The Grey Friars (Franciscans)
Founded by Saint Francis of Assisi in 1209, the Franciscan Friars, known
as the
Grey Friarsbecause of their grey habits or cowls [Holder 66]), are a mendicant organization that arrived in England from Italy in 1224. Devoted to following the teachings of Saint Francis, the Franciscans occupied Greyfriars until Henry VIII’s Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1538 (Kingsford 2).
