Cistercian order

Monastic order of monks founded at Citeaux in Burgundy in ad 1098, although later found in other parts of Europe. The order came to Britain in ad 1128. The monks wore white habits and renounced wealth and grandeur, colonizing isolated areas and gaining a living from land previously uncultivated. They made extensive use of lay brethren to help run their establishments, especially dependent granges, many of which were devoted to sheep farming.