars until King Henry VIII’s Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1538 (Kingsford 2).
