The Carthusians

The Carthusians combined the strict, lonely life of a hermit with the community life of monastery. Monks lived on their own in small two storey "cells" for most of the time, but gathered together for prayers and Sunday dinner. Their monasteries were called Charterhouses. The first was at Withaur near Somerset, linked to The Cistercians in Yorkshire and the best ruins are at Mount Grace Priory in Yorkshire. There were only ten chaterhouses in the UK.

Today there is a Carthusian Charterhouse, St. Hugh's, at Parkminster.